FARMINGTON – An Industry man who was employed as a physical therapist at a nursing home faces a practicing-without-a-license charge.

Brent Dellarma, 44, of 293 West Mills Road, has been indicted by a Franklin County grand jury on a felony charge of aggravated forgery, two felony charges of theft by deception and practicing unlicensed physical therapy.

Dellarma was employed as a physical therapy assistant and later as a licensed physical therapist at Sandy River Center for Health Care on the Livermore Falls Road in Farmington, said Jeanne Moore, a spokeswoman for Genesis HealthCare, which owns the facility.

“When management suspected that there might be a discrepancy with Mr. Dellarma’s license, he was immediately suspended and later terminated. We also immediately contacted the Department of Health and the local authorities. The Attorney General’s Office was also contacted,” Moore wrote in a prepared statement.

The Healthcare Crimes Unit of the Maine AG’s Office has been investigating the incident under the direction of Assistant Attorney General Lisa Bogue. Attempts to reach Bogue were unsuccessful.

Dellarma was licensed as a physical therapist assistant in 1995 and has continued to renew that license, which he currently holds, said Doug Dunbar, assistant to the commissioner for the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation.

“There are no records of Dellarma ever applying for a physical therapist license, and no indication that he ever received a credential from the department other than his long-standing PTA license,” Dunbar said in a written statement.

If Dellarma presented a PT license to the employer, he didn’t receive it from the state of Maine, Dunbar said.

Dellarma is accused of committing aggravated forgery with an intent to defraud or deceive with submission of an invalid physical therapist license dated June 18, 2007.

Staff in the Office of Licensing and Registration review all documents submitted from roughly 2,000 applicants and take action when any indication of a problems is detected, Dunbar said.

Applicants submit to criminal background checks, and the department is not aware of anyone recently practicing as a licensed professional through the department with a license that was fraudulently obtained or altered after the fact, he said.

Licensing information supplied by the department is available at www.maine.gov/pfr/professionallicensing.

One felony theft charge stems from payments made to Dellarma by Genesis Rehabilitation Services in excess of $1,000 for work he provided under the impression that he was a licensed physical therapist.

The second charge results from alleged deception in receiving payments in excess of $10,000 from MaineCare, the state medical assistance program and Medicare, according to court documents.

Dellarma was arrested Nov. 14 and was released from Franklin County Detention Center the same day on $1,000 cash bail. He is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 23.

In addition to the legal process, the Board of Examiners in Physical Therapy will review the matter at a hearing planned for Dec. 2, Dunbar said.

“Through the board’s review process, if Dellarma is found to have violated laws and regulations related to his PTA license, a range of disciplinary action exists, including monetary penalties and license suspension or revocation,” Dunbar said.

Speaking for Genesis Healthcare, Moore said the company takes issues like this very seriously and is cooperating with authorities.

“This is an isolated incident and is not a reflection of the overall quality of care provided to our patients every day,” she said. “We remain committed to providing a safe, nurturing environment for the patients in our care.”