Claremore Man Charged With Caretaker Exploitation

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- A Claremore man was charged Thursday with nine counts of caretaker exploitation in Tulsa County District Court, the state attorney general said.<br/><br/>Mark Neil Ferris, 49, is the

Thursday, July 27th 2006, 4:45 pm

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- A Claremore man was charged Thursday with nine counts of caretaker exploitation in Tulsa County District Court, the state attorney general said.

Mark Neil Ferris, 49, is the former administrator of Tulsa's Green Park Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. He was charged after an investigation by Attorney General Drew Edmondson's Patient Abuse and Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

The state's complaint alleges Ferris illegally took $5,389.39 from the trust funds of eight residents between Nov. 1, 2004, and Jan. 12, 2006.

"This case came to our attention when the new administrator at Green Park noticed discrepancies in the trust fund accounts," Edmondson said. "It appears Mark Ferris wrote checks on the accounts unnecessarily, and the money just disappeared. To cover his tracks, he transferred money from other residents' accounts."

If convicted, Ferris could face up to 10 years in prison and $10,000 in fines on each count.