A Central Islip man who worked as a nursing home aide in Nassau County has been convicted of sexually assaulting two residents under his care three years ago.
A jury in Nassau County found Phillip Harris guilty of nine crimes related to his abuse of vulnerable nursing home residents. Harris faces a potential sentence of one and one-third to four years in prison for the felony charges related to each victim.
Harris began working as an aide at the Glengariff Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Glen Cove in late December 2021. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) revealed that in March 2022, Harris sexually assaulted two disabled residents under his care. One of the residents reported the assault to his wife and daughter, who reported it to Glen Cove police and the nursing home, which launched an investigation that uncovered the other assault.
A Nassau County jury today delivered a verdict finding Harris guilty of:
- three counts of Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person in the First Degree, all Class E felonies
- two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Vulnerable Elderly Person, or an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person in the Second Degree, both Class E felony
- two counts of Willful Violation of Public Health Laws, both misdemeanors
- two counts of Forcible Touching, both Class A misdemeanors
Harris was also charged with three counts of falsifying business records related to alleged false statements that he made during the investigation. The jury found him not guilty of those charges. Harris will return to court for sentencing on December 19, 2025. He faces a maximum sentence of one and one-third to four years in state prison for the felony crimes related to each victim.
The investigation was handled by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) Detective Supervisor Christopher Miro and Detective Thomas Fisch, with assistance from Detective Robert Hatt, Deputy Chief Investigator Ronald Lynch, and MFCU Medical Analyst Mary Conway, R.N. Legal Support Analyst Nicole Giotta provided paralegal and trial assistance.
“Every nursing home resident deserves high-quality care and should be able to trust that their caregivers will treat them with dignity and respect,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “Phillip Harris’ despicable crimes endangered vulnerable nursing home residents, and now my office has brought him to justice. I will not allow anyone to mistreat or take advantage of New York nursing home residents.”
Anyone with information or concerns about alarming nursing home conditions or resident abuse or neglect is asked to file a confidential complaint online or call OAG’s MFCU hotline at (833) 249-8499.