New York State Education Department

Office of the Professions

Summaries of Regents Actions on Professional Misconduct and Discipline

April 23, 2002

Terms under which this information is provided.

Architecture - Chiropractic - Dentistry - Massage Therapy - Nursing - Pharmacy - Physical Therapy - Podiatry - Social Work - Veterinary Medicine

Architecture

Joseph T. Matthews, East Islip, NY
Profession: Architect; Lic. No. 014251; Cal. No. 17603
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 1 year suspension, execution of suspension stayed, probation 1 year, $1,000 fine.
Summary: Licensee did not contest charge of failing to respond within thirty days to written correspondence that he received from the New York State Education Department and admitted to charge of having been convicted of Driving While Intoxicated and Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle.

Chiropractic

Matthew J. Lynam, North Syracuse, NY
Profession: Chiropractor; Lic. No. 004106; Cal. No. 19878
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 1 year suspension, execution of suspension stayed, probation 1 year, $5,000 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of failing to maintain records that adequately reflected the diagnosis and treatment of patients.

Dentistry

Amandeep Arora, Watertown, NY
Profession: Dentist; Lic. No. 047175; Cal. No. 19479
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year suspension, execution of suspension stayed, probation 2 years, $1,000 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of prescribing an antibiotic to treat a urinary tract infection and failing to maintain an adequate patient record.

Widad A. Rafla, Brooklyn, NY
Profession: Dentist; Lic. No. 031107; Cal. No. 19662
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Censure and Reprimand, probation 1 year, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of unsanitary conditions in the operatory.

Nazilya Schmookler, Brooklyn, NY
Profession: Dentist; Lic. No. 046137; Cal. No. 19747
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year suspension, execution of suspension stayed, probation 2 years, $5,000 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of having been convicted of Attempted Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the Second Degree, a class B misdemeanor.

Cheryl F. Stecz, Wantagh, NY
Profession: Dentist; Lic. No. 039135; Cal. No. 18264
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Found guilty of professional misconduct; Penalty: 3 month suspension, after service of suspension, partial suspension in certain areas until terminated as set forth in hearing panel report.
Summary: Licensee was found guilty of practicing beyond the scope of dentistry by purchasing controlled substances to treat her own non-dental pain.

Massage Therapy

Dennis Patrick Clark, West Babylon, NY
Profession: Massage Therapist; Lic. No. 007704; Cal. No. 19455
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Found guilty of professional misconduct; Penalty: Suspension for at least 3 months and until terminated as set forth in Regents Review Committee report - upon termination of suspension, probation 2 years, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee was found guilty of having been convicted of the crime of Vehicular Assault in the Second Degree, a class E felony and the crime of Operating a Motor Vehicle While Under the Influence of Alcohol, a misdemeanor.

Nursing

Geraldine Samal Alston, Brooklyn, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse, Registered Professional Nurse; Lic. Nos. 078055, 433674; Cal. Nos. 19669, 19668
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Censure and Reprimand, probation 1 year, $250 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of abusing a patient in her care while she was employed and on duty at a residential health care facility.

Michelle Laree Babiack, Hinsdale, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 244906; Cal. No. 19905
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application to surrender license granted.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of having been convicted of Driving While Intoxicated.

Elisha Dawn Bolton, Brooklyn, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 249267; Cal. No. 19426
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Found guilty of professional misconduct; Penalty: 3 month suspension, execution of suspension stayed.
Summary: Licensee was found guilty of having been convicted of the crime of Resisting Arrest, a misdemeanor.

Mark Burmester, East Islip, NY
Profession: Registered Professional Nurse; Lic. No. 317635; Cal. No. 19563
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 12 month suspension, execution of last 10 months of suspension stayed, probation 2 years, $1,000 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of having been convicted of Public Lewdness, a class B misdemeanor.

James Colter, Cumberland, VA
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 239338; Cal. No. 17846
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Found guilty of professional misconduct; Penalty: Revocation.
Summary: Licensee was found guilty of having been convicted of Assault in the Third Degree, a class A misdemeanor.

Carol Ann Crawford, Hempstead, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 184821; Cal. No. 19784
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 1 year suspension, execution of suspension stayed, probation 1 year, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of willfully abusing three patients verbally.

Rosa Curry, Roosevelt, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 200042; Cal. No. 19282
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002 (see also March 2003)
Action: Found guilty of professional misconduct; Penalty: 1 year suspension, execution of suspension stayed, probation 1 year, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee was found guilty of having been convicted of two separate counts of Criminal Contempt in the Second Degree, both class A misdemeanors.

