Summaries of Regents Actions
on Professional
Misconduct and Discipline
December 2010
Terms under which this information is provided.
- Dentistry - Dietetics and Nutrition - Nursing - Pharmacy - Public Accountancy - Respiratory Therapy - Social Work - Veterinary Medicine -
Dentistry
Profession: Dentist; Lic. No. 034638; Cal. No. 25305
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Censure and Reprimand, $500 fine payable within 30 days.
Summary: Licensee admitted to the charge of receiving fees from a third party in connection with the performance of professional services.
Profession: Dentist; Lic. No. 048964; Cal. No. 25357
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Censure and Reprimand, $500 fine payable within 3 months.
Summary: Licensee did not contest the charge that he had been disciplined for professional misconduct in the State of New Hampshire.
Sharon McLaughlin, New York, NY
Profession: Dental Hygienist; Lic. No. 012013; Cal. No. 25276
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Censure and Reprimand, $500 fine payable within 90 days.
Summary: Licensee did not contest the charge of receiving fees from a third party in connection with the performance of professional services.
Profession: Dental Hygienist; Lic. No. 022494; Cal. No. 25246
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 1 year stayed suspension, 1 year probation, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to the charge of having been convicted of Driving While Intoxicated.
Dietetics and Nutrition
Profession: Certified Dietitian/Nutritionist; Cert. No. 003637; Cal. No. 25210
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year stayed suspension, 2 years probation, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charges of having been convicted of Driving While Impaired by Alcohol or Drugs, an unclassified misdemeanor, and of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 7th Degree, a class A misdemeanor.
Diane G. Tomkin, Port Jefferson, NY
Profession: Certified Dietitian/Nutritionist; Cert. No. 002474; Cal. No. 25241
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year stayed suspension, 2 years probation, $750 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charges of having been convicted of Driving While Intoxicated, both as an unclassified misdemeanor and as a class E felony.
Nursing
Heather L. Almodoval, Milford, PA
Profession: Registered Professional Nurse; Lic. No. 499120; Cal. No. 25239
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Indefinite actual suspension until successfully participate in course of therapy and treatment, and until fit to practice, upon termination of suspension, 2 years probation.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charges of having been convicted of Reckless Endangerment in the 1st Degree, a felony, and of Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated and Reckless Driving, both misdemeanors.
Richard James Amaro, Florissant, MO
Profession: Registered Professional Nurse; Lic. No. 475255; Cal. No. 25264
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Indefinite actual suspension until fit to practice, upon termination of suspension, 2 years probation to commence upon return to practice in New York State.
Summary: Licensee did not contest the charge that he was found guilty of improper professional practice or professional misconduct in the State of California.
Regina Cardaci-Polizzotto, Flushing, NY
Profession: Nurse Practitioner - Obstetrics/Gynecology; Cert. No. 360461; Cal. No. 25218
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 1 year stayed suspension, 1 year probation, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charges of writing a prescription for a patient at a time when she did not have a collaborative or practice agreement and at a time when she did not maintain written practice protocols.
Depeche Reis Cassea, East Islip, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 245970; Cal. No. 25321
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application to surrender license granted.
Summary: Licensee admitted to the charge of having been convicted of 5 counts of Attempted Forcible Touching, a class B misdemeanor.
Joseph M. Cooper, Middletown, NY
Profession: Registered Professional Nurse; Lic. No. 616027; Cal. No. 25240
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year stayed suspension, 2 years probation, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to the charge of having been convicted of Driving While Intoxicated as a felony.
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 168445; Cal. No. 25211
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 3 month actual suspension, 21 month stayed suspension, 2 years probation.
Summary: Licensee admitted to the charge of having been convicted of Grand Larceny in the 4th Degree, a class E felony.
Marlene Ann Hyman a/k/a Marlene Francis, Laurelton, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 251927; Cal. No. 25245
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 4 month actual suspension, 20 month stayed suspension, 24 months probation.
Summary: Licensee admitted to the charge of having been convicted of Petit Larceny on February 19, 2003 in the Criminal Court of the City of New York, and did not contest the charge of administering the wrong medicine to a patient and replacing the missing tablets with tablets of another drug to make the narcotic count appear correct.
Kay-Dean Careen Jackson, Far Rockaway, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 292012; Cal. No. 25265
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 4 month actual suspension, 20 month stayed suspension, 2 years probation, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charges of failing to notify a supervisor or a physician that a resident was having difficulty breathing and failing to initiate CPR on said patient upon finding the patient unresponsive, and of directing another nurse to administer a nebulizer treatment to the patient without a physician's order.
