Plea Entered In Eau Claire County Embezzlement Case

MADISON - Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced today that on May 6, 2009, Amanda Turner, 31, 2537 Sessions Street, Eau Claire, appeared before Eau Claire County Circuit Court Judge William Gabler and entered a plea of guilty to three counts of embezzlement of property of a patient or resident of a facility, in court case number 2009-CF-193.  Turner was sentenced to 12 months probation with three conditions: continue parenting classes, obtain a mental health evaluation and participate in any necessary treatment and pay court costs.

The charges stem from Turner's employment at Aurora Residential Alternatives, an adult family home facility in Eau Claire.  According to the criminal complaint filed by the Department of Justice, Turner was employed as Program Manager at the facility which provides care and assisted living services to developmentally disabled residents.  The victim resident suffers from Down Syndrome and although he understands the concept of money, he does not comprehend amounts.  One of the services provided by the facility, and Turner as Program Manager, was the management of the victim's financial account.  In October 2007, the victim's financial ledger showed a large amount of money, $900.00, was given to the office for safekeeping, but the office never received that money.  Upon questioning about the whereabouts of the money, Turner initially told a series of lies but finally admitted that she was in possession of the $900.00 and that she had been using the resident's money for her own personal use.  Turner subsequently paid back the full amount that she misappropriated.  Turner also admitted to the falsification of the financial ledger to cover up the commission of the crime.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Eric Dfort of the Medicaid Fraud Control and Elder Abuse Unit.