| AUSTIN
- Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s Medicaid
Fraud officers fanned out across the Fort Worth
area this morning to arrest five nursing home
employees who have been charged with a variety of
criminal offenses, including abuse and neglect of
elderly or disabled residents. Two others facing
similar charges voluntarily turned themselves in to
state authorities today. All are either licensed
vocational nurses (LVNs) or certified nurse
assistants (CNAs).
The felony charges
stem from conduct investigators unearthed during a
lengthy investigation, including severe abuse and
neglect of elderly patients, including two deaths,
and forgery of government records to obtain
controlled prescription drugs, allegedly for
personal use.
“Today’s roundup
and surrender of these nursing home workers reflects
my office’s commitment to protecting seniors in
the state’s Medicaid program who cannot fend for
themselves or who may genuinely need medications
that some health care workers may be taking from
them,” said Attorney General Abbott. “I pledge
to bring to justice anyone who endangers or exploits
our seniors in this way.”
  
(Belken, Clark, Maguire)
 
(Way, C. Williams)
 
(J. Williams, Young)
Booked into the Tarrant
County jail today are:
• Jacqueline
Williams, 40, Mary Maguire, 67, and Patricia Belken,
66, (the latter person surrendered to authorities).
They are all LVNs employed by Mariner Health of Fort
Worth and charged with injury to an elderly or
disabled person.
This offense of
neglect allegedly resulted in the death of an
87-year-old female resident. According to the arrest
warrant filed today, Williams, Maguire and Belken
are accused of ignoring this patient’s worsening
condition caused by an acute vaginal infection. The
three women failed to document these conditions over
several days, resulting in emergency transfer of the
patient to Kindred Hospital on November 1, 2001.
The infection
worsened rapidly and the patient died on December
18, 2001. Hospital physicians confirmed that the
infection could have been prevented if detected and
treated earlier.
• Cynthia Laverne
Williams (CNA), 44, employed by Heart of Texas
Health Care and Barbara Young (CNA), 23, employed by
Southwest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (injury
to an elderly or disabled person). Young voluntarily
surrendered to authorities.
In these two
incidents, the defendants attempted unassisted
transfers of elderly patients, aged 84 and 57,
causing severe injuries such as broken limbs and
head and eye lacerations. Ultimately, the
57-year-old died at the Heart of Texas facility
after sustaining injuries.
• Nancy Way (LVN),
52, and Sharron Clark (LVN), 61, employed by
Southwest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center,
(obtaining a controlled substance by fraud). Way is
charged with obtaining Hydrocodone, and Clark with
obtaining Hydrocodone and Vicodin
The two nurses are
accused of obtaining various quantities of these
strictly controlled drugs for personal use or
because of addiction. The charges indicate the women
allegedly took the medications at various times or
reported dispensing the medications to residents
with prescriptions, when they kept them for personal
use. Authorities are seeking one additional nurse,
formerly employed by Mansfield Nursing Center, on
similar charges.
The Tarrant County
Sheriff’s Office assisted Abbott’s Medicaid
Fraud Control Unit officers in today’s arrests
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