Indictment For Union Co. Caregiver Accused Of Neglecting Elderly Person

UNION COUNTY, NJ — A 28-year-old woman from Linden was indicted on third-degree neglect of an elderly or disabled person after a person in her care died from heat stroke on July 4, 2019.

Valerie Pinchinat was indicted by a grand jury on Wednesday, according to an announcement by Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor.

While working at Advancing Opportunities, a social services organization in Marlboro Township, Pinichinat left an elderly, disabled person in direct sunlight, long enough to cause the resident to suffer heat stroke and second-degree burns on her legs, chest and arms, according to reports. The victim's body temperature reached 106 degrees.

During transport to Bayshore Medical Center, the resident required intubation, according to the indictment.

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

Deputy Attorney General Charisse M. Penalver is prosecuting the case for the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, under the supervision of Deputy Bureau Chief Michael A. Klein, Bureau Chief Peter Sepulveda, and Deputy Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Al Garcia.

In New Jersey, the New Jersey Medicaid Fraud Control Unit protects Medicaid beneficiaries and the Medicaid Program from fraud, waste, and abuse.