April 17, 2008
Media Contact: Sandi Copes
Phone: (850) 245-0150
Panama City Man Arrested for Exploiting Elderly Victim
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that a Bay County man was arrested for exploiting an elderly victim and grand theft after investigators revealed that he fraudulently used more than $23,000 of the victim’s money for his own personal benefit. Robert L. Ashley, of Panama City, was arrested by authorities with the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
Investigators with the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit’s Patient Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation (PANE) team began investigating Ashley, 56, after receiving information from the Florida Department of Children and Families, Adult Protective Services. The investigation revealed that Ashley obtained power of attorney over the 87-year-old victim’s affairs while the victim was in a nursing facility. Using that power of attorney, Ashley took more than $23,000 out of the victim’s bank accounts and used the funds for his own personal benefit. The victim is now deceased.
Ashley was arrested for one count of exploitation of an elderly adult and one count of grand theft, both second-degree felonies. Each felony carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney for the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit.
The PANE Project plays a key role in detecting abuse and neglect of elderly and disabled patients, helping to ensure that efficient and effective health care is being provided. Under Florida statutes, the Attorney General is charged with protecting Florida’s elderly and disabled citizens and investigating any allegations of abuse, neglect, or exploitation. The responsibilities also include coordinating multi-agency inspections on care facilities throughout the state which have resulted in numerous facilities being shut down due to substandard conditions and care. The PANE teams receive information from various sources, including the Department of Children and Families, and the project is unique in Florida to the Attorney General’s Office.