Daycare Worker Accused Of Misusing Tax Dollars Jailed On Theft Charges

A daycare worker was jailed on theft charges Tuesday just a week after her daycare license was revoked following a 10 Investigates' probe.

Jazmin Rodriguez-Demota was in the custody of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday after being arrested on one count of felony theft, 10 Investigates’ Paul Aker reported.

Additional charges could be filed.

Rodriguez-Demota was paid nearly $100,000 last year for offering childcare, but 10 Investigates’ surveillance showed only one parent dropping children off at the in-home childcare center.

A two-week 10 Investigates' examination revealed that Rodriguez cashed about $3,000 in checks from Franklin County Job and Family Services during that time period.

According to JFS documents, the agency found its own problems with Rodriguez-Demota’s business, Aker reported.

The county said that it found at least eight occasions where it said Rodriguez-Demota charged the county without documentation or improperly charged for holiday care.

The total charges came to more than $2,400.

Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott called Rodriguez-Demota’s actions a scheme to defraud taxpayers.

“She was stealing,” Scott said. “She was just stealing from the state.”

Scott said that he believed Rodriguez-Demota was having parents sign blank billing statements so she could file them.

Scott said that investigators also said that they suspected she forged signatures on attendance sheets to make it look like parents dropped off kids when they never did, Aker reported.

“We went back to talk to some of the people who were reported to have received these services, but found out later they really didn’t receive these services,” Scott said.

Investigators also said that Rodriguez-Demota threaten undocumented citizens that she would have them deported if they did not claim they dropped kids at her house.

“She was doing all kinds of bad things,” Scott said.

Rodriiguez-Demota said that she would not comment to 10 Investigates.

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