Pittsburgh-area personal care home owner accused of stealing $700,000 from residents
UNIONTOWN, Pa. (KDKA) — The owner of a personal care home in Fayette County is accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from residents.
Veerasammy Perumal, the owner of Annalisa's "A Touch of Home" assisted living facility, is charged with stealing more than $700,000.
The case showed up on local authorities' radar in 2022 when a resident complained about not getting money owed through the Pennsylvania Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program for lower-income senior citizens.
The state allows facilities to keep up to half of the maximum annual rebate of $650 per year, but this resident claimed to not see a penny.
The investigation uncovered that the resident was not alone. Multiple people had not received their rebate money because Perumal was allegedly keeping it.
According to court documents, Perumal was considered a "representative payee" of many of the residents who couldn't manage their bank accounts and was trusted to do what was in their best interests.
As investigators dove deeper, they noticed a large amount of money from the business being passed between the facility and three accounts of residents who had died.
One resident who died in 2019 had 54 transactions totaling $76,600. Another resident who died in 2022 had 102 transactions totaling $186,250. The largest amount was $455,094 with 325 transactions involving a resident who died in 2021.
According to court paperwork, Perumal admitted to making these transactions to hide the funds from the IRS because the care home was being audited. He was charged with numerous felonies, including forgery and identity theft.
