TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - A Putnam County woman has been charged with stealing more than $20,000 from residents of a group home she owned.
Tammi Marie Carnes was charged Wednesday with one count of organized scheme to defraud - a second-degree felony. She also was charged with 13 counts of exploitation of a disabled adult - a third-degree felony.
Carnes owned the O'Carroll Homes facility in Palatka for disabled adults. Authorities said Carnes used money stolen from her tenants to pay off her credit cards and buy gift cards.
The Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and Putnam County Sheriff's Office investigated. Carnes now faces up to 80 years in prison and $75,000 in fines. The group home is now closed.
