TRENTON – Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) announced today that a certified nurse’s aide at a Camden County nursing facility admitted assaulting a paralyzed elderly patient by spraying her in the face and eyes with bleach.

Simone Goldsboro, 37, of Camden, pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge Kurt E. Kramer in Camden County to third-degree aggravated assault and fourth-degree assault upon an institutionalized elderly person. Pursuant to the terms of the plea, the state will recommend that Goldsboro be sentenced to 364 days in the Camden County Jail and permanently forfeit her certified nurse’s aide license. The state will also argue for a term of probation following her jail sentence. Sentencing is scheduled for October 30, 2026.

“We have to trust the people who care for our loved ones at residential facilities,” said Attorney General Davenport. “This defendant exploited that trust and physically assaulting a paralyzed patient in her care. We will not tolerate the abuse of elderly and vulnerable individuals, especially by those entrusted with their care.”

“This defendant was supposed to be caring for a vulnerable nursing home patient and instead deliberately put her at risk of significant bodily injury,” said Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Bernard J. Cooney. “This guilty plea holds her accountable for that conduct and will prevent her from working as a certified nurse’s aide in New Jersey.”

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

In 2023, Goldsboro worked as a licensed certified nurse’s aide at the Avista Healthcare Nursing Home in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. On August 17, 2023, Goldsboro was taking care of a patient, D.S., who was more than 60 years old and paralyzed on one side of her body from a stroke.

Goldsboro admitted she used more force than necessary while undressing D.S. so she could clean her and then left the room to retrieve a spray bottle containing bleach from the custodian’s cart. She admitted she knew the bleach was not intended to be used on patients and was instead meant only for cleaning purposes by custodians. Goldsboro intentionally sprayed bleach at D.S., including into her face and eyes. She knew that spraying bleach into a person’s eyes could cause significant bodily injury, including temporary or permanent loss of eyesight.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorneys General Michael A. Klein and Camille L. McKnight of the OIFP-Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU). Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Bernard J. Cooney would like to thank the Cherry Hill Police Department for its investigation and assistance in this matter. Detective Anthony Valerio led the investigation for OIFP.

New Jersey MFCU’s total funding for federal fiscal year 2026 is $11.60 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.

If you suspect Medicaid fraud or elder abuse and neglect, report it through the Medicaid Fraud or Elder Abuse & Neglect Reporting Form, by phone at (609) 292-1272, or via email at NJMFCU@njdcj.org. Your report can make a difference.

Defense counsel: Erin Yerke Esq., Assistant Deputy Public Defender