A Minnesota woman who drained her child's blood as part of a scheme to defraud Medicaid was sentenced to 468 months in prison.
Jorden Marie Borders, 35, had previously been found guilty of various charges, including child torture, theft by false representation, and attempted murder. During a three-week trial earlier this year, prosecutors detailed Borders' abuse of her children and how she created false medical conditions to defraud Medicaid.
"Borders' crimes are some of the most heinous and agonizing I have seen in my time as Attorney General. I am praying for her children's recovery from the suffering and trauma they endured," said Attorney General Keith Ellison. "I am extremely grateful to everyone involved in holding Borders accountable, from the Crow Wing County and Stearns County Attorneys' Offices to the AG prosecutors and all our team on the case to the members of law enforcement who investigated."
Borders would forcibly withdraw blood from her 9-year-old son before doctor's visits to lower his hemoglobin levels. She did this with either a syringe, a PICC line or with a central line.
"Borders also self-diagnosed her children with other diseases, including osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease) and forced her children to wear boots, casts, and neck braces even though they did not have any identified fractures or diagnosed injuries," prosecutors stated.
The children also told authorities that they were told to vomit at the doctor's office, regardless of whether they needed to vomit. One child was instructed to cough a lot and was prescribed asthma medication.
At her trial, the children also testified about her physical abuse. They testified that "Borders hit the children with charging cords, belts, and spoons, made them stand outside in the cold without clothing until their bodies felt like burning, withheld food, and regularly threatened to kill them. At times, the threats to kill were accompanied with knives and guns," prosecutors stated.
Borders attempted to use the children to commit fraud.
She met with Crow Wing County Community Services to request funding to care for one of the children through the Minnesota medical assistance (Medicaid) program.
According to prosecutors, Borders provided false information about the child's medical conditions. As a result of this false information, the child was approved to receive personal care assistant (PCA) services. Borders claimed to provide these PCA services and received over $18,000.
"The investigation also found that Borders had been nominated to receive several gifts and money from non-profit foundations for her children, with these gifts based on the false information she provided about her children's medical conditions," prosecutors stated.
Borders parental rights to the three children had been previously terminated.
