Mia Hardy, a former business office coordinator at two senior living facilities in Pennsylvania, has been indicted on eight counts of wire fraud. The charges stem from an alleged scheme to defraud residents, their heirs, and the facilities themselves.
According to the indictment, Hardy worked at Senior Living Facility #1 and later at Senior Living Facility #2. Both facilities used a resident fund management service (RFMS) to manage resident funds. RFMS provided a central trust account with individual sub-accounts for each resident, allowing them access to their funds for personal spending or bill paying.
The indictment claims that between March 2020 and August 2023, while employed at Senior Living Facility #1, Hardy exploited the RFMS system for personal gain. She allegedly accessed the system without authorization and issued checks payable to her family members and associates from resident accounts. These payees were not known to the residents whose accounts were affected.
Hardy is accused of forging signatures on checks or obtaining authorized signatures through misrepresentation. The indictment states she generated approximately 49 checks totaling around $122,941 using this method. Additionally, it alleges she generated petty cash payments for herself from the facility's funds.
From April 2024 to July 2024, while working at Senior Living Facility #2, Hardy reportedly continued similar fraudulent activities. She allegedly issued checks from resident accounts payable to her family members and associates and improperly obtained a blank check from a resident’s Capital One bank account.
The indictment includes a notice of forfeiture seeking up to $366,000 from Hardy for these offenses. If convicted on all counts of wire fraud, she faces up to 20 years in prison per count, three years of supervised release, and fines up to $250,000.
The FBI investigated the case which is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely an accusation and does not imply guilt; defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.