Caregiver Indicted In Neglect Of Elderly Marlboro Woman

MARLBORO, N.J. — A caregiver is under indictment for neglect after an elderly woman suffered heatstroke and sunburns at an area facility in 2019, according to the state Attorney General's office.

Valerie Pinchinat, 28, Linden, was indicted May 11 on third-degree neglect of an elderly or disabled person, Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor said .

On July 4, 2019, Pinchinat is charged with leaving the person in her care at Advancing Opportunities in Marlboro, a social services organization, in direct sunlight, long enough to cause the resident to suffer heat stroke and second-degree burns on her legs, chest, and arms; the victim’s body temperature reached 106 degrees. During transport to Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, the victim required intubation.

No defense counsel was listed as yet for Pinchinat.

Deputy Attorney General Charisse M. Penalver is prosecuting the case for the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

Third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000.

In New Jersey, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit protects Medicaid beneficiaries and the Medicaid Program from fraud, waste and abuse. To report Medicaid Fraud or Patient Abuse & Neglect, call 609-292-1272. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit also conducts presentations educating the public and the health care industry regarding Medicaid fraud. Call the same number for more information on the presentations.