Ex-Head of Treatment Program Accused of Filing False Claims

The former head of a Ventura drug and alcohol treatment program has been indicted on four counts of submitting false claims to obtain county money.

Thomas E. Chaloupka, 48, was arrested Sunday as a result of the indictment, returned Friday by the Ventura County Grand Jury. He was released Monday after posting $5,000 bail.

Chaloupka is the former manager of Khepera House Inc., which operates a residential rehabilitation program and a halfway house on West Harrison Avenue. Khepera House received about $85,000 in county funds during the 1989-90 fiscal year, when the offenses took place, said Stephen Kaplan, the county’s director of alcohol and drug programs.

Deputy Dist. Atty. James P. Cloninger said the charges stem from false documentation that Chaloupka filed to obtain funds for repairs, furniture and other amenities at Khepera House facilities.

“An audit showed that some of the documentation had been altered,” Cloninger said. “Work that had not been purchased was shown to have been purchased, or amounts were written to show that the county should reimburse more than was really spent.”

Khepera House received the maximum amount of $20,000 under a fix-up program, Cloninger said. Kaplan said about $13,000 of that was obtained falsely.

Cloninger said he did not know whether Chaloupka pocketed the money or whether it was used by the program for other purposes. Under the law, he said, it doesn’t matter.

Chaloupka’s attorney, William O’Neill III, disagreed. “The law says you have to have criminal intent,” O’Neill said. “Obviously, that means putting the money in your pocket. If all the money you received went to the program, there’s not a jury on Earth that would convict you of those crimes.”

O’Neill said Chaloupka told him that he was following the instructions of a county employee who called him near the end of the fiscal year, which ended June 30, 1990. The employee said Khepera House had not claimed the maximum $20,000 available and warned that if he did not do so by the end of the fiscal year, the program would not get as much money the following year.

“She said don’t worry about the forms,” O’Neill said.

The grand jury investigation began late last year, O’Neill said.

The attorney said he did not know when Chaloupka left the program. But he did so out of concern that his presence might affect its ability to get county grants in the future, O’Neill said.

Kaplan said all county contracts with the program were canceled when questions arose about the claims.

“To the credit of the organization, they have hired another director and reconstituted the board,” Kaplan said. “It seems like they are trying to set up enough checks and balances to avoid this kind of situation again. . . . I wish them luck. We need all the beds we can get.”

The new head of the program, Mike Rich, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

A resident of the program’s halfway house, sitting in its front yard Tuesday afternoon, praised Chaloupka for his dedication to getting people off alcohol, heroin and cocaine.

“He bent over backward for people,” said the man, who gave his name only as Tom. “He helped them get off drugs. I felt he did an OK job.”

Chaloupka is scheduled to enter a plea July 15 before Superior Court Judge Charles R. McGrath.

Correspondent Paul Payne contributed to this story.