Jennifer M. Cote, 45, of Montpelier, was sentenced Tuesday to serve 12 to 36 months in prison for Medicaid fraud and neglect of a Montpelier man. Jeffrey A. Kittredge II, a 20-year-old man who suffered from multiple medical conditions, died in 2016 from septic shock from infected bed sores while under Cote’s care.
Cote pleaded guilty in Washington County criminal court in Barre to charges brought by the Vermont Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit.
According to court records, Cote worked as a personal care assistant for Kittredge under the Vermont Medicaid Children’s Personal Care Services program. Cote, a former licensed nursing assistant who provided in-home services, missed more than eight scheduled medical appointments for the disabled man. Cote also neglected to request treatment for Kittredge’s skin ulcerations, which became infected and caused his death.
Cote was also sentenced for submitting a fraudulent timesheet to Vermont Medicaid, claiming she had performed certain hours of care when, in fact, she had not.
Related charges remain pending against the young man’s father, Jeffrey Kittredge of Montpelier, prosecutors said, who lived with Cote.
The matter was jointly investigated by the Montpelier Police Department and the attorney general’s Medicaid fraud unit.
If you suspect someone is being neglected or abused, please call local police. Neglect and abuse can also be reported to Adult Protective Services at 800-564-1612.
