Former Bedford VA Nursing Assistant Charged with Making False Statements

Defendant allegedly lied about conducting hourly bed checks of patient who died

BOSTON – A former nursing assistant at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Bedford was charged today in federal court in Boston for making false statements to federal agents in connection with an investigation of a patient’s death.   

Patricia A. Waible, 52, of Nashua, N.H., was charged in an Information and agreed to plead guilty to two counts of making false statements. Waible will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

As alleged in court documents, on July 3, 2016, Waible, a nursing assistant, worked the overnight shift from midnight to 8:00 a.m. at the Bedford VA’s nursing home unit. During the shift, Waible’s responsibilities included conducting hourly bed checks to check on patients’ breathing. Early that morning, a patient who suffered from several serious medical ailments was found unresponsive and not breathing. The patient was transferred by ambulance to an emergency room, where he was later pronounced dead. During the ensuing investigation, on two separate occasions, Waible falsely stated to federal agents that she had conducted the hourly checks on the patient during her shift.

The charge of making false statements provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Sean Smith, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Criminal Investigations Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda P.M. Strachan, Chief of Lelling’s Health Care Fraud Unit, and William B. Brady, also of Lelling’s Health Care Fraud Unit, are prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.