Director Indicted for Stealing $385,000 from Home for Disabled Persons

KANSAS CITY, MO—Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that the director of a program that provided a home for disabled persons in Higginsville, Missouri has been indicted by a federal grand jury for embezzling more than $385,000 from the organization.

Terri Arlene Marr, 50, of Warrensburg, was charged in a 22-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday, November 15, 2013.

Marr was the director of the Progressive Alternative Living Inc. (PAL) from 1991 through 2013. PAL is an organization that operates a home in Higginsville for disabled persons in need of assistance. PAL receives reimbursement for many of these individuals from Medicaid. Marr was responsible for keeping strict and accurate accounts of all money received by and disbursed for and on behalf of PAL.

The indictment alleges that Marr made payments on her personal credit cards out of the PAL bank account and issued payroll checks to an unindicted co-conspirator (who is not identified in the indictment) who had not performed any work or services for PAL. These payroll checks total approximately $175,400 from 2001 through 2013. PAL also paid approximately $10,600 in taxes (Social Security, Medicare, Missouri unemployment, and federal unemployment) on behalf of the unindicted co-conspirator.

The federal indictment charges Marr with 16 counts of stealing from a health care benefit program by issuing checks for personal expenses to which she was not entitled from Progressive Alternative Living. Marr is also charged with six counts of stealing from a health care benefit program by issuing payroll checks to the unindicted co-conspirator from Progressive Alternative Living.

The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require Marr to forfeit to the government any property derived from the proceeds of the offenses, including a money judgment of $385,218, which represents the proceeds of the alleged offenses.

Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by the FBI and the Higginsville, Missouri Police Department.

This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available online at http://www.justice.gov/usao/mow/index.html.