2 charged with forging time sheets for state care to Kane residents

Two people charged with submitting at least $5,000 each in bogus time sheets and other forms while serving clients in Kane County surrendered to authorities Friday.

A Kane County grand jury earlier this month indicted Nikki Neal, 27, of the 1200 block of Tuscany Trail, Hampshire, and Joyce Banner, 31, of the 7900 block of South Princeton Avenue, Chicago, on felony charges of forgery, theft between $5,000 and $10,000 from the government and filing false statements by a vendor, according to Kane County court records.

Annie Thompson, spokesman for the attorney general's office, which is prosecuting the case because the defendants are accused of stealing from the government, said Banner and Neal are accused of submitting "false time sheets" while working as home service providers through the state's Department of Human Services.

Home service providers serve seniors and people with disabilities by helping with basic needs such as cooking and cleaning.

Thompson could not specify the exact amount of which each defendant is accused of defrauding the department. Prosecutors have indicated they could call as many as nine state police and other investigators from the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, court records show.

Neal is accused of submitting false or forged time sheets and from April 2011 through August 2014; Banner is accused of submitting false or forged time sheets from March through November 2013.

It was not immediately clear if the two are accused of conspiring or acting independently.

A message left for Brandon McNulty, the attorney for Neal, was not immediately returned. Neal was released on a $100,000 recognizance bond. Bond information for Banner was not available.