The Filipino American owner of several care homes is seeking to have a case accusing him of abuse declared a mistrial.
On what was supposed to be his sentencing date, Filipino American Joel Gallano Ombao filed to have a mistrial declared and a new trial held instead, according to ABS-CBN News.
The owner of several care homes, Ombao ran Secure Hands Board and Care in Riverside California without a license until it was shut down during a 2016 joint investigation by the California Justice Department’s Medical Fraud and Elder Abuse Division and the Riverside Police.
Prosecutors charged Ombao, the business’s owner, along with two employees for the alleged abuse of six disabled victims range in age from 32 to 66, as reported on in the Inquirer.
The three defendants- Ombao, 70, his assistant Ronnel Tiburico, 58 and registered nurse Nimfa Molina, 64- were all convicted on charges of elder abuse. They are yet to be sentenced.
Ombao faces up to seven years in prison, Tiburcio nine, while Molina’s conviction is a misdemeanor, limiting her sentence to six months in county jail.
According to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, the victims were found in a filthy house without proper equipment or staff, malnourished and lacking even basic care or hygiene.
AG Bonta, who is Filipino American, emphasized that “Caretakers of elderly and dependent adults have the responsibility of protecting their patients’ dignity, safety, and health, instead, the victims in this case suffered horrific neglect and lack of care at the hands of those who were trusted with their well-being.”
In a joint press release, Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzales said that “We are grateful for the continued partnership with the California Department of Justice to help bring an end to this network of fraud, abuse, and essentially a form of human trafficking of our elderly.”
He continued, “To prey on the vulnerable deserves nothing less than the harshest consequences available.”
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