An employee of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was sentenced today in Asheville, N.C., to six months in prison for stealing $114,494 in government funds, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Elton Malone of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Office of Investigations, Special Investigations Branch.
Jihan S. Cover, 34, of Arden, N.C., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger in the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to her prison term, Cover was ordered to forfeit $114,494, pay $114,494 in restitution to HHS and serve three years of supervised release, including six months of home confinement, following her prison term.
Cover pleaded guilty to one count of theft on Aug. 22, 2011.
According to court documents, Cover worked as a purchasing agent with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), a subdivision of HHS, from approximately 2006 through December 2011. Cover’s sole job function involved procuring authorized items and services for NIH/NCI using assigned government credit cards.
According to plea documents, between June 2009 and December 2010, Cover, who received regular training in the proper use of government credit cards, used and caused to be used NIH/NCI credit cards assigned to her to complete over 250 unauthorized personal transactions totaling approximately $114,494.
During this period of time, according to her plea, Cover used and caused to be used her NIH/NCI purchase cards to make over 170 personal purchases totaling approximately $16,000 from Amazon.com for items that included toys, exercise equipment, books, clothes and other personal times. Almost all of these items were shipped to Cover’s residence in Arden. In addition, Cover admitted using her NIH/NCI purchase cards to pay off over $29,000 in balances she accrued with various cash advance and payday loan vendors.
