Marie Michel Allegedly Tied Nursing Home Resident’s Ankles Together
Schneiderman: Health Care Workers Have A Solemn Responsibility To Properly Care For Their Patients
BROOKHAVEN—Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the arrest of a certified nurse aide charged with abusing an elderly resident in a Long Island nursing home. The defendant, Marie V. Michel, ischarged with endangering the welfare of an elderly patient, as well as falsifying records.
“Nursing home residents are among our state’s most vulnerable citizens and they, along with their families, should be assured of their safety in a nursing facility,” Attorney General Schneiderman said. “Health care workers have a solemn responsibility to properly care for their patients, and my office will continue to prosecute any allegations of abuse or mistreatment.”
Michel, age 46, of East Patchogue has been a certified nurse aide (CNA) since 2005. On July 10th, 2015, while working at Bellhaven Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing as a CNA, Michel allegedly tied an elderly nursing home resident’s ankles together with a plastic bag, unlawfully restraining the resident. When initially asked why the resident’s ankles were tied together with a plastic bag, Michel allegedly admitted she committed the act, but that it was not tight and she did not want the resident to get out of bed. The following day, Bellhaven supervisors conducted an investigation of the incident where Michel allegedly falsely denied that she was involved in the incident. Michel was charged with Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person in The First Degree, a Class E felony; Wilful Violation of Health Laws, an unclassified misdemeanor, and Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, also a Class E felony. Michel was arraigned before Judge Pierce Cohalan in the First District Court of Central Islip and the case was adjourned for a conference on June 29, 2016 in the same court.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorney General James P. Clarke of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit’s Hauppauge Regional Office. The case was investigated by Special Investigators Ryan Ricker and Robert Hatt with assistance from Supervising Investigator Greg Muroff and Deputy Chief of Downstate Investigations Kenneth Morgan. Jane Zwirn-Turkin is the Regional Director of the MFCU Hauppauge Office. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is led by Director Amy Held and Assistant Deputy Attorney General Paul Mahoney. Executive Deputy Attorney General Kelly Donovan leads the Criminal Division. The charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.