Hayden O’Byrne United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida | The Florida Bar
A federal indictment has been unsealed, charging Charmaine Gatlin, the former Chief Operating Officer of Jackson Health Foundation, with embezzling funds from the nonprofit organization. The charges include submitting false invoices and receiving kickbacks.
Charmaine Gatlin, 52, who previously resided in Weston, Florida, served as COO of the Jackson Health Foundation from 2014 to 2024. The foundation supports Jackson Health System in Miami-Dade County through fundraising efforts. Gatlin's salary ranged from $185,000 to $290,000 during her tenure. She had signed a conflict-of-interest form that prohibited her from making decisions for personal gain.
The indictment accuses Gatlin of submitting false invoices amounting to at least $3.6 million for goods and services that either funded kickbacks or were not provided to the foundation or its affiliates. Some goods and services allegedly went to Gatlin or her relatives instead of the intended recipients.
In one instance detailed in the indictment, Gatlin approved around $2 million in invoices for a Georgia-based audiovisual company for services never rendered. It is alleged that this vendor paid $1 million in kickbacks directly to Gatlin, which she used partly to settle personal credit card debts. Furthermore, it is claimed that she instructed the vendor on how to falsify these invoices via email.
The indictment also alleges that Gatlin falsified invoices from a merchandise vendor who purchased luxury items such as designer gifts from Louis Vuitton and Gucci at her request. Additionally, she submitted a fraudulent invoice for a rose gold-colored golf cart delivered to her home in September 2023.
Gatlin faces charges including one count of wire fraud conspiracy, 26 counts of wire fraud, and five counts of money laundering. Each conspiracy and substantive wire fraud count carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison while each money laundering count could result in up to 10 years' imprisonment.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne of the Southern District of Florida along with acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of FBI Miami.
FBI Miami led the investigation with assistance from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Young is prosecuting this case while Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Raemy Charest-Turken handles asset forfeiture proceedings.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Further information about this case can be found on the United States Attorney’s Office website for the Southern District of Florida under case number 25-cr-20220.
