A grand jury in Oregon has issued a superseding indictment against Marie Gertrude Jean Valmont, 67, and her daughter Yolandita Marie Andre, 31, both from Tigard. The two face 12 counts of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and forced labor. The indictment alleges that the pair coerced three individuals, including a minor, into working for little or no pay at their adult foster care facility.
According to court documents, Valmont and Andre operated Velida’s Home Care in Tigard. They are accused of recruiting the victims from Haiti with promises of good living conditions and stable employment. Upon arrival in September 2023, the victims were allegedly forced to work long hours under threat for minimal compensation. Authorities state that Valmont confiscated the victims’ immigration documents and controlled many aspects of their lives to ensure compliance.
The situation came to light when the minor victim disclosed details to a medical professional in summer 2024. This prompted an investigation by the Oregon Department of Justice.
Valmont is also charged with document confiscation as a means to compel labor and services. Both women are accused of conspiring to defraud Medicaid by requesting “exceptional payments” for additional employee hours while paying victim employees very little or nothing. The indictment further alleges that they lied about where the victims lived and falsified a disability claim so Andre could be paid as Valmont’s caregiver through Medicaid programs.
Additionally, Andre is alleged to have submitted false claims under penalty of perjury regarding her caregiving role during times she was not present with Valmont or when Valmont was engaged elsewhere. Despite claiming disability requiring Andre’s care, Valmont also presented herself as a caregiver for others through ODHS records.
Each count of forced labor and conspiracy to commit health care fraud carries up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted; making false statements related to health care fraud can result in up to five years per count. Forced labor convictions require mandatory restitution.
The FBI led the investigation with help from Tigard Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eliza Carmen Rodriguez for the District of Oregon and Trial Attorney Elizabeth Hutson from the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section are prosecuting.
“An indictment is only an accusation of a crime. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”
Anyone with information about human trafficking is encouraged to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org for more resources on reporting suspected cases or learning about ongoing efforts against human trafficking (https://www.justice.gov/humantrafficking).
