Attorney General's News Release

April 11, 1996

Conway man found guilty of abuse of nursing home resident

Springfield, Mo. — A Conway man faces up to five years in prison after being convicted of abusing a Springfield nursing home resident. In a bench trial that ended yesterday, Greene County Circuit Judge Donald E. Bonacker found Roy Verlin Rogers guilty of the charge, which was brought by Greene County Prosecutor Ron Carrier after an investigation by the Attorney General's Office and Springfield police.

Evidence brought by Assistant Prosecutor Elizabeth Bock showed that Rogers, 66, abused an elderly female resident in a sexual manner last fall while he was working as an aide at a Springfield nursing home.

Springfield police and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Attorney General's Office began their investigation after receiving a telephone tip through the Missouri Division of Aging's elderly abuse hotline. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has authority under state law to investigate allegations of abuse and neglect of Medicaid recipients.

“Because nursing home residents are so often dependent upon their caregivers, abuse or neglect of these people are serious matters,” said Attorney General Jay Nixon. “The General Assembly recognized this when they passed the Medicaid Fraud statute in 1994, creating the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit that investigated this matter.”

“This was an excellent example of local and state law enforcement officials working together from start to finish to protect those who are the most vulnerable in society and prosecute the people who prey on them,” Carrier said.

Rogers, who also faces up to a $5,000 fine, will be sentenced April 30 in Greene County Circuit Court.

Inquiries from consumers should be directed to consumer@ago.mo.gov or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).

All media inquiries should be directed to Press Secretary John Fougere.

E-mail      Phone: 573-751-8844         Fax: 573-751-5818