Denise Andrea Davis, Bronx, NY
Profession: Registered Professional Nurse; Lic. No. 439322; Cal. No. 19582
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year suspension, execution of suspension stayed, probation 2 years, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of having been convicted of Attempted Assault in the Third Degree, a class B misdemeanor, and Attempted Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree, a class B misdemeanor.

Linda Christal DiFasi, Syracuse, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 258382; Cal. No. 19600
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002 (see also March 2003)
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year suspension, execution of last 18 months of suspension stayed, probation 2 years to commence upon return to practice, $950 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of making a materially misleading statement in her nursing license application and two employment applications, and taking and cashing another person's money order.

Michelle Marie Drouin, Schenectady, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 165780; Cal. No. 19881
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Suspension until terminated as set forth in consent order application - upon termination of suspension, probation 2 years to commence upon return to practice, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of having been convicted of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Third Degree, a class A misdemeanor.

Audra Lynne Ennett, Rome, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 261487; Cal. No. 19259
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 1 year suspension, execution of suspension stayed, probation 1 year.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of medication errors.

Neville Pagayoya Fronda a/k/a Neville P. Fronda, New York, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse, Registered Professional Nurse; Lic. Nos. 147996, 393652; Cal. Nos. 20117, 20116
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 24 month suspension, execution of last 20 months of suspension stayed, probation 24 months, $10,000 fine.
Summary: Licensee did not contest charge of, while employed and on duty as a charge nurse of an emergency room, failure to assign a primary nurse and notify the physicians of a patient exhibiting heart attack symptoms.

Victor J. Group, North Tonawanda, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 221256; Cal. No. 19656
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 36 month suspension, execution of last 30 months of suspension stayed, probation 3 years, $1,500 fine.
Summary: Licensee did not contest charge of willful physical abuse of a patient.

Laurie Anne Gualandi, Rome, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 224384; Cal. No. 19681
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Suspension until terminated as set forth in consent order application - upon termination of suspension, probation 2 years to commence upon return to practice.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of having been found by the Commissioner of Health to be in violation of article thirty-three of the Public Health law for diverting Percocet for personal use.

Sondra Hoosier, Brooklyn, NY
Profession: Registered Professional Nurse; Lic. No. 267374; Cal. No. 19672
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year suspension, execution of last 21 months of suspension stayed, probation 2 years to commence upon return to practice.
Summary: Licensee did not contest charge of making fraudulent entries regarding the results of tests for the sterility of autoclaves.

Paul F. Kopacko, Nichols, NY
Profession: Registered Professional Nurse; Lic. No. 434866; Cal. No. 19863
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 1 year suspension, execution of suspension stayed, probation 1 year, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of having been convicted of Criminal Contempt in the Second Degree, a misdemeanor.

Kelly Marie Lincourt, Doldgeville, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 232537; Cal. No. 19876
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Suspension for minimum of 3 months and until terminated as set forth in consent order application - upon termination of suspension, probation 2 years to commence upon return to practice, $250 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of having been convicted in 1999 of Prostitution, a class B misdemeanor; in 2000 of Forgery in the Third Degree and Petit Larceny, both class A misdemeanors; and in 2001 of Criminal Trespass, a class B misdemeanor.

Alison A. McNamara, Hampton Bays, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 232672; Cal. No. 19704
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Found guilty of professional misconduct; Penalty: Suspension until terminated as set forth in Regents Review Committee report - upon termination of suspension, probation 2 years.
Summary: Licensee was found guilty of having been convicted of the crimes: Driving While Intoxicated, an unclassified misdemeanor; Operating a Motor Vehicle While Under the Influence of Alcohol, a class E felony and Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle in the First Degree as a felony.

Robin K. Radder, Arcade, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 253001; Cal. No. 19701
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Suspension for 6 months and until terminated as set forth in consent order application - upon termination of suspension, probation 2 years to commence upon return to practice, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of failure to comply with substantial provisions of law concerning the wasting of controlled substances, moral unfitness concerning the taking of medical supplies, the dilution of a medication dosage, and of having been convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the fifth degree.

Myrlyne Marthe Richardson-Oriental, Cambria Heights, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 238787; Cal. No. 19126
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; penalty agreed upon: 24 month suspension, execution of the last 22 months stayed, probation 2 years.
Summary: Licensee did not contest charge of falsely indicating on her application for licensure as a registered professional nurse in the State of New York that she had received an Associate Nursing Degree.

