AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC at 410-209-4885

January 22, 2007

LAST DEFENDANT IN BONUS REFERRAL FRAUD SCHEME AT UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MEDICAL CENTER PLEADS GUILTY TO THEFT

Over $317,000 in Phony Referral Bonuses Obtained

BALTIMORE, Maryland - Carlet Clemons, age 59, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty today to theft in connection with a scheme to defraud the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Employee Referral Program, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.

The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) had a program whereby bonuses were paid to current employees for each new employee they recruited and referred. Human resource personnel were excluded from eligibility for the recruitment bonuses. According to the plea agreement presented to the court, Paula Anderson was an administrative assistant in the Human Resources Department at UMMC and thus, ineligible to receive referral bonuses. Beginning in 2003, using her position in the Human Resources Department Anderson would identify newly hired UMMC employees and ask other employees, including her mother, Carlet Clemons, if she could use their names as referrals for the new employees, who they did not even know. The employees received referral bonuses, which they would then share with Anderson. Through this scheme, Clemons obtained $48,323.51 in referrals. Anderson, who usually received one-half to two-thirds of the fraudulently obtained bonuses, received a total of $317,811.08 from the scheme.

Other UMMC employees who have pleaded guilty to engaging in the fraud scheme include: Clemons’ daughter, Paula Anderson, age 39, who was the leader of the scheme; Samantha White, age 33; Candice DeShields, age 26; Terre Barrett, age 34; Keith Dickerson, age 23; Lisa Guerrero, age 35; Michael Venable, age 31, all of Baltimore; Sandra Lowery, age 41, of Laurel, Maryland; and Kimberly Love, age 27, of Capitol Heights, Maryland. Clemons faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett scheduled sentencing on April 5, 2007 at 11:30 a.m.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the investigative work performed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and thanked the University of Maryland Medical System for their assistance. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bonnie S. Greenberg and Sandra Wilkinson, who are prosecuting the case.