Police: Former adult foster care owner switched pharmacies in exchange for trip to Spain
The former owner of two Livingston County adult foster care facilities has been charged with fraud after police said she switched pharmacies for her residents in exchange for a free trip to Spain.
Holly Purdy, of Howell, was charged with one count of health care fraud kickbacks on Oct. 28, according to court records. Neeta Raval, a Wixom pharmacist who offered the bribe, has also been charged with fraud.
Police received a tip about Purdy, 51, in 2019 after she switched to Quality Plus pharmacy in Farmington, a Michigan State Police trooper testified at an Oct. 28 hearing that led to charges.
"She went to the pharmacy and made a deal with Neeta Raval, that she would give her the business as long as she got a trip to Spain and that is why she switched," the trooper testified.
Raval, 64, admitted to offering the trip to Purdy in exchange for her business and showed police the $1,949 charge to Royal Caribbean for Purdy's trip, the trooper testified.
An employee who answered the phone Friday said Raval is still employed with Quality Plus. Numbers listed for Purdy and Raval were disconnected Wednesday afternoon.
Purdy was in charge of filling and distributing medications to at least 15 residents between her two adult foster care facilities, Blue Heron Pond in Green Oak Township and Nightingale Retreat in Genoa Township.
Both facilities were shut down at the end of February 2019.
Police and state officials conducted a raid at Blue Heron Pond in February 2019 following a report by a hospice nurse regarding Purdy's request to fill a resident's prescriptions for Xanax, morphine MS and Norco, according to a Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs suspension order issued Feb. 27, 2019.
According to the order, Purdy filled the resident's painkiller prescriptions – 15 times – after those prescriptions had been discontinued.
Michigan State Police seized what they say are at least 700 expired or fraudulently obtained pills and vials from the two now-closed adult foster care facilities, according to a LARA report.
The seized medication consisted of Ativan, Xanax, Gabapentin and liquid morphine.
The facilities housed residents who were physically handicapped, as well as those with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, according to LARA.
Both Purdy and Raval failed to appear for their scheduled arraignment Nov. 24 in front of Magistrate Jerry Sherwood. Neither have attorneys listed on file.
Contact Kayla Daugherty at 517-552-2848 or kdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KayDaugherty92.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Ex-Green Oak Twp. adult foster care owner, pharmacist accused of fraud
