Philly Day-Care Operator Gets 5-Year Sentence For Hiding Her Past
Her record includes convictions for shoplifting, gun charges, and insurance fraud as well as probation stints in
But on Thursday, Edwards received her stiffest sentence yet -- five years and three months in a federal detention center for using her sister-in-law's identity to obtain a state child care license that her criminal past would otherwise have prevented her from obtaining.
At a hearing before U.S. District Judge
"She's taken a lot of positive steps in prison to better herself," said attorney
Edwards' day-care center, Tianna's Terrific Tots, came under scrutiny in 2012, when one of its wards, 7-year-old Isear Jeffcoat, drowned in a jammed and filthy swimming pool. While Edwards maintained that she was at the business going over payroll records at the time, police said she was gambling at the
She has remained in custody on state manslaughter charges since
The case stemmed from a DPW investigation that cataloged not only Edwards' lapses as a day-care operator, but also the failure of its own employees to act on red flags surrounding her business.
Month after month, the state fielded complaints about the day-care center's two locations, one on
State officials ultimately shut down the business'
Still, the
Edwards is scheduled for trial on the manslaughter charge next month. She also is accused in separate cases: one for collecting welfare while hiding the income she received from the state in her sister-in-law's name and another for cashing a check stolen from a church.
As a result of her sentencing Thursday, she could also face new prison time for violating the terms of her probation from a 2012 insurance fraud case, in which she was found guilty of torching a Jaguar she bought in her sister's name.
"When she's out she wants to take care of her kid and stay out of trouble," Giampietro said.
215-925-2649 @jeremyrroebuck
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