More Charges For Daycare Provider Accused Of Scamming Money From State

A Franklin County daycare worker accused of trying to scam the state to get money for children that she did not supervise was charged with seven felonies on Thursday.

Jazmin Rodriguez-Demota was charged with tampering with evidence, theft and forgery counts, 10 Investigates' Paul Aker reported.

A 10 Investigates’ two-week stakeout showed virtually no children showing up at her house.

Franklin County prosecutor Ron O'Brien said that Rodriguez-Demota defrauded $18,000 from taxpayers.

According to O'Brien, Rodriguez-Demota submitted false billing certificates and forged signatures to collect her fees from the state for daycare services that were not provided.

Sources told 10 Investigates that Rodriguez-Demota had undocumented residents sign forms and told them that they would be used if the parents ever wanted daycare.

A source in law enforcement said that Rodriguez-Demota allegedly would then fill in the blanks even through children never showed.

The Franklin County Sheriff's Office started investigating after a 10 Investigates report aired in November about daycare contractors being paid by Franklin County Job and Family Services for work that was not performed.

"(Rodriguez-Demota) took advantage of a system designed to help low-income families and defrauded the state of $18,000," O'Brien said in a statement on Thursday.

Rodriguez-Demota was paid nearly $100,000 in 2011, but 10 Investigates' surveillance showed only one parent dropping children off at the in-home childcare center.

The 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.

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.

Rodriguez-Demota was previously arrested, but was out of jail on Thursday on a promise to reappear, Aker reported.

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