Guidance counselor loses license for fraud case, but school district still renewed contract

South Florida Sun Sentinel (FL)

A Broward guidance counselor’s contract was renewed this month for another year — a week after the state suspended her license due to her involvement in a 2019 federal Obamacare fraud case.

Dorothy Delima-Copeland, 49, has been a guidance counselor at Seminole Middle in Plantation since 2016. In 2017, she was indicted on fraud charges related to her former employer, Miramar-based Express ACA. She pleaded guilty to a lesser crime in November 2019 of “misprision of a felony,” or knowing about a felony and not informing law enforcement. The crime is a misdemeanor.

Delima-Copeland “conspired with another or others to defraud the United States and others of funds to which Respondent was not entitled to,” the state commission said in a document.

Whether the school district knew about her crime is unknown. The office of Chief Communications Office Kathy Koch did not respond Monday, other than an acknowledgment of the questions. Some crimes make employees ineligible to work for the district, but this is not one.

However, the state Education Practices Commission decided June 9 to suspend her license a year, which would make her ineligible to work during that time.

But on June 15, the School Board renewed her contract, as part of an annual vote on teacher contracts. She was one of about 15,000 names on the list. It’s unclear whether school district administrators knew of the state’s action when this was approved.

Delima-Copeland could not be reached for comment, despite attempts by phone.

In a case prosecuted by a federal court in Baton Route, La., Delima-Copeland worked with another individual, Keaton Copeland, who was committing fraud, federal officials said. The indictment does not say if the two are related. Delima-Copeland testified against Keaton Copeland, resulting in lesser charges and a sentence of probation and a requirement to pay $78,000 in restitution to two insurance companies.

Federal officials said the two were involved in a scheme in 2014 and 2015 where the company, Express ACA, entered into contracts with insurance companies to find enrollees for the Affordable Care Act. Federal officials said they used names, addresses and other information about people without their knowledge and created fake email accounts to enroll them in Obamacare.

Delima-Copeland can regain her teacher’s license in a year if she takes an ethics class and pays a $750 fine. She must also permanently refrain from handling school funds.