Editor's note: This Shark believes the comments made by citizens echo the on going corruption in the Probate Court of Cook county. The legal structure in Illinois appears to be protecting the nursing home cartel. Lucius Verenus, Schoolmaster, ProbateSharks.com
County Public Guardian Put on Leave, Escorted out of Building
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Sources within the county building told San Jose Inside that Don Moody, who oversees the Public Guardian's office, was escorted out of the building Thursday morning.
A high-ranking Santa Clara County official was placed on paid leave Thursday in the wake of a report that pointed to widespread dysfunction under his watch.
Don Moody, the public administrator/guardian/conservator, was escorted out of his office, sources tell San Jose Inside. County spokeswoman Gwen Mitchell confirmed that Moody was relieved of his duties for the time being but declined to elaborate.
“He’s out on leave, and it’s a personnel matter,” she said. “That’s all I can say.”
Moody came on board nearly six years ago as head of the Public Guardian’s office, a branch of the Social Services Administration (SSA) that takes financial control of adults who are unable to care for themselves and with no family or friends to care for them. His termination comes weeks after the another local official—John Vartanian, director of the Department of Child Support Services—was placed on paid leave for racking up travel rewards using public money.
During his tenure, Moody’s department has repeatedly come under scrutiny by the media, the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury and internal audits.
A grand jury report out this summer—the second in as many years—noted that Moody fails to track the amount of work and number of clients he handles. The people he hires to manage clients’ property don’t go through a thorough background check, the report found. Instead of having a panel of experts determine whether to assume control of a person’s estate, effectively revoking their civil rights, the decision lies with one person. And for years, countless referrals from the court have reportedly fallen through the cracks.
The latest grand jury report was spurred by a complaint that the office mishandled a case in which a client died before being conserved by the county.
“The grand jury’s inquiry into this case led to a broader examination of the safety net provided … for seniors who are not able to advocate for themselves, have no one else to advocate for them, and whose cognitive abilities are severely compromised,” the report explains.
Adults fall into court-ordered public conservatorship after the Public Guardian determines that they cannot make personal, financial or health decisions without risk to their wellbeing; are at risk of being abused; or when no family or friends can step up as caregiver. Many people referred are mentally ill or incapacitated.
As of August, the inventory of client’s assets in care of the county totaled $62.8 million. That’s in addition to personal property and valuables kept in a warehouse. Yet new hires, who look after clients’ estates, go through only a cursory background check. No fingerprints, no exhaustive records search.
In a formal response to jurors, Moody agreed with most of the findings. Sources within the department say that he always agrees, though—he just hasn’t done anything to fix them.
“When I came in there, I had people telling me to stop working so hard,” a former Public Guardian employee tells San Jose Inside. “There is such inefficiency in there, but they want it that way. Ignore the problems so you don’t have to fix them.”
Don Moody, the public administrator/guardian/conservator, was escorted out of his office, sources tell San Jose Inside. County spokeswoman Gwen Mitchell confirmed that Moody was relieved of his duties for the time being but declined to elaborate.
“He’s out on leave, and it’s a personnel matter,” she said. “That’s all I can say.”
Moody came on board nearly six years ago as head of the Public Guardian’s office, a branch of the Social Services Administration (SSA) that takes financial control of adults who are unable to care for themselves and with no family or friends to care for them. His termination comes weeks after the another local official—John Vartanian, director of the Department of Child Support Services—was placed on paid leave for racking up travel rewards using public money.
During his tenure, Moody’s department has repeatedly come under scrutiny by the media, the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury and internal audits.
Don Moody, Santa Clara County Public Guardian.
The latest grand jury report was spurred by a complaint that the office mishandled a case in which a client died before being conserved by the county.
“The grand jury’s inquiry into this case led to a broader examination of the safety net provided … for seniors who are not able to advocate for themselves, have no one else to advocate for them, and whose cognitive abilities are severely compromised,” the report explains.
Adults fall into court-ordered public conservatorship after the Public Guardian determines that they cannot make personal, financial or health decisions without risk to their wellbeing; are at risk of being abused; or when no family or friends can step up as caregiver. Many people referred are mentally ill or incapacitated.
