Oregon Foster Home Operator Admits Stealing Medicaid Funds While Neglecting Disabled Residents
MARION COUNTY, Ore. — Brian Woodring, the former operator of an adult foster home for individuals with developmental disabilities, has admitted guilt in Marion County Circuit Court to several felony offenses, including criminal mistreatment and aggravated theft.
Woodring admitted guilt to charges of neglect of vulnerable residents and the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars of Medicaid funds.
Stripped of His Right to Work
In terms of an agreement, Woodring may not work as a caregiver or an adult foster home operator. He will serve four years and 10 months in a state prison, three years of post-prison supervision, pay restitution, or continue his career upon his release from prison.
According to the Oregon Attorney General, Dan Rayfield, Woodring’s plea followed an extensive multi-agency investigation into serious misconduct that endangered the lives of residents and defrauded the Oregon Medicaid program.
Woodring had a Medicaid contract to operate a licensed adult foster home in Clackamas County. However, investigators later discovered the facility was empty. Instead, the residents were being improperly housed at his private residence in Aumsville, located in Marion County.
The home was not properly equipped to meet the residents’ care needs, and Woodring knowingly failed to provide them with necessary medical and physical support.
The property was not equipped to provide adequate care, and Woodring knowingly withheld ongoing physical and medical attention to the residents who were reliant on his care.
One Resident Died and Another Suffered Prolonged Neglect
The case against Woodring was based on the neglect of two residents, one of whom died of untreated metastatic cancer, and the other who suffered prolonged neglect.
During this time, Woodring billed Medicaid for several hundred thousand dollars for services he never provided. Woodring also violated licensing regulations by operating an unlicensed adult foster home from unauthorized premises.
AG Rayfield described the case as ‘a disturbing example of what can happen when someone takes advantage of the people who rely on them most.’
The investigation was conducted by the Oregon Department of Justice’s Medicaid Fraud Unit, the Oregon Department of Human Services, Adult Protective Services, and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Sentencing will take place at the Marion County Courthouse on August 29.