JACKSON, Miss.–It’s jail time for two Mississippians in two separate incidents, but there are lessons to be learned from their cases. One person is going to prison for getting your tax dollars for herself and another abused a vulnerable person.
If you are ever in charge of giving care to a vulnerable adult, someone who cannot fully take care of themselves, you’ve got to have a servant’s heart, a good attitude, and patience. It may be the lack of the last one on that list that got Joshua Mitchell, 23, of Jackson, five years to serve in the state pen.
Mitchell hit a resident of Hudspeth Regional Center at Whitfield so hard that he fractured the resident’s jaw. Mitchell admitted to the charge and was sentenced to 10 years, with five suspended, and was ordered to pay $1,000 to the Mississippi Crime Victim Compensation Fund and court costs of $931.50.
“It’s always a good day when we can bring about some justice for victims and their families,” said Attorney General Hood. “We are working hard every day to protect all our residents, but especially our most vulnerable.”
If you ever decide you want to defraud Medicaid of over $28,000, just know that they’re probably going to get wise to your scheme and they’re probably going to start asking questions.
It was supposed to be money to pay for prescription glasses for about 130 kids. But, the Medicaid folks found out that Barbara Jones, 31, of Jackson, had actually taken the money for herself and that most of the kids who the prescriptions were for didn’t need glasses and that the ones who did, didn’t get them.
Jones pleaded guilty this week to three counts of Medicaid fraud and got a five-year sentence Four years were suspended, so she’ll actually only go to prison for one year.
Jones was also ordered to pay $28,158.61 in restitution and a penalty of $84,475.83, to be paid during the five years of post release supervision.
“It is our hope that cases like this will send the message to others, trying to cheat the system in this same way, that they will not win and they will pay dearly when they are caught,” said Hood.
