Philliann Barnett, Bank Fraud, Connecticut 2023

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Table of Contents

Local Home Health Aide Arrested for Bank Fraud

Philliann Barnett, 42, a Jamaican citizen residing in New Britain, Connecticut, has been arrested and charged with bank fraud for allegedly stealing money from a disabled client. According to a complaint, Barnett worked as a home health aide for a company that serviced disabled veterans receiving benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The complaint alleges that in November 2020, Barnett forged the signature of a disabled veteran on a check and deposited it into her account. In February 2021, law enforcement investigating Barnett learned of a separate complaint from a resident of an assisted living facility in the Waterbury area where Barnett purportedly worked.

Barnett is accused of stealing money from the complainant’s checking account and depositing it into her own account using the ‘Cash App’ cell phone application. This is not the first time Barnett has been accused of financial crimes. In 2003, she was convicted of defrauding an individual with cerebral palsy, and in 2020, she was released from state custody after serving approximately five years of incarceration.

Barnett applied to be a home health aide for a company using the alias ‘Philliann Burke,’ and did not disclose her criminal history to the company. She began working for the company on September 11, 2020. After her arrest, Barnett was released on a $75,000 bond into home incarceration, subject to GPS monitoring and ordered to surrender her passport.

Barnett is charged with bank fraud, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years. Acting U.S. Attorney Leonard C. Boyle stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret M. Donovan.

If you believe you have been victimized by Barnett, you are encouraged to contact Special Agent Abraham Raymond with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Inspector General, at 781-687-3417.