Three people in California have been convicted of abusing six “severely disabled” residents at an unlicensed care facility.
California Attorney Ron Bonta said Tuesday that Joel Ombao, Ronnel Tiburcio and Nimfa Molina have been found guilty of elder abuse.
The six victims’ ages ranged from 32 to 66, and were found malnourished, living in filth and without basic care in a house that need not have the staff, equipment, or licensing needed to care for the residents, Bonta’s office said.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, File)
“Caretakers of elderly and dependent adults have the responsibility of protecting their patients’ dignity, safety, and health,” Bonta said. “Instead, the victims … suffered horrific neglect and lack of care at the hands of those who were trusted with their well-being.”
Ombao is the owner of several hospice companies, including the unlicensed Secure Hands board and care facility where the victims were housed. He faces up to seven years in prison.
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Ombao, who was Tiburcio’s assistant, faces up to nine years in prison while Molina, a registered nurse, faces up to six months in county jail.
Bonta’s office said the trio were responsible for operating the facility and caring for the residents. When investigators arrived at the location they found residents “housed in squalor” with many of them emaciated and dehydrated.
Ombao has been found guilty of four counts of felony elder abuse; Tiburcio has been convicted of six counts of felony elder abuse; Molina has been convicted of one misdemeanor count of elder abuse.
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The defendants’ sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 25.
