Dara Lee Carlson Sentenced in Fraud Case 

PIERRE, S.D.- Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today that Dara Lee Carlson, 38, Belle Fourche, was sentenced to five years in the State Penitentiary on one count of Grand Theft, a Class Four Felony. Carlson admitted that she had stolen money while working as a resident account representative for Belle Fourche Regional Senior Care. Carlson pled guilty to Grand Theft in March pursuant to a plea agreement reached with the State. Circuit Court Judge John Bastian suspended the penitentiary sentence on the condition that Carlson be placed on supervised probation for five years, serve sixty days in the Butte County Jail, and repay Belle Fourche Regional Senior Care Center $10,592.51.  Judge Bastian left open the possibility that Carlson may seek a sentence modification. 

The case was investigated and prosecuted by the South Dakota Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the Butte County State’s Attorney, the Department of Social Services, and the Department of Health.   

-30-