John Morales
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office environment for the Middle District of Pennsylvania introduced now that Shelley Noreika, age 49, of Dillsburg, PA, was sentenced to 30 months’ incarceration by United States District Judge Sylvia H. Rambo for earning False Statements Relating to Well being Treatment Matters.
In accordance to United States Legal professional Gerard M. Karam, Noreika fabricated significant illnesses and created fraudulent statements to healthcare companies in connection with her 5-yr-aged adoptive daughter. As end result of Noreika’s wrong statements, the small baby was subjected to unnecessary health-related remedy and the downstream insurers incurred financial losses in the 6-figures. In certain, and as admitted by Noreika to federal investigators, Noreika instructed her daughter to faux and faux having a seizure though Noreika videotaped her. Noreika then emailed the movie clip of the bogus seizure to her daughter’s pediatric neurologist, alongside with untrue statements about the small child’s medical situation. On various other situations, Noreika similarly falsely described to health-related vendors that her daughter skilled seizures, when in simple fact no these seizures transpired. In fact, at no issue did Noreika ever witness her daughter have an precise seizure.
As recognized by both equally the governing administration and defense, Noreika’s carry out is steady with factitious dysfunction imposed on yet another, formerly recognized as munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological illness in which a caregiver makes up or results in an illness or injury to a person beneath their care, to achieve attention and sympathy for them selves. Nonetheless, the govt pointed out to the Courtroom there was also a very clear fiscal motive – Noreika received increased Medicare and adoption subsidiaries for using care of a medically sick little one, and she promoted the small child’s purported ailments to seek out donations from neighborhood companies and by means of on-line fundraising efforts.
“Today’s sentencing sends a powerful information that preserving little ones is a prime precedence,” explained Distinctive Agent in Cost Maureen R. Dixon of the Wellness and Human Companies, Business of Inspector Normal (HHS-OIG) Philadelphia Regional Office. “HHS-OIG will keep on to get the job done closely with our regulation enforcement associates to totally investigate allegations of abuse versus small children and guarantee statements submitted to federal and state programs by caregivers are truthful and exact. We would like to thank the Pennsylvania State Police and the U.S. Attorney’s Business office for their partnership and determination in this investigation.”
In addition to the 30-month prison sentence, the Court docket requested Shelley Noreika to provide a few several years of supervised launch subsequent incarceration, and to pay out a good of $500 and restitution of $137,710.86 to the victims of the offense. Noreika is no more time in care of the small kid, and she also faces relevant point out fees which are pending.
The scenario was investigated by the U.S. Office of Overall health and Human Services, Workplace of Inspector Normal (OIG) Harrisburg Discipline Business, and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Lawyer Samuel S. Dalke prosecuted the scenario.
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