Fulton Commons Care Center, 2 former employees charged in the 13-count indictment, Attorney General Letitia James' office says

An East Meadow nursing home and two of its former workers have been indicted in connection with the alleged sexual abuse of a female resident and what prosecutors allege was the ensuing cover-up, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Fulton Commons Care Center Inc. and two of its former employees — Daniel Persaud, who worked as a licensed practical nurse and Carol Frawley, who was the director of nursing — were charged in the 13-count indictment brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

“The charges against Daniel Persaud and Carol Frawley are disturbing and appalling, and that those tasked with the care of our most vulnerable could cause such harm violates the trust New Yorkers are expected to have in nursing homes,” James said in a statement Wednesday. “Fulton Commons, Frawley, and Persaud allegedly committed horrific abuses against a resident and knowingly hid those actions. These heinous crimes will not go unchecked — and my office will ensure these individuals are held accountable.”

Prosecutors alleged in the indictment that between Oct. 1 and Nov. 26, 2020, Persaud touched the breast of a resident, who was in a wheelchair. Frawley intentionally lied on internal records about Persaud’s conduct and failed to report, as required by law, complaints about Persaud to the New York State Department of Health, which licenses nursing homes in the state, according to the indictment.

Persaud also allegedly sexually abused another resident on Dec. 26, 2021, according to the indictment, although he is only charged in connection with grabbing a patient's breast in 2020. Despite having information that Persaud had also sexually abused other Fulton Commons residents in the past, Frawley failed to report the allegations and “falsely stated” to a Department of Health surveyor that she had not been notified of the allegations until she returned to work from vacation, according to the indictment.

Frawley and Fulton Commons endangered the residents in their care by failing to discipline Persaud or report his alleged conduct to the Department of Health, according to the indictment.

“The New York State Department of Health takes these disturbing allegations with the utmost seriousness," spokesman Jeffrey Hammond said Wednesday. "That’s why, on Jan. 6, the Department cited Immediate Jeopardy at Fulton Commons for failure to protect residents from abuse and for not reporting a reasonable suspicion of a crime. The Department also referred this case to the New York State Attorney General's Office upon receipt of the allegation of abuse on January 4, 2022, because it potentially included criminal activity.”

Attorneys for the defendants could not be reached. No one answered the phone at Fulton Commons Wednesday. A message left for Frawley was not returned; attempts to reach Persaud were not successful.

Persaud was indicted on charges of third-degree sexual abuse, two counts of endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, forcible touching and willful violation of public health laws.

Frawley and Fulton Commons were indicted on two counts of endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, multiple counts of falsifying business records and willful violation of public health laws.

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.