A.G. Schneiderman Announces Arrest Of Aide Accused Of Assaulting Queens Nursing Home Resident

NEW YORK – Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the arrest of certified nurse aide Marie Jeanty on felony charges that she assaulted an 80-year-old, bedridden resident of West Lawrence Care Center, a nursing home located at 1410 Seagirt Boulevard in Far Rockaway, N.Y. If convicted on the top count, the defendant faces up to seven years in state prison.

“When New Yorkers place those who mean the most to them in a nursing home, they should have confidence that their loved ones are not in danger of severe physical abuse,” Attorney General Schneiderman said. “My office will bring criminal charges against nurses who violate the trust of the residents in their care and their family members.”

Court documents filed in the case allege that, on or about August 15, 2014, Jeanty, 59, of Far Rockaway, N.Y., instructed the resident to move so that she could change the resident’s clothing and bed linens. Jeanty then allegedly pushed and hit the resident multiple times in the arm and shoulder with a closed fist and forcibly pushed her into the side of the bed rail, causing her face to hit the bed rail. As a result, the resident suffered a black eye and significant bruising and swelling to her left arm, right temporal area, and right orbital area, which required treatment at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital. Jeanty no longer works at the facility.

A felony complaint filed in Queens County Criminal Court by the Attorney General’s Office charges Jeanty with Assault in the Second Degree, a class D violent felony offense, for intent to cause physical injury, being ten years younger than such person and assaulting a person who is 65 years or older; Endangering the Welfare of a Vulnerable Elderly Person, or an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person in the Second Degree; Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person, class E felonies; and Wilful Violation of Health Laws, a misdemeanor.

The defendant, who pleaded not guilty, was arraigned today in Queens County Criminal Court before the Honorable Judge David Hawkins and released on her own recognizance.

The case was investigated by Special Investigator Kimara Bradley of the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) with the assistance of Supervising Special Investigator Mitchell Scher and Deputy Chief Investigator Kenneth Morgan.

The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorney General Travis Hill of the MFCU’s New York City Regional Office, with the assistance of New York City Deputy Regional Director Larissa Payne and Regional Director Christopher M. Shaw. Thomas O’Hanlon is the MFCU Chief of Criminal Prosecutions–Downstate. MFCU is led by Acting Director Amy Held. The Division of Criminal Justice is led by Executive Deputy Attorney General Kelly Donovan.

The charges in the criminal complaint are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.