by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
Assistant Attorney General Susan Haag is going back to her roots to help take a bigger bite out of crimes against the elderly.
State Attorney Harry Shorstein on Wednesday “cross swore” Haag back into his office, where she had worked for nearly 10 years. Now, as an attorney with the offices of the attorney general and the state attorney, she has the authority to investigate and prosecute Medicaid and Medicare fraud and offenses against the elderly.
“For some time, this has been an area I wanted to add resources to and, ultimately, combine all our efforts to prosecute abuse of the elderly, exploitation of the elderly and fraudulent crimes against the elderly,” Shorstein said during the brief ceremony in his office. “We haven’t had the resources in our office to put together what I intended to do.”
By maintaining her position with the attorney general’s office, Haag will continue investigating fraud and abuse cases. As a member of Shorstein’s staff, she will prosecute those she had been investigating.
“What would happen is the office of the attorney general would investigate (allegations), and we would turn the information over to the prosecutor,” said Haag. “Sometimes, we wouldn’t have the continuity.
“We wouldn’t have a prosecutor who could just jump in and get going. It would take that prosecutor a while to become as familiar with that case as I had become.
“This will allow me to maintain my own investigation and come into the courtroom and be able to prosecute those who take advantage of our elderly.”
She will have three or four investigators and an analyst working for her. Her office will remain in the Duval County Courthouse.
“It is a great opportunity to join forces with the state attorney to ensure the safety of Florida’s older citizens,” Attorney General Charlie Crist said. “Ms. Haag is an excellent attorney and will be a valuable asset to our seniors.”
Haag moved over to the attorney general’s office in March from Shorstein’s department, where she had worked in the Special Prosecution Division. She not only worked for the state attorney for nearly 10 years, but that is where she interned.
She believes that similar programs are being conducted in Miami and West Palm Beach. However, she said, she’s possibly the first to go from the state attorney’s office to the attorney general and maintain ties with both offices.
Abuse of the elderly is “an area of interest” to all criminal prosecutors, Shorstein said.
“It hasn’t been neglected,” he added. “But it hasn’t been fully addressed as we believe it should be.”
There is no shortage of cases such as the one his office concluded Tuesday with a man’s conviction for aggravated battery and sexual abuse of an elderly person, said Shorstein.
“But what Ms. Haag is dealing with, and what I think is growing at an even greater pace, is the number of cases of fraud and exploitation,” he said. “People will prey on victims who are less able than others to defend themselves.”
Those with questions or concerns about fraud or abuse of the elderly should call Haag at 348-2720.