On April 22, Lorie Langridge, 47, of Jackson, was arrested by detectives from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office on a complaint charging her with second-degree theft. The arrest follows a joint investigation that was conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office in conjunction with the Wall Township Police Department.
According to a press release from the prosecutor’s office, the investigation revealed that Langridge’s mother died on May 9, 2009, and that at the time of her death Langridge’s mother possessed a life insurance policy and was also receiving a state of New Jersey pension. Langridge’s father was the named beneficiary on both the life insurance policy and the state pension.
Following Langridge’s mother’s death, two death benefit checks were issued. The first, in the amount of $66,300, was issued by Prudential Financial as a result of the group life insurance policy. The second check, in the amount of $32,549.65, was from the pension system.
Both checks were made payable to Langridge’s father, but they were delivered to Langridge because she possessed a powerof attorney for her father, who is elderly and resides in a nursing home in Monmouth County, according to the press release.
Langridge’s father was receiving medical benefits through Medicaid as an institutionalized patient. Pursuant to Medicaid rules and regulations, any assets that are generated on behalf of a recipient of Medicaid benefits must be provided to the health care facility so that they can be used to offset the health care and living expenses of the recipient.
The investigation revealed that Langridge, rather than turning the funds over to the nursing facility, instead deposited the funds into her own personal bank account. The total amount of the theft is approximately $98,849.65.
According to the press release, the investigation into Langridge’s activities began after Langridge’s brother notified the Wall Township Police Department that some of his father’s funds were missing.
Langridge’s brother was the executor of his mother’s estate, in which capacity he determined that his mother’s life insurance policy and pension benefits had been issued and made payable to his father, but did not appear to have been deposited into the nursing home’s account.
During the investigation, an analysis of Langridge’s personal bank records was conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
The analysis revealed that Langridge used the stolen funds to purchase a mobile home. Langridge was residing in the mobile home at the time of her arrest. She had previously resided with her mother in Wall Township.
Neither the power-of-attorney nor Langridge’s mother’s will provided Langridge with legal authority to convert her father’s funds to her own personal use. The funds that were contained in the two checks were the lawful property of Langridge’s father at all times, according to the press release.
Following Langridge’s arrest, state Superior Court Assignment Judge Lawrence M. Lawson, sitting in Freehold, set Langridge’s bail at $50,000. Langridge was unable to post bail and she was lodged in the Monmouth County jail.
If convicted of second-degree theft, the maximum potential custodial sentence is a state prison term of up to 10 years, according to the press release.