As of August, the inventory of client’s assets in care of the county totaled $62.8 million. That’s in addition to personal property and valuables kept in a warehouse. Yet new hires, who look after clients’ estates, go through only a cursory background check. No fingerprints, no exhaustive records search.
In a formal response to jurors, Moody agreed with most of the findings. Sources within the department say that he always agrees, though—he just hasn’t done anything to fix them.
“When I came in there, I had people telling me to stop working so hard,” a former Public Guardian employee tells San Jose Inside. “There is such inefficiency in there, but they want it that way. Ignore the problems so you don’t have to fix them.”
Presumably, an isolated incident.
I’ve never heard of this happening before.
This statement from a possibly disgruntled ex- employee has little credibility
In response to your comment, they are former employees most likely because they got tired of seeing this constantly ongoing corruption, neglect, and incompetence at the hands of the big bosses making big money at taxpayer expense. I know that there are good, honest,caring, and ethical people in the PGAC office, but under the incompetent and corrupt management of Ramoni and Moody, there is so little these workers can do. I have seen how courageous workers that speak up the truth are vilified, scorned, and dismissed as “disgruntled employees” by people like you that are ether too blind to see the reality, or like it to suck it to their boss (some employees do this to climb the ladder), or are just too corrupt and part of the problem.
So, all those outside of these categories, can see that it is you and your comment what is out of place…
Has there always been this level of corruption in our government? Seems like things went downhill in the last 30 years. I know that 30 years ago, corruption was looked past because public employee salaries were so low, but now that we’re “Paying more to attract the best talent:” it seems like we just attract the most greedy and corruptable.. Thoughts?
This is a smalltime resume building stop on the way to fame and fortune.. take a Pol down and you’re the heir to Woodward and Bernstein….not.
This morning I was getting coffee from a Starbucks in Palo Alto when I ran into one of our local political bloggers, Cary Andrew Crittenden. Cary’s been exposing some injustices in SCC for some time, and was talking to me about the Public Guardians office. He introduced me to a lady that had been screwed over hard by them.
He had not heard about this story, and when I showed him he looked like he had a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. No joke, but there was clouds this morning. They parted, the sun shone down on him.
I’ll try and call him later to see if I can get the whole details, but he said he had something to do with this.
http://nasga-stopguardianabuse.blogspot.com/2012/11/lillie-scalia-gets-to-go-home-after-two.html
Moody’s removal was a positive move.
I also question why the Public Guardian would be overseeing over $62 mil in assets, and I wonder how many of those conservatorships are unnecessary or how many families were wrongfully shunted aside in favor of the public guardian. I hope a thorough investigation is conducted of the office’s practices.
Join the national movement for reform of unlawful and abusive conservatorships. Join NASGA! http://www.StopGuardianAbuse.org
Don Moody did a lot that was illegal. Moody kept Gisela Riordan and Lillie Scalia imprisoned and isolated at Villa Fontana. No visitors. No phone calls. No mail. Gisela and Lillie would probably still be imprisoned and isolated if ABC7 had not covered their story in 2012. That isolation was the reason for the 2012 – 2013 Civil Grand Jury investigation.
AB 937 (2103) to clarify conservatees’ rights to visitation, phone calls, and personal mail was passed in part because of crimes committed by Don Moody. He is a criminal as much as any thug on the street. The only difference is that my tax dollars paid Don Moody to abuse vulnerable elders.
http://abc7news.com/archive/8870462/
ABC7 I-Team also established an unlawful reverse mortgage on an unoccupied home.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y809jIIev5w&list=TL4PtHialDE4Akvbh3RD1KTr4mWOy7Mtp6
A quick search will show that nearly all Don Moody’s reverse mortgages went to the same broker, who pocketed hefty commissions for his “services.”
When the consider the number of appropriate conservator ships, his department has prevented hundreds of Clients from being physically or financially abused.
I have the highest regard for the Public Guardians Office and their staff.
I complained because I caught 2 public administrators re-using the official seals they (who work in pairs) place on the entrances and exits to a property whenever they visit a property, and additionally, they routinely changed, the dates (back-dating) on these seals as well. Furthermore, they left the property unsecured…..a sliding patio door was left wide open for days after they had visited to search for estate planning documents.
To say these public employees acted unprofessionally is to put it mildly
Pretty much ensures job security, eh?