Attorney General James Announces Felony Conviction of Nassau County Nursing Home Aide Who Sexually Assaulted Residents

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today secured the conviction of former Nassau County nursing home aide Phillip Harris, 43, of Central Islip, for sexually assaulting two residents under his care in March 2022. A jury in Nassau County found Harris guilty of nine crimes related to his abuse of vulnerable nursing home residents. Harris faces a potential sentence of one and one-third to four years in prison for the felony charges related to each victim.

“Every nursing home resident deserves high-quality care and should be able to trust that their caregivers will treat them with dignity and respect,” said Attorney General James. “Phillip Harris’ despicable crimes endangered vulnerable nursing home residents, and now my office has brought him to justice. I will not allow anyone to mistreat or take advantage of New York nursing home residents.”

Phillip Harris began working as an aide at the Glengariff Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Glen Cove, Nassau County in late December 2021. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) revealed that in March 2022, Harris sexually assaulted two disabled residents under his care. One of the residents reported the assault to his wife and daughter, who reported it to Glen Cove police and the nursing home, which launched an investigation that uncovered the other assault.

A Nassau County jury today delivered a verdict finding Harris guilty of:

• Three counts of Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person in the First Degree, a class E felony;
• Two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Vulnerable Elderly Person, or an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person in the Second Degree, a class E felony;
• Two counts of Willful Violation of Public Health Laws, a misdemeanor; and
• Two counts of Forcible Touching, a class A misdemeanor.

Harris was also charged with three counts of falsifying business records related to alleged false statements that he made during the investigation. The jury found him not guilty of those charges. Harris will return to court for sentencing on December 19. He faces a maximum sentence of one and one-third to four years in state prison for the felony crimes related to each victim.

The investigation was handled by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) Detective Supervisor Christopher Miro and Detective Thomas Fisch, with assistance from Detective Robert Hatt, Deputy Chief Investigator Ronald Lynch, and MFCU Medical Analyst Mary Conway, R.N. Legal Support Analyst Nicole Giotta provided paralegal and trial assistance.

Attorney General James thanks Detective Steven Grella and the Glen Cove Police Department and the New York State Department of Health for their assistance and cooperation.

This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorney General Prabhjot Sekhon-Treanor with assistance from Regional Director Veronica Bindrim-MacDevitt, and MFCU Chief of Criminal Investigations Thomas O’Hanlon. MFCU is led by Director Amy Held and Assistant Deputy Attorney General Paul J. Mahoney. The Division of Criminal Justice is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado under the oversight of First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.

Attorney General James encourages anyone with information or concerns about alarming nursing home conditions or resident abuse or neglect to file a confidential complaint online or call OAG’s MFCU hotline at (833) 249-8499.

New York MFCU’s total funding for federal fiscal year (FY) 2026 is $70,793,651. Of that total, 75 percent, or $53,095,240, is awarded under a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  The remaining 25 percent, totaling $17,698,411 for FY 2026, is funded by New York State.