ROCKLAND, Maine — A Washington woman who agreed last year to plead guilty to stealing food stamp benefits while being an employee of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services argued Friday in court she should not serve any jail time.
In the end, 41-year-old Tanya Bormet went along with a sentence agreement her lawyer worked out with the Maine attorney general’s office in November. She will serve at least 10 days for theft of $1,746 in food assistance.
Bormet pleaded guilty in November in Knox County Superior Court to felony theft of services. The agreement called for a deferred disposition in which the felony count would be dropped and she would end up being convicted of a misdemeanor theft if she adhered to terms of the deal. Those terms included repaying the $1,746 for food assistance she received illegally while she worked for DHHS and performing 200 hours of community service.
If she met those conditions, which she did, Bormet would be sentenced to 30 days in jail under the agreement.
Bormet claimed in court Friday, however, that her attorney Roger Hurley promised her she would not see a day in jail because of her medical condition. Bormet told the judge she had suffered two strokes. The written deferred disposition stipulated the AG’s office would not object to her seeking a medical furlough.
Hurley told the court he had explained the agreement in crystal clear terms to his client.
A decision on a medical furlough rests with the sheriff, and Bormet said when she met with the sheriff recently she was told she would not be eligible. When questioned Friday about her condition by Justice Daniel Billings, she acknowledged she has a clean bill of health.
Bormet, however, may be allowed to placed under home confinement after serving 10 days. That decision also will rest with the sheriff.
Billings said 10 days for the offense she committed was a good outcome for her.
Bormet worked in the Rockland DHHS office from 2003 until she resigned in January 2013 after an investigation began into whether she made false statements on an application for assistance. Bormet stated on the application that two stepdaughters were living in the household and that her husband did not work. In reality, the girls had moved out of the house and her husband was employed.
The judge agreed to allow Bormet to begin the jail term on Sept. 9.