Atlanta woman sentenced for scamming elderly neighbors out of $32K, leaving them begging for food

ATLANTA — An Atlanta woman convicted of neglect and exploitation of the disabled and elderly was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in prison.

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Michelle Oliver, who owned and and operated the Miracle One Care Center, was convicted of operating an unlicensed personal care home, willful deprivation of an elder person, seven counts of willful deprivation of a disabled adult, and financial exploitation of a disabled adult.

According to the release, the center presented itself to the public as offering housing, meals and other services, with a focus on supporting people with mental health diagnoses and those transitioning from the criminal justice system.

During the trial in December 2016, investigators say Oliver moved a number of people from Atlanta to duplexes in Albany. Detectives launched an investigation after a neighbor made a complaint to Adult Protective Services about residents at the duplexes in Albany.

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Investigators found that the residents were left on their own in dirty apartments with little to no furniture, no air conditioning, broken appliances and no clean clothing.

Oliver allegedly scheduled a “cook” to come in the morning to give residents their only food for the day, and the cook would leave before the lunch hour. With the residents’ disabilities, they weren’t able to access their own money and ended up begging neighbors and nearby stores daily for food.

Investigators say Oliver would take the residents monthly payments directly from their accounts. In total, she collected $32,000 between December 2016 and September 2017. She pleaded guilty to 51 counts of exploitation related to the payments made under false pretenses. During that time, Albany Code Enforcement deemed several apartments unfit to live in, and the residents were removed.

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The first seven years of Oliver’s 20-year sentence is to be served in prison. Following her release, she will be banned from being a part of any businesses that provide care to others.

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