Nov 27, 2006 1:09 am US/Pacific
Criminals Ready To Baby-Sit Your Kids
Taxpayers Footing The Bill
by David Goldstein
A CBS 2 News investigation has uncovered the state approving criminals to be babysitters… and it gets worse. In some instances taxpayers are actually footing the bill! Investigative reporter David Goldstein has the story. "An ATM for thieves," Cosper said.
"Something needs to be done and done quickly, Don Knabe said.
"Rampant fraud," Cosper said.
They're talking about Trustline, a billion-dollar childcare program run by the state department of social services and a non-profit agency.
It provides background checks on nannies and babysitters, but we found the program may be putting children's lives in danger and using taxpayer money to do it.
"We know what the situation is. We know it's a ripoff," Knabe said.
Don Knabe is an L.A. Board of Supervisor and Trustline critic.
"We know the potential welfare of the child is in danger and we need to take care of the situation yesterday," Knabe said.
Our six-month investigation found people convicted of child abuse, battery, welfare fraud -- all approved by the state of California to watch your children.
Criminals like this one. She's Brenda Madrid, a registered sex offender in San Bernardino.
Last December she pled guilty to committing a lewd act upon a 14-year old. When we saw her on August 25 of this year, she was still approved as a babysitter.
Her status has since been revoked.
Then there is the case of Donnnieyell Ferguson. I called Trustline two months ago to check on his background.
(David Goldstein on the phone) "Right, Donnyell Fergosn... They're cleared? O.K., so they are O.K. to watch my children? Right? They passed the background check… O.K."
But there is a problem -- for the past 15 months Ferguson wasn't babysitting, he has been doing time behind bars. Right now he is serving 10 years at the High Desert State Prison in Lancaster for carjacking two months ago.
Trustline had no idea.
(David Goldstein on the phone) "Fingerprinted in February of '05, cleared in November of '05."
While behind bars, Ferguson earned over $14,000 of taxpayer money as a babysitter for the state's welfare to work program. The checks stopped just last month after we inquired about his status.
"If the taxpayers knew how poor the oversight is they would toss every elected member out of office," Jim Cosper said.
Jim Cosper is head of the L.A. District Attorney's Welfare Fraud Division.
"The grand jury estimates the losses could be as much as $500 million a year in L.A. county alone," Cosper said.
"Besides the dollar significance, it's just absolutely incredible that these people with criminal backgrounds be allowed to be approved to be in childcare," knabe said. "You know they could be ripping somebody off, but they also could be hurting the child as well too. There is absolutely no room for error."
Earlier this year the legislature tried and failed to pass some bills that would have tightened the criminal background checks of Trustline applicants.
So for now, it's business as usual for the one-billion-dollar-a-year program...
"It's got to be frustrating?"
"Very frustrating," Cosper said. "We see all of the millions and millions of dollars wasted. All of the potholes that could be fixed, all of the extra firefighters that could be hired and that money is just being wasted."
Calif. Department of Social Services Response
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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