Janet E. Siebold, Baldwinsville, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse, Registered Professional Nurse; Lic. Nos. 108279, 345303; Cal. Nos. 18987, 18988
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year suspension, execution of last 21 months of suspension stayed, probation 18 months.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of failing to observe, monitor, assess, record input and output and take vital signs on a dialysis patient with bleeding at the site of catheter insertion.

Ereta Victor, Brooklyn, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 226279; Cal. No. 18709
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; penalty agreed upon: 24 month suspension, execution of the last 21 months stayed, probation 2 years.
Summary: Licensee did not contest charge of falsely indicating on her application for licensure as a registered professional nurse in the State of New York that she had received an Associate Nursing Degree.

Deborah J. Whiting, Palmyra, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 244270; Cal. No. 19867
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year suspension, execution of suspension stayed, probation 2 years, $250 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of having been convicted of Forgery in the third degree, a class A misdemeanor.

Pharmacy

407 Grand Street Pharmacy, Inc., 407 Grand Street, New York, NY 10002
Profession: Pharmacy; Reg. No. 017523; Cal. No. 19773
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: $3,750 fine.
Summary: Respondent admitted to charge of permitting an unlicensed person to perform activities requiring a license to dispense both controlled and non-controlled substances pursuant to prescriptions.

Pius Iwegbunem Agbasionwe a/k/a Pius Agbasionwe, New York, NY
Profession: Pharmacist; Lic. No. 042094; Cal. No. 19590
Regents Action Date: April 23,2002
Action: Found guilty of professional misconduct; Penalty: 24 month suspension, execution of last 21 months of suspension stayed, probation 24 months, $1,000 fine.
Summary: Licensee was found guilty of having been convicted of the crime of Giving Unlawful Gratuities, a misdemeanor.

Steven J. Cosentino, Rye, NY
Profession: Pharmacist; Lic. No. 031570; Cal. No. 19142
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Censure and Reprimand, probation 1 year, $7,500 fine.
Summary: Licensee did not contest charge of manufacturing drugs for unidentified parties based on the solicited receipt of non-valid prescriptions and of violations found during a pharmacy inspection.

Vincent M. Curcio, Smithtown, NY
Profession: Pharmacist; Lic. No. 033256; Cal. No. 19814
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year suspension, execution of last 21 months of suspension stayed, probation 2 years, $5,000 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of having been convicted of Health Care Fraud, a Federal felony.

Robert P. Giuliano, Eastchester, NY
Profession: Pharmacist; Lic. No. 025500; Cal. No. 19977
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Censure and Reprimand, $1,000 fine.
Summary: Licensee did not contest charge of failing to sign daily printouts of all prescriptions filled and refilled, and failing to note on the memoranda for oral prescriptions for controlled substances that the written prescriptions for said controlled substances were not received.

David M. Haynes, Mechanicville, NY
Profession: Pharmacist; Lic. No. 040649; Cal. No. 19789
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application to surrender license granted.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of having been found guilty of illegally obtaining the controlled substance Dilaudid for his own use.

Louis Juliano, Commack, NY
Profession: Pharmacist; Lic. No. 036102; Cal. No. 19683
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 1 year suspension, execution of suspension stayed, probation 1 year, $2,000 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of failure as a supervising pharmacist to provide adequate supervision of a registered establishment.

Noik Kwak, Astoria, NY
Profession: Pharmacist; Lic. No. 034800; Cal. No. 19830
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 5 year suspension with leave to apply for early termination as set forth in consent order application, probation 2 years to commence upon return to practice, $1,500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of willfully failing to comply with the mandatory continuing education requirement, willfully failing to register, and abandoning a pharmacy.

Rosemaria Mondelli-Siliato, Mahopac, NY
Profession: Pharmacist; Lic. No. 045753; Cal. No. 19785
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 24 month suspension, execution of last 18 months of suspension stayed, probation 24 months, $5,000 fine.
Summary: Licensee did not contest charge of misreading a prescription for a minor patient which called for the dispensing of 500 mg. of a controlled substance and dispensed 3,000 mg., an inappropriately large dose which resulted in patient harm.

Mayra Rodriguez, Bayside, NY
Profession: Pharmacist; Lic. No. 038890; Cal. No. 19808
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Censure and Reprimand, $1,000 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of grossly negligent failure to comply with a federal regulation governing the practice of the profession of pharmacy in that controlled drugs were transferred from one pharmacy to another for several days without receiving from the transferee pharmacy a form required by said federal regulation.

