Nursing Home Chaplain Agrees to Guilty Plea Deal in Sex Abuse Case
The Good Samaritan Home of Quincy is a place for residents to live independently but also provides environments for assisted living, skilled nursing care, rehabilitation, and dementia care. On Thursday, August 29, a former chaplain of the home James E. Riley, appeared in court to waive his right to a jury trial after a case was opened accusing him of sexually abusing two residents of the nursing home. The victims are ages 88 and 78, and the assaults are said to have happened at the Good Samaritan Home, located at 2130 Harrison Street in Quincy, Illinois, in May of this year.
A negotiated plea of guilty and sentencing hearing is expected to include two counts of criminal sexual abuse, one count of criminal sexual assault, and one count of predatory criminal sexual assault through the use of force.
Riley previously pled not guilty to two charges of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse Victim over 60, according to a report by KHQA-TV after he was arrested on June 24.
The 58-year-old man has also agreed to enter a guilty plea in an unrelated sexual abuse case in which he has been charged one count of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and three counts of criminal sexual assault.
Is Sexual Abuse of Nursing Home Residents Common?
According to a CNN investigative report titled Sick, Dying and Raped in America’s Nursing Homes, since 2013, 386 allegations of sexual abuse of nursing home residents have been recorded in Illinois.
- 201 reports involved a caretaker (aides, nurses and other staff members
- Only 59 claims were considered substantiated
- A small portion of abuse was allegedly perpetrated by facility visitors (including family members) or unknown abusers
- The majority of victims of substantiated sexual abuse cases are female
In many cases, nursing home owners are slow to identify potential sexual predator risks to residents. And those that do, are blinded by financial risks involved so would rather quickly dismiss any reported accounts of sexual abuse by residents, family, or other staff members. These failures allow many abusers to get away with heinous sex crimes upon innocent and vulnerable elderly groups.
Seek Legal Support for A Nursing Home Sexual Assault Complaint
Levin & Perconti is a nationally renowned law firm concentrating in all types of nursing home abuse and neglect, personal injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death litigation throughout Illinois. The lawyers at Levin & Perconti are committed to protecting and vindicating the rights of people who are injured by the negligence of others, including those who have been sexually abused.
Please contact our Chicago firm at (312) 332-2872 or complete our online case evaluation form. We are not paid unless we recover money for you, so please, contact us now for a free consultation.
Also read: Study Examines Substantiated vs. Unsubstantiated Cases of Sexual Abuse in Long Term Care Facilities