A.G. Schneiderman Announces Arrest Of Nurse Charged With Stealing Percocet Pills From Nursing Home
Rachael Cornell Allegedly Took Percocet And Other Pills Intended For A Resident
Schneiderman: We Will Ensure That Those In Nursing Homes Have Trustworthy Care
CATSKILL – Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the arrest and arraignment of Rachael Cornell, a Licensed Practical Nurse (L.P.N.), on charges that she stole Percocet pills from Kaaterskill Care Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation for personal use and destroyed the narcotic record to try to cover up her theft.
“It is extremely troubling that someone responsible for the care of others would abuse their access to narcotics” Attorney General Schneiderman said. “My office will continue to do all it can to ensure that those in nursing homes have reliable and trustworthy care.”
The felony complaint alleges that on or about January 1, 2015, the facility administrator at Kaaterskill Care Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, a residential health care facility, discovered that several Percocet pills for a resident were missing. Cornell was responsible for the care of the resident and after receiving physician orders to discontinue the narcotic for the resident, Cornell stole the remaining pills from the facility. According to the complaint, Cornell admitted to taking home the Percocet, among other discontinued controlled substances, for personal use during her period of employment. She is also accused of removing the controlled substance record which accounted for the pill inventory in an effort to disguise her theft of the narcotics. Cornell claimed to have destroyed the record of narcotic inventory at home.
Cornell, 31, of Cairo, NY, was arraigned before the Hon. William Jacobs, Catskill Town Court, on charges of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, a Class E Felony, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree, a Class A Misdemeanor, and Petit Larceny, a Class A Misdemeanor. The defendant was released on her recognizance, and is due back in court on June 18.
The charges against the defendant are accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The investigation was led by Investigator John Benshoff of Albany’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit with the assistance of Supervising Investigator Dianne Tuffey. Special Assistant Attorney General Erin Lynch of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit’s Albany Regional Office is prosecuting the case with Regional MFCU Director Kathleen Boland. Catherine Wagner is MFCU’s Upstate Chief of Criminal Investigations. Amy Held is the Acting Director of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and Kelly Donovan is the Executive Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice.
