Duval County Woman Arrested For Operating Unlicensed Assisted Living Facility
TALLAHASSEE, FL- Attorney General Bill McCollum announced that a Duval
County woman was arrested for operating an assisted living facility
without a license. Joyce Gibbs, 68, was arrested today by law enforcement
officers with the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, with the
assistance from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.In August, Ruth’s Family Home Away From Home, an assisted living
facility, was inspected by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control
Unit’s Patient Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation (PANE) Team revealing the
facility’s license had been expired for over a year and the owner was
operating the facility with an expired license. The clients were moved out
of the facility. A month later, Gibbs moved four of the clients from the
original location to a different location and continued to operate without
a license. In August, the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA)
issued a Notice of Unlicensed Activity and the facility was shut down.
Gibbs has been charged with one count of operating an unlicensed assisted
living facility without a license, a third-degree felony. If convicted,
Gibbs could be sentenced to up to five years in prison and receive up to a
$5000 fine. The case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office for
the Fourth Judicial Circuit.
The Pane Team plays a key role in detecting abuse and neglect of elderly
and disabled adults, helping to ensure that efficient and effective health
care is being provided.
# # #
Contact: Sandi Copes
Phone: 850.245.0150
Sandi.Copes@myfloridalegal.com
