Photo: LATINO BLOTTER: Two Home Nurses Perform Sex Acts Together and On Stroke Patient, 98
In 2005, a California woman had a stroke so severe that afterwards she required constant care and nurses were hired to help care for her during the day. Sadly, the stroke would not be the end of the now 98-year-old’s plight.
Police say the San Diego woman, who is unable to speak or move her arms, was the victim of elder abuse by two in-nurses, Russel Torralba and Alfredo Ruiz.
Feeling that something was not right with her mother’s care, the daughter set up security cameras. What she found was both shocking and disgusting. On numerous occasions, Torralba and Alfredo are seen performing sexual acts on and near the patient.
Video recorded between March 3 and March 11, 2011, recently released to San Diego 6 by the family, shows the men fondling themselves and each other next to the patient’s bed. At one point, however, one of the men appears to put his penis in the patient’s hand. He then leans over and kisses her.
Family lawyer William Berman said he “couldn’t believe it,” calling it the most shocking case of elder abuse he had seen in his 15-year career in the specialty.
Both men have been suspended from working for home health agencies pending an a hearing on November 14. However, the suspension still allows for them to work in hospital settings.
The stroke-victim’s family has filed a lawsuit accusing the men and their employer, AMS Home Care Solutions, for fraud, elder abuse, and negligent supervision. The trial is set for January 14.
AMS had been under investigation by the California Department of Consumer Affairs since last year, as the company is not licensed as a home care agency. The San Diego District Attorney’s office is said to be considering filing criminal charges as well.
