Juan Tavares-Nunez of Queens, has been convicted by a jury of committing a first-degree criminal sexual act and endangering the welfare of an incompetent person. The incident occurred in 2007, when Tavares-Nunez was working as a porter at Cliffside Nursing Home in Flushing, NY. Tavares-Nunez, who had been working in the New York Nursing Home for nine years, entered the room of a bedridden Alzheimer patient– who was completely dependent on the nursing home staff for assistance with all daily living activities– and molested her. A supervisor at the facility caught Tavares-Nunez in the act and reported the incident to authorities and immediately terminated him from the nursing home.

“The defendant stands convicted of committing a particularly heinous crime against one of our most vulnerable citizens,” according to New York District Attorney Richard A Brown. “A nursing home should always be viewed as a patients home away from home. To force anyone to endure such a traumatic incident- especially one at such a fragile stage in their life- is beyond moral comprehension.”

Following Tavares-Nunez’s conviction, Justice Robert C. Kohm revoked the $250,000 bail and ordered him to be held in custody. Sentencing is set for March 5th, at which time Tavares-Nunez faces up to 25 years in prison. Tavares-Nunez will also be ordered to register as a sex offender and contribute his DNA to the DNA databank.

What makes these nursing home molestation cases so scary is the fact that the only reason the perpetrator got caught is because he was caught in the act. How many similar crimes had this man committed on other helpless victims?

For laws related to New York nursing homes, look here.
Click on the links for information on nursing homes in New York , Buffalo and Rochester

Web Resources Regarding Molestation of Nursing Home Residents

Colleagues: Ohio Nurse Accused of Nursing Home Rape Had Temper, Foxnews.com, January 27, 2008

Lawmakers look at sex offenders in nursing homes, USA Today, July 24, 2008

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