Investigators say former child welfare worker falsified records

A worker employed to ensure children are taken care of faces felony charges for falsifying records, investigators say.

The former Lutheran Services Florida employee said homes were safe and parents were taking proper care of their kids when she didn’t even show up to check.

For half a year, Nicole Scarpaci was required to see every child under her supervision face to face, required to see them inside their own home at least once a month.

Instead, she never showed up and never checked on those kids, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said. She made up the details and stories to make it appear she was making sure those kids were safe, according to investigators.

The FDLE investigator said Scarpaci did it to at least six families from Cape Coral to Naples. In one report, she said each child had appropriate sleeping arrangements and adequate food and clothing. She added a child appeared clean, healthy, and had no visible marks and bruises.

Parents said Scrapaci was never there to check.

With another family, she got specific, sharing that one child was dressed up for Halloween as a “Pink Lady.” Scarpaci was never there either, the mom said.

She even turned on at least one family, saying a child told her about her father’s abuse and how she’s mad, but FDLE said that visit never happened.

Lutheran Services Florida does work for the Department of Children and Families. A spokesperson said staff checked on each of those families, confirmed Scarpaci never showed up, and then fired her.

Scarpaci, 35, faces six counts of falsifying records. She was arrested June 25 and has since been released from Lee County Jail on $15,000 bond.