2 Arrested; Worked For Subcontractors
TAMPA – Two former child welfare workers were arrested Thursday and accused of lying in official state records about having face-to-face meetings with children and foster parents.
Andrew Joseph, 36, of Riverview was arrested at his home on 33 counts of falsifying records – a third-degree felony. Robert Matthew Vilardebo, 34, of Brandon turned himself in at Orient Road Jail and was charged with two counts of falsifying records.
Both men claimed to have conducted in-home interviews with children and foster parents, Florida Department of Law Enforcement spokeswoman Trina Reddick said.
Joseph was to conduct the interviews for Youth and Family Alternatives, a subcontractor providing case management services, said Hillsborough Kids Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jeff Rainey. Hillsborough Kids is a contractor for the state Department of Children & Families. Youth and Family Alternatives is a subcontractor for Hillsborough Kids.
The investigation started after Youth and Family Alternatives noticed irregularities, Rainey said.
“As soon as it was discovered, Youth and Family Alternatives immediately notified the DCF inspector general’s office,” Rainey said.
Joseph, he said, had about 20 cases.
Checks And Balances In Place
Staff and supervisors from Youth and Family Alternatives, with help from Hillsborough Kids, visited clients to ensure safety was not compromised, Rainey said.
“We can’t tolerate putting children at risk,” he said. “We took every measure to ensure that would not happen. There are tons of checks and balances in place. This was caught, though it did happen.”
Joseph worked as a case management coordinator for Youth and Family Alternatives for only two months in 2006, said Judith Bromberg, the agency’s senior vice president for human resources. He resigned to take another job.
His duties as a case management coordinator included making monthly visits to the foster children on his caseload. The children ranged in age from infants to 5 years old, though a few older siblings to the younger ones were included, as well, she said.
When Joseph resigned, a case manager with another organization went to a home on his caseload to do a wellness check, Bromberg said. The caregiver told the case manager that Joseph hadn’t stopped by since August.
A check of Youth and Family Alternatives’ computer records showed Joseph had falsely reported that he had recently visited that home, she said.
Men Booked Into Orient Road Jail
As a result of the investigation, the organization instituted a system of checks and balances to avoid a repeat occurrence, Bromberg said. Supervisors now make random phone calls to the homes to ask about recent visits and make random co-visits with the case coordinators.
Joseph was arrested at his 13716 Gentle Woods Ave. home Thursday morning. He was being held at Orient Road Jail on $25,000 bail.
Vilardebo worked as a care manager at Children’s Home Society, a subcontractor of Hillsborough Kids Inc. In October 2007, the Children’s Home notified DCF’s Office of the Inspector General of suspected criminal activity involving Vilardebo, according to a news release prepared by Reddick.
An investigation found that Vilardebo falsely recorded two face-to-face visits with children and caregivers, Reddick said. Vilardebo worked as a care manager from November 2004 through March 2006.
He was booked into Orient Road Jail and bail was set at $4,000.
By Editor Howard Altman and Reporter Mike Wells. Reporter Sherri Ackerman contributed to this report.
