Former West Tennessee health care director sentenced to federal prison for fraud
Melanie Haste, 62, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for wire fraud that occurred while she worked at Jackson-Madison County Hospital as Director of Risk Management at West Tennessee Healthcare.
Joseph C. Murphy Jr., U.S. Attorney, announced the sentence on Thursday.
According to the information presented in court, Haste served in her position at the hospital from 2012 until 2020. During her time there, she developed a fraud scheme that allowed her to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the organization.
In May 2020, Haste, formerly of Trenton, Tennessee, stole and attempted to deposit a check made out to the organization into her own account.
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The check was for more than $146,000. After bank personnel became suspicious, they froze her account and alerted West Tennessee Healthcare of her actions.
After the matter was referred to law enforcement, it was discovered that beginning in 2017, Haste had stolen and attempted to steal more than $355,000 over a three-year period, using the hospital's money to pay personal expenses, finance vacations and give to family members.
In January 2022, Haste pled guilty to one count of wire fraud. On June 15, 2022, United States District Judge J. Daniel Breen sentenced Haste to 18 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment.
The Court also ordered Haste to pay $209,181.47 in restitution to the organization.
In imposing the sentence, the Court noted that Haste had abused the trust of her employer, and the seriousness of her offense warranted a prison sentence.
There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by the Jackson Police Department, Financial Crimes Unit, and the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Wilson prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Former West Tennessee health care director sentenced to federal prison