Nicole Margaret Kennedy, Baldwin, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 232442; Cal. No. 25322
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Indefinite actual suspension until fit to practice, upon termination of suspension, 2 years probation.
Summary: Licensee did not contest the charge of practicing the profession of nursing while mentally impaired by a bipolar disorder.
Dena Melissa Klein, Dix Hills, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 280883; Cal. No. 25269
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 1 month actual suspension, 23 month stayed suspension, 2 years probation, $1,000 fine.
Summary: Licensee did not contest the charge of taking medication without authorization from the facility where she was employed for her mother's use.
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 252671; Cal. No. 25266
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010(see also December 2002)
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 1 year stayed suspension, 1 year probation, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to the charge of having been convicted of Driving While Intoxicated.
Christina Mary Latimer, Newburgh, NY
Profession: Registered Professional Nurse; Lic. No. 455769; Cal. No. 25201
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Indefinite actual suspension for not less than 9 months and until submit to evaluation and any necessary therapy and treatment, and until fit to practice, upon termination of suspension, 3 years probation to commence if and when return to practice.
Summary: Licensee did not contest charges of unlawfully possessing controlled substances and violating a condition imposed by the Board of Regents.
Marjorie Elaine Lowe-Davis, Hempstead, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 232685; Cal. No. 25183
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 1 month actual suspension, 23 month stayed suspension, 2 years probation, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to the charge of having been convicted of 1 count of Petit Larceny, a class A misdemeanor.
Arlene Marie Mercado, Albany, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 279170; Cal. No. 25228
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Found guilty of professional misconduct; Penalty: 1 year suspension, probation 2 years to commence subsequent to termination of suspension and upon actual return to practice.
Summary: Licensee was found guilty of having been convicted of Grand Larceny in the 4th Degree, a class E felony, based on her theft of a bank debit card that she used to make purchases not authorized by the card owner.
Suzanne Marie Moskal, Sun City West, AZ
Profession: Registered Professional Nurse; Lic. No. 453222; Cal. No. 25286
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Censure and Reprimand, 1 year probation to commence upon return to practice in New York State.
Summary: Respondent did not contest the charge of having been found guilty of improper professional practice or professional misconduct in Arizona.
J. Gwendolyn Nicolas, Queens Village, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 180293; Cal. No. 25116
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year stayed suspension, 2 years probation.
Summary: Licensee admitted to the charge of making a false entry in a patient’s medication administration record indicating that she administered a drug to the patient on a particular date when, in fact, she had not.
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse, Registered Professional Nurse; Lic. Nos. 167881, 568553; Cal. Nos. 25282, 25281
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year stayed suspension, 2 years probation, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charges of having been convicted of Insurance Fraud in the 5th Degree and of filing a false report.
Laurieanne Riordan-Magara, Allegany, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 294926; Cal. No. 25284
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year stayed suspension, 2 years probation, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee did not contest charges of having been convicted of Attempted Criminal Mischief and of having failed to reveal a misdemeanor on her application for licensure.
Kathleen M. Schrang, Bay Shore, NY
Profession: Registered Professional Nurse; Lic. No. 315048; Cal. No. 25064
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year stayed suspension, 2 years probation, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee did not contest the charge of practicing the profession of nursing while the ability to practice was impaired by alcohol.
Profesion: Registered Professional Nurse; Lic. No. 598077; Cal. No. 25272
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Indefinite actual suspension until fit to practice, upon termination of suspension, 2 years probation to commence if and when return to practice, $500 fine payable within 6 months.
Summary: Licensee admitted to the charge of taking narcotics for her personal use.
Jodi Anne Schultz, Johnsonville, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 267328; Cal. No. 25078
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Found guilty of professional misconduct; Penalty: 2 years suspension, execution of last year of suspension stayed; probation 2 years.
Summary: Licensee was found guilty of having been convicted of Petit Larceny, a class A misdemeanor, based on her making of false claims for unemployment benefits that she was not entitled to and Petit Larceny based on her submission of false timesheets to her employer for work she did not perform.
Profession: Registered Professional Nurse; Lic. No. 237383; Cal. No. 25261
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application to surrender license granted.
Summary: Licensee admitted to the charge of having been convicted of Grand Larceny in the 2nd Degree.
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 235203; Cal. No. 25292
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 1 year stayed suspension, 1 year probation, $250 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to the charge of failing to notify a supervisor or document a resident's complaint of pain in the resident's medical record.
