http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050818/NEWS/508180442/1070/NEWS02
Published in the Asbury Park Press 08/18/05
BY JOHN VANDIVER
MANAHAWKIN BUREAU
Annie Mennicucci was desperate to find help for her 8-year-old autistic son, and in October she thought she found it in Nancie Fisher, a Manahawkin woman who advertised expertise in the disorder.
“She said she’d have my son talking in two weeks,” said Mennicucci, a Beachwood resident who paid Fisher $1,500 to serve as an “advocate” during special-education meetings with Toms River Regional School District officials.
Leanne Laboy, a mother in Barnegat, paid Fisher $125 an hour to work as an advocate for her two children who have Asperger syndrome, a form of autism.
But according to authorities, Laboy and Mennicucci were deceived by Fisher, who stands accused of using fake credentials to win the mothers’ trust.
Fisher, 47, was charged by Beachwood and Barnegat police in June with theft by deception. The charges have been forwarded to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office for review, Assistant Prosecutor Martin Anton said Wednesday.
Laboy said she hired Fisher in July 2004. By December, Laboy’s suspicions caused her to fire Fisher.
“She seemed nice at first. She has an autistic son. It seemed like she understood,” said Laboy, 42.
As time went on, it became clear that Fisher knew little about the Laboy children’s learning problems or how to advocate for more special-education services from the Barnegat schools, Laboy said.
That’s when Laboy and her husband, David, informed the Prosecutor’s Office that they suspected fraud.
Barnegat police launched an investigation in April, starting with Fisher’s resume.
“We investigated the resume, and nothing was valid,” said Barnegat Capt. Art Drexler.
Fisher claimed she was a board-certified behavior analyst, held a doctorate in education and was an expert in autism, police said.
Fisher’s employment history also was fabricated, police said.
An investigation by Beachwood detectives reached the same conclusion, Police Chief John Wagner said.
Eileen Davis Kovar, Ocean County coordinator for the Asperger Syndrome Education Network, said parents looking for advocates should always be wary of people who make promises.
“Stay away from them. Nobody can guarantee anything when it comes to these kinds of cases,” said Kovar, who also works as an advocate for the Laboy family.
Because there are no regulations dealing with who can work as an advocate, it’s best for parents to consult with established autism organizations before hiring someone, Kovar said. Organizations such as the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network and the Asperger Syndrome Education Network are good resources, she said.
“Anybody can be an advocate. A bad advocate can prey on parents’ emotional vulnerability,” Kovar said.
As the Laboys raised their concerns about Fisher to prosecutors, Mennicucci also became wary of her and filed a complaint with Beachwood police.
Mennicucci, 29, said Fisher promised to provide her son with specialized education material that would help him with his speech and to run training workshops from Mennicucci’s home. None of those things ever happened, she said.
Fisher could not be reached for comment this week.
The Laboys have had a number of disputes with Barnegat schools concerning the education of their two sons, which culminated in 2004 with the couple filing a complaint with the state Department of Education. In January, state education officials determined that Barnegat schools must provide the Laboys’ 9-year-old son 10 hours of tutoring and review procedures for disciplining, addressing behavioral issues with and developing educational plans for disabled pupils.
When the Laboys filed the complaints, Fisher was still acting as their advocate.
At the time, Fisher told the Asbury Park Press that Laboy “definitely needs to get both her kids out of the school district because they don’t know anything about the (autism) spectrum, and they’re wasting their time.”
“Neither does she,” Leanne Laboy said Wednesday, referring to Fisher.
John Vandiver: (609) 978-4584 or [email protected]