Federal grand jury indicts Oregon mom and daughter accused of trafficking Haitians, forcing them into labor, on new healthcare fraud charges

Valmont and Andre allegedly coerced the three Haitian victims, including a minor aged 16, to work at their adult foster home, Velida's Home Care in Tigard, Oregon, under the promise of providing them with a steady income and a place to live. However, upon their September 2023 arrival, Valmont immediately stole their immigration paperwork, forced them to work extensive hours for no pay or just $2.00 per hour, made them sleep on the floor, and prohibited them from communicating with the outside world, according to the indictment.

The victims told authorities that Valmont and Andre sponsored them under the "Uncle Biden Plan," a term Valmont used to describe the temporary protected status (TPS) put in place for Haitians under the former administration's US immigration services. Valmont and Andre are both naturalized US citizens.

Marie Gertrude Jean Valmont, left, and Yolandita Marie Andre, right

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said that Valmont allegedly engaged in healthcare fraud "by participating in a conspiracy with Andre to request Medicaid 'exceptional payments' for additional paid hours for employees while paying the victim employees little to nothing for their labor." Valmont also allegedly falsified a disability claim for herself, which allowed Andre to receive an hourly pay grade on the false claim that Andre was her care worker at the home, per the indictment.

The defendants also allegedly made false claims that they needed to compensate current and new employees for longer hours of work for foster care residents with exceptional care requirements in order to request and obtain funds from Medicaid and the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS). The defendants pocketed the money they received from ODHS and Medicaid by paying the three victims little or nothing, rather than giving them an appropriate hourly amount. Valmont claimed to the state of Oregon that she was disabled to receive more funds, court documents state.

Velida's Care Home was licensed by the Oregon Department of Human Services in 2023, and the mother-daughter owners and administrators were compensated $191,506.97 for the care of residents, records show. In a detention memo, prosecutors revealed that Valmont and Andre, a registered nurse, were receiving nearly $13,000 per month for the care of two residents of the home. The state agency has since severed its contract.

Velida's Home Care, located in Tigard, Ore. Credit: Velida's website

Images of the rooms inside Velida's Care Home. Credit: Velida's website

The victims, who were allegedly forced into labor from September 8, 2023, to July 24, 2024, told prosecutors that Valmont threw items at them, threatened to send them back to Haiti and have them killed, and threatened to call police to make false theft allegations against them if they spoke to anyone about what was happening inside the home. Authorities were alerted to the situation at Velida's by state child welfare workers after the 16-year-old minor victim disclosed the scheme to a pediatrician in the summer of 2023. The minor was removed from the home and placed in foster care.

On Thursday, September 26, 2024, the FBI arrested Valmont and Andre outside their care home. During their initial arraignment, prosecutors told the Court that when the victims escaped from the home to report their conditions to the Tigard Police Department, Valmont arrived in the police parking, prompting the victims to seek refuge at a nearby fire station until an officer could take their statements. Additionally, Andre allegedly intimidated the minor victim, paying a visit to her school to inquire about any information she may have provided to authorities.

Valmont and Andre pleaded not guilty to the initial charges, in which each count is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.