Beggs Caregiver Charged WIth Coercing Money From Disabled Patients

A Beggs caregiver, who investigators said coerced money from her developmentally disabled patients, was charged Thursday in Okmulgee County District Court following an investigation by the Oklahoma Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Attorney General Scott Pruitt's office said Friday.

Barbara Mangum, 49, of Okmulgee, a licensed developmental direct care aide and long-term care aide with Country Lane, was charged with three counts of financial exploitation.

A warrant has been issued for her arrest.

According to charges filed in Okmulgee County District Court, Mangum allegedly coerced her clients into giving her money on four separate occasions between September and October, and then instructed them to be silent.

If convicted, Mangum could face up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of $10,000 for each count of financial exploitation.

The Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is the only Oklahoma law enforcement agency dedicated to the investigation and prosecution of Medicaid fraud, a statement from Pruitt's office said.

The unit helps raise awareness as well as investigates and prosecutes provider fraud and abuse of residents in Medicaid-funded nursing homes.