Danieal Kelly: Trial of Social Workers Continues

Four former employees of the now-defunct MultiEthnic Behavioral Health, Inc., are on trial in federal court on charges of health-care and wire fraud,conspiracy and lying to the grand jury and federal agents. The charges stem from the death of 14-year-old Danieal Kelly, who suffered from cerebral palsy and was found starved to death in her squalid family apartment in August of 2006.

On trial are Administrators Mickal Kamuvaka and Solomon Manamela, and case workers Julius Juma Murray and Mariam Coulibaly who worked for the social-service agency which was charged with providing care for at-risk children with federal funds funneled through the city's Department of Human Services. On the last day of the first week of trial, three former employees testified that they were ordered to falsify reports, and instructed to forge signatures.

Kim Cooke, a former caseworker who is not on trial, admitted that she habitually filed false reports about home visits she never made. While conceding she was never specifically instructed to do so, Cooke, a part-time employee, did testify that supervisors told her to "do what you have to do" when completing records for the City for regularly scheduled audits. She testified that when defendant Solomon Manamela learned she had not made all of the required visits, he told her to do what was "necessary."

Cooke testified that she used to be a good caseworker, but became "burned out." She had three jobs at the time, one with MultiEthnic, one with another social services agency and one with the Philadelphia School District. She claimed that when she couldn't get to a home, she would call the house and "quiz" them. According to Cooke, when the City conducted audits, Kamuvaka directed the staff to help each other fill out the required back paperwork, telling them "We are all in this together ... they can close us down."

Former MultiEthnic receptionist Yolanda Carr testified that she worked 24 hours straight preparing quarterly reports for the annual DHS audits. Former receptionist, and later case worker, Blendenna Carter, testified that there was sparse supervision by Kamuvaka, and that Kamuvaka often spent time at the office grading papers for a college teaching job she held. Carter also testified that Kamuvaka instructed her to forge another employee's signature and when it was not accurate enough, told her to practice. When shown a report from May, 2006, Kim Cooke testified the signature was a forgery.

The trial is expected to last a month.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; More articles on this case by Patricia Sicilia: The Death of Danieal Kelly: Philadelphia's Shame; Danieal Kelly's Parents file suit against City; Andrea Kelly Sentenced in Death of Daughter; Trial Begins for Social Workers