Nursing Director Admits to Assaulting Resident at Rehabilitation Center, Attempted Cover-Up
By Insider NJ |
August 28, 2026, 1:48 pm | in
Edward Edwards
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) announced today that the director of nursing at a rehabilitation center in Ocean County, New Jersey, admitted that she assaulted a resident of the facility and then attempted to conceal the assault.
Patricia Lindo-Ahono, 60, of Irvington, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan in Ocean County to third-degree tampering with witnesses and fourth-degree assault upon an institutionalized elderly person. As part of the plea, she will permanently forfeit her nursing license. The state will recommend three years of non-custodial probation, conditioned upon court-ordered anger management classes and 50 hours of community service. Sentencing is scheduled for October 30, 2026.
“Residents of our care facilities deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. The defendant abdicated her responsibilities, assaulted a resident, and then attempted to cover it up,” said Attorney General Davenport. “Residents deserve better, and our office will always stand up for and protect the most vulnerable members of our community.”
“Those entrusted with the care of vulnerable residents have a responsibility to protect them,” said Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Bernard J. Cooney. “We remain committed to ensuring that abuse of those in our care facilities and efforts to conceal that abuse do not go unchecked.”
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, on June 24, 2023, Lindo-Ahono was serving as the Director of Nursing at Crystal Lake Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Bayville, New Jersey. The victim, a 77-year-old resident of the facility, was under the care of the facility when Lindo-Ahono assaulted him by striking him with a broom.
Following the assault, Lindo-Ahono also admitted that she attempted to induce an individual to withhold information from investigating authorities in connection with the incident.
This case is being prosecuted by OIFP – Medicaid Fraud Control Unit Deputy Attorney General Camille McKnight. The investigation was conducted by Detectives Alyssa Singh and Daniel Creighton.
New Jersey MFCU’s total funding for federal fiscal year (FY) 2026 is $11.6 million. Of that total, 75 percent is awarded under a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The remaining 25 percent is funded by the State of New Jersey.