Robert Scherl, Bayside, NY
Profession: Pharmacist; Lic. No. 037078; Cal. No. 19403
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002 (see also May 1994)
Action: Found guilty of professional misconduct; Penalty: 1 year suspension, probation 1 year.
Summary: Licensee was found guilty of having been convicted of the crimes: Attempted Petit Larceny, a class B misdemeanor; Attempted Assault in the Third Degree, a class B misdemeanor; and Criminal Trespass in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor.

Leonard Silberstein, New York, NY
Profession: Pharmacist; Lic. No. 021547; Cal. No. 19675
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 24 month suspension, execution of last 23 months of suspension stayed, probation 24 months, $2,500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of having been convicted of Criminal Diversion of Prescription Medications and Prescriptions in the Fourth Degree.

Richard A. Smith, Saugerties, NY
Profession: Pharmacist; Lic. No. 030329; Cal. No. 19717
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 24 month suspension, execution of last 21 months of suspension stayed, probation 24 months.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of eight dispensing errors.

Syncor International Corporation, 6075 East Molloy Road, Building 6, East Syracuse, NY 13211
Profession: Pharmacy; Reg. No. 021486; Cal. No. 19777
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year suspension, execution of suspension stayed, probation 2 years, $3,500 fine.
Summary: Respondent did not contest charge of failure by a supervising pharmacist to provide adequate supervision of a registered establishment.

Syncor International Corporation, 6075 East Molloy Road, Building 6, East Syracuse, NY 13211
Profession: Wholesale-Repacker Pharmacy; Reg. No. 021487; Cal. No. 19733
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year suspension, execution of suspension stayed, probation 2 years, $3,500 fine.
Summary: Respondent did not contest charge of failure by a supervising pharmacist to provide adequate supervision of a registered establishment.

Alan I. Wang, New York, NY
Profession: Pharmacist; Lic. No. 029707; Cal. No. 19774
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 1 year suspension, execution of suspension stayed, probation 1 year, $3,750 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of permitting an unlicensed person to perform activities requiring a license to dispense both controlled and non-controlled substances pursuant to prescriptions.

Samantha G. Wanke, Manlius, NY
Profession: Pharmacist; Lic. No. 037347; Cal. No. 19799
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Suspension until terminated as set forth in consent order application - upon termination of suspension, probation 2 years to commence upon return to practice, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of engaging in conduct in the practice of a profession, which evidences moral unfitness to practice the profession.

Stanley Weiss, Commack, NY
Profession: Pharmacist; Lic. No. 025775; Cal. No. 19872
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year suspension, execution of suspension stayed, probation 2 years, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of committing two (2) dispensing errors.

Physical Therapy

Cherry Manuel Castellvi, Astoria, NY
Profession: Physical Therapist; Lic. No. 012214; Cal. No. 19824
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year suspension, execution of last 20 months of suspension stayed, probation 2 years, $2,500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of submitting patient progress notes to her employer for home care visits which had not been made and which gave false information of the assessment and treatment of said patients.

Podiatry

Seth M. Wax, Merrick, NY
Profession: Podiatrist; Lic. No. 003453; Cal. No. 19752
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 5 year suspension, complete certain courses and submit proof of completion as set forth in consent order application - upon service of suspension, probation 2 years.
Summary: Licensee did not contest charge of violating a term of probation in failing to take the requisite amount of continuing education credits.

Social Work

Paul V. Fraser, Jr., Jamaica, VT
Profession: Social Worker; Lic. No. 034759; Cal. No. 18852
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Found guilty of professional misconduct; Penalty: 24 month suspension, execution of last 21 months of suspension stayed.
Summary: Licensee was found guilty of having been convicted of two counts of Possessing a Sexual Performance by a Child, a class E felony.

Barbara Christina McMann, Binghamton, NY
Profession: Social Worker; Lic. No. 035072; Cal. No. 19485
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 1 year suspension, execution of suspension stayed, probation 1 year, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of having been convicted of Driving While Intoxicated, a misdemeanor.

Veterinary Medicine

Gerard Bogaard, Clifton Park, NY
Profession: Veterinarian; Lic. No. 002844; Cal. No. 19839
Regents Action Date: April 23, 2002
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 1 year suspension, execution of suspension stayed, probation 1 year, $1,000 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charge of diagnosing an intestinal obstruction with a foreign body as a fecal impaction and failing to use radiographs with a contrast medium as a diagnostic tool.

Last Update: June 10, 2003