Attorney General James Announces Arrest of Rochester Nursing Home Employee for Stealing $150,000 from Residents

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the arrest and arraignment of Tammy Echols, 56, of Rochester, for stealing more than $150,000 from vulnerable residents of St. John’s Home (St. John’s), where she worked. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) found that from January 2023 to August 2025, Echols used her position in the nursing home’s business office to issue checks from the facility to her friends, associates, and local businesses to which she owed money. After taking a fee, Echols’ friends and associates sent most of the stolen money back to Echols. Echols was arrested and charged with Grand Larceny in the Second Degree and Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree.

“New Yorkers save up for their entire lives to afford dignified care in a nursing home, and they expect the staff treating them to have their best interests at heart,” said Attorney General James. “Tammy Echols took advantage of the trust St. John’s residents placed in the facility to line her pockets with vulnerable residents’ savings. My office will continue to go after fraudsters who corrupt our health care system and make sure they are held accountable.”

As a Senior Account Specialist at St. John’s, Echols was responsible for billing residents and their families for expenses not covered by Medicaid as well as issuing refund checks when they made overpayments to the facility. The OAG’s investigation found that Echols used her position to issue fraudulent refund checks from the nursing home to businesses she owed money to and to friends and associates who would transfer the funds to Echols after taking a small handling fee. In total, Echols embezzled $154,525.99 that St. John’s residents had deposited with the facility to cover their expenses. The investigation found that the businesses Echols issued checks to included a local florist, a bakery, and a construction contractor.

Echols was arrested, charged, and arraigned before Rochester City Court Judge Latoya Lee. If convicted on the top count, she faces a maximum sentence of five to 15 years in prison. The charges against the defendant are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proved guilty in court.

The OAG thanks the Rochester Police Department for its valuable assistance in this investigation.

The matter was investigated by staff of the MFCU Rochester Regional Office, which investigates fraud, waste, and abuse in the Medicaid program. The investigation was handled by Detectives Stephen Sachman and Dennis Enser under the supervision of Detective Supervisor Stacey DiSanto and Deputy Chief Ron Lynch. The audit was conducted by Senior Auditor Investigator Kaitlynn Arias under the supervision of Chief Regional Auditor Jamie Powers and MFCU Chief Auditor Dejan Budimir. 

The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorney Mark Monaghan under the supervision of Regional Director William Gargan. MFCU is led by Deputy Attorney General Amy Held and Assistant Deputy Attorney General Thomas O’Hanlon. MFCU is a part of the Division for Criminal Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice José Maldonado and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.

Reporting Medicaid Provider Fraud: MFCU defends the public by addressing Medicaid provider fraud and protecting nursing home residents from abuse and neglect. If an individual believes they have information about Medicaid provider fraud or about an incident of abuse or neglect of a nursing home resident, they can file a confidential complaint online or call the MFCU hotline at (800) 771-7755. If the situation is an emergency, please call 911.

New York MFCU’s total funding for federal fiscal year (FY) 2026 is $70,793,651. Of that total, 75 percent, or $53,095,240, is awarded under a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $17,698,411 for FY 2026, is funded by New York State. Through MFCU’s recoveries by means of law enforcement actions and civil enforcement actions, it regularly returns more to Medicaid than it received in funding.