Couple who ran medical transport business said to be living in luxury.
By Jocelyn Wiener - Bee Staff Writer
An El Dorado Hills couple who reside in one of the region's poshest neighborhoods charged sick and elderly patients hundreds of dollars apiece for medical transportation they often didn't provide; they then refused to refund the patients' money, according to a criminal complaint filed by the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office.
Donald Lee Milsap, 56, and Lesslee Ann Milsap, 54, the owners and operators of Available Transportation Medical Co., posted bail of $50,000 apiece, said Gloria Mas, a deputy district attorney who works in the county's elder abuse unit. They are due to be arraigned Oct. 31.
The couple did not return repeated calls for comment Monday afternoon, and did not appear to be home last week when a reporter knocked on their door.
The complaint filed in late September charges the couple with conspiracy to commit a crime and conspiracy to defraud another of property -- both felonies. They also are charged with two misdemeanor and one felony count of theft from an elder or dependant adult, and one misdemeanor count of bouncing a check.
"The fact they're cheating old and sick people is really offensive," Mas said. "But I think what aggravates it in my eyes is that they live in such an exclusive community and they're obviously able to refund these individuals their money and instead they're using it to live the lifestyle."
The complaint cites three incidents in which Available Transportation Medical Co. promised to drive sick patients, many of them seniors, to nonemergency appointments. Since then, Mas says she's found at least three more incidents.
The company required clients to pay up-front for several trips, promising a refund for any unused trips, Mas said. Then, when clients came asking for a refund, the company would not give it, according to Mas.
One of the plaintiffs, 68-year-old John Scott, said he was desperate for a way to transport his 67-year-old wife, Kay, to the University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center last fall to see a doctor for experimental treatment for a rare disease. She'd been given about a month to live, he said. She couldn't walk. She couldn't talk.
"I would have done anything to get her there," he said.
He said he got Available Transportation Medical Co.'s number from a list provided by UC Davis Medical Center. He paid $1,400 for round-trip transportation.
On the way to the hospital, he said, the driver got lost a few times, and none of the employees appeared capable of providing Kay Scott with help in case she had an emergency. They arrived for the appointment barely on time.
The doctor kept Kay Scott in the hospital longer than planned; John Scott called Available Transportation Medical Co. to let them know. He said they agreed to pick up Kay Scott at a later date or else refund the money -- $775. They did neither. He called them for months and won a judgement in small claims court. Finally, he called the District Attorney's Office.
"I figured it was outright theft," he said.
"It's really kind of sad if you've seen where they live."
The two-story, three-bedroom home is on the 400 block of Greenview Drive in the gated Serrano community. A golf course has sprouted from the dry, weedy hills there, surrounded by luxurious homes. Last week, President Bush gave a 30-minute address at the Serrano Country Club to raise money for Rep. John Doolittle, R-Roseville; donors paid $2,000 apiece to hear him speak.
The semi-circular driveway at the Milsaps' home leads past neatly trimmed hedges to a stairway framed by white pillars. A festive assortment of pumpkins and gourds sits at the top of the stairs, on either side of glass-inlaid double doors.
Property records indicate the couple do not own the home. And despite the apparent trappings of wealth, the Milsaps have a history of financial troubles.
In November 2005, the couple were sued by Michael and Toni Deery for failing to pay $2,300 monthly rent on another Serrano home, on Pescara Place.
Donald Milsap filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 1995 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 1996.
Over the years, a string of federal and state tax liens -- including some valued at more than $50,000 -- were filed against Lesslee Milsap.
The patients the Milsaps allegedly victimized say they still are waiting for the refunds they realize may never come.
Barbara Paxiao, 73, paid $750 so Available Medical would drive her husband, Donald, also 73, to dialysis appointments. After several trips, Paxiao said she no longer needed the service and asked for a $300 refund for the unused trips. She said Lesslee Milsap told her several different stories about what had happened to the money. Finally, after Paxiao threatened to take action, Milsap brought her a check. It bounced.
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