Peter James Sweet, Schenectady, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse; Lic. No. 271503; Cal. No. 25041
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Found guilty of professional misconduct; Penalty: $500 fine to be paid within 6 months, 24 months suspension, execution of last 23 months of suspension stayed; probation 24 months to commence upon actual return to practice.
Summary: Licensee was found guilty of having been convicted of Petit Larceny, a class A misdemeanor, based on his making of false claims for unemployment benefits that he was not entitled to.
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse, Registered Professional Nurse; Lic. Nos. 250324, 563305; Cal. Nos. 25223, 25224
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year stayed suspension, 2 years probation, $1,000 fine.
Summary: Licensee did not contest charges that between June 7 and 9, 2009, at St. Mary's Hospital for Children, in Bayside, New York, she inadvertently administered the controlled drug Diazepam (Valium) 2 mg. tablets, instead of Diazepam 4 mg., and on June 9, 2009, upon realizing her error, she changed the Narcotic Administration Record for Diazepam and the patient's Medication Adminstration Record to indicate the withdrawal of 4 mg. tablets, instead of 2 mg., wasted 6 mg. of Diazepam without a witness, and failed to initiate a Medication Event Report in violation of hospital policy.
Lyudmila Y. Vernik a/k/a Lyudmila Yefimovna Vernik, Brooklyn, NY
Profession: Licensed Practical Nurse, Registered Professional Nurse; Lic. Nos. 275202, 551882; Cal. Nos. 25279, 25280
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 1 year stayed suspension, 1 year probation, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to the charge of failing to accurately record visits to a patient’s home.Pharmacy
Rite Aid of New York, Inc., 309 West 125th Street, New York, NY
Profession: Pharmacy; Reg. No. 022282; Cal. No. 25310
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: $10,000 fine payable within 30 days.
Summary: Registrant did not contest the charge of operating the pharmacy without a supervising pharmacist.
Public Accountancy
Michael Joseph Ippoliti, Avenel, NJ
Profession: Certified Public Accountant; Lic. No. 077609; Cal. No. y
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Indefinite actual suspension for no less than 1 year and until fit to practice, upon termination of suspension, 2 years probation to commence upon return to practice in New York State.
Summary: Respondent admitted to charges of having been convicted of the following crimes in New Jersey: Attempted Sexual Assault in the 2nd Degree, Attempt to Lure or Entice a Child in the 2nd Degree, Attempt to Endanger the Welfare of a Child in the 3rd Degree (all felonies) and Resisting Arrest in the 4th Degree (a misdemeanor), which, if committed in New York, would constitute the following crimes: Attempted Criminal Sexual Act in the 3rd Degree, Attempted Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and Resisting Arrest (all misdemeanors).
Respiratory Therapy
Laurie Ann Nath a/k/a Laurie Ann Handler, Fresh Meadows, NY
Profession: Respiratory Therapist; Lic. No. 001615; Cal. No. 24538
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010 (see also January 2015)
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 2 year stayed suspension, 2 years probation, $500 fine.
Summary: Licensee admitted to the charge of having been convicted of 1 count of Driving While Intoxicated, an unclassified misdemeanor.
Profession: Respiratory Therapist; Lic. No. 000012; Cal. No. 24736
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010 (see also June 2007)
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: Indefinite actual suspension for no less than 6 months and until fit to practice, upon termination of suspension, 2 years probation to commence when return to practice.
Summary: Licensee admitted to charges of testing positive for the controlled substance cocaine in a random drug test and thereby violating a condition of his probation imposed by Order 22836, issued by the Associate Commissioner for the Professions, dated June 26, 2007, requiring him to remain drug free.
Social Work
Ronnie Sonnenberg, Commack, NY
Profession: Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Lic. No. 027163; Cal. No. 25289
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Application for consent order granted; Penalty agreed upon: 6 month actual suspension, 18 month stayed suspension, 2 years probation, $1,500 fine.
Summary: Licensee did not contest charges of hiring a client to do work for her, using therapy time to confide in the client about her personal problems, revealing confidential information about other clients without their prior consent, and failing to maintain a treatment record.
Veterinary Medicine
David Wong Troy, Baileyville, ME
Profession: Veterinarian; Lic. No. 005895; Cal. No. 25271
Regents Action Date: December 14, 2010
Action: Found guilty of professional misconduct; Penalty: $25 fine, probation 1 year.
Summary: Licensee was found guilty of having been convicted of Assaulting, Resisting, Impeding a Federal Officer based on his actions at a Canadian Border Crossing.
For further information: dplsdsu@nysed.gov