Beth Yeates of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was sentenced today in Washington County District Court for financially exploiting seven DUET clients residing in group homes for developmentally disabled adults in Blair, Nebraska. DUET is a disability services provider.
Yeates, 32, was employed as a supervisor in the DUET group homes. She used her credit card to place orders for items intended for residents and was reimbursed from the disabled adults' accounts. After receiving reimbursement, Yeates would cancel the orders. The scheme was uncovered by her supervisors at DUET during an audit of the disabled adults' accounts. They subsequently notified Adult Protective Services and local law enforcement.
Judge Brian Meismer sentenced Yeates to 60 months of probation and 90 days in jail. She was also ordered to pay restitution amounting to $16,876.31 to her victims and write letters of apology to each of them.
The investigation was conducted by the Blair Police Department and the Medicaid Fraud and Patient Abuse Unit at the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office. The prosecution was handled by the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office.