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Abstract: 

Fourteen-year-old Danieal Kelly, who suffered from cerebral palsy, died from malnutrition and bedsores in August 2006. At the time of her death, Danieal weighed only 42 pounds; bedsores had penetrated to the bone. She was under the care of social service agency MultiEthnic Behavioral Health, Inc. (MEBH), an agency that received more than $3.6 million from the city of Philadelphia between July 2000 and December 2006 for in-home social services to 500 families whose children were at risk of abuse or neglect. The agency had no clients other than the city of Philadelphia and was awarded contracts despite its lack of a track record in providing home care to disabled children. Criminal Health Care Fraud Charges of criminal health care fraud were filed against nine defendants, including Mickal Kamuvaka, manager of MultiEthnic, and casework supervisor Solomon Manamela. This article discusses the case, its outcome, and ramifications.

Keywords: MultiEthnic Behavioral Health; MEBH; Mickal Kamuvaka; Solomon Manamela

Affiliations:  1: Editor, Victimization of the Elderly and Disabled.