A.G.: 'Abusive' Photos Taken of Local Nursing Home Patients

New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced on Wednesday that two certified nurses' aides have been charged with taking gruesome, illegal photographs of 11 patients at a trio of area nursing homes.

The A.G. reported that the aides, both Centereach residents, violated the patients' privacy and trust, taking photos of one patient's bedsore, a video of a dementia patient "riveted with fear," and other instances Schneiderman called "abusive and alarming."

“These aides engaged in actions that are illegal and will not be tolerated in New York," Schneiderman said. "The people engaged to take care of our most vulnerable citizens have a special responsibility, and I will do everything in my power to protect the right of every New Yorker to safe, respectful and quality care.”

Schneiderman said the 11 incidents occurred at Jefferson's Ferry in South Setauket, the Long Island State Veterans Home in Stony Brook, and Woodhaven Nursing Home in Port Jefferson Station.

The two men, 25-year-old David Rover and 23-year-old Thomas Mocera, were both arraigned in a 15-count indictment – all felony charges – on Tuesday in Suffolk County Supreme Court. Rover is charged with seven counts of unlawful surveillance, one count of dissemination of an unlawful surveillance image and two counts of offering a false instrument for filing. Mocera is charged with five counts of unlawful surveillance. Each count carries a sentence of 15 months to 4 years imprisonment.

Rover had been arrested in March and Tuesday's indictment followed a more thorough investigation by authorities. According to the A.G., the incidents reportedly occurred between September 2009 and March 2013. Schneiderman laid out the contents of the grisly photos.

In one, he said, the victims' genitals were photographed covered in feces. Another reportedly showed a victim grasping for ice cream, while Mocera kept pulling it out of her reach.

When Rover was arrested in March, authorities said that he had texted photos to a nurse aide student, who reported the picture to administration.

The L.I. Veterans Home released the following statement: "The Long Island State Veterans Home will never tolerate any egregious actions against any veteran and is fully committed to work closely with the Attorney General’s Office to prosecute any violators to the fullest extent of the law. The Long Island State Veterans Home will always remain true to its core mission of caring for America’s heroes and would never jeopardize the sacred trust we have with Long Island’s veteran community."

Fred Sganga, executive director of the L.I. State Veterans Home, said on Wednesday that one of the 11 incidents reported occurred at the veterans home, and reportedly involved Mocera. Both Mocera and Rover were part-time employees of the nursing home at the time, and Rover is alleged to have inflated his previous work on his resumé in order to get the job.

Both, Sganga said, had passed a state-certified written and practical exam, and criminal background checks before being hired. He added that since the nursing home has since "stepped up" its code of conduct, tightening up on the use of cell phones while on duty.

According to Jefferson's Ferry spokesman Andy Kraus, Rover worked in the dining room from 2008-2010 as a dietary aide but not in patient care. "Investigators found no evidence of disturbing pictures taken of our residents," he said.

Kraus also said Mocera had no connection to Jefferson's Ferry.

Both individuals pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and were released on their own recognizance, according to online court records.