Serena Sylvia, a regional accounts receivable manager for Haven Health Care Management, LLC, pled guilty to one count of health care fraud and one count of filing a false income tax return. From 2005 to 2008, she embezzled funds from nursing home resident trust fund accounts. The nursing homes involved include Haven Health Center of Jewett City, Haven Health Center of Norwich, Haven Health Center of Waterford, and Haven Health Center of Soundview in West Haven. She admitted taking more than $53,000 from the trust fund accounts, and not paying income tax on the money she stole. She faces a maximum imprisonment term of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000 on the health care fraud count, and a maximum term of imprisonment of three years and a fine of up to $100,000 on the false tax return count.
This case stems from a larger investigation into fraud at Haven Healthcare, a chain of nursing homes formerly headquartered in Middletown, Connecticut. That investigation has resulted in convictions of Raymond Termini, the former CEO of Haven Healthcare; Fred Dalicandro, the former director of Cash management of Haven Healthcare, and Kimberly Boccacio, the former administrator of Haven Health Center of Jewett City.