Concord, NH – Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald and Dover Police Chief William Breault announce that Samantha Siegel, age 19, of Portsmouth was found guilty on June 4, 2019 in the 7th Circuit Court–District Division—Dover of simple assault and abuse of facility patient. The Court sentenced Ms. Siegel for the assault charge to a $500 fine and six months incarceration, which is suspended on the condition of good behavior. On the charge of abusing a facility patient, Ms. Siegel was sentenced to nine months incarceration—all but 90 days suspended—and two years of probation.

Ms Siegel is appealing her convictions for trial de novo in Strafford County Superior Court. Under the rules of criminal procedure the court's sentence is vacated pending appeal except as otherwise provided by statute.

The charges allege that, while formerly employed at St. Ann's Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in July 2018, Ms. Siegel made a recording of herself putting her hand over a 92-year old resident's mouth to prevent the resident from speaking and later displayed the recording to third parties.

St. Ann's Rehabilitation and Nursing Center learned of the allegations on July 20, 2018 after receiving a tip from a retail store employee who saw Ms. Siegel display the recording on her phone. St. Ann's staff immediately notified the Dover Police Department, which investigated the case and arrested Ms. Siegel.

Simple assault and abuse of facility patient are both class A misdemeanors. A person convicted by a circuit court of a class A misdemeanor has the right to appeal to superior court for trial by jury.

The case will be docketed for jury trial in Strafford County Superior Court at a future date.

Under New Hampshire law, the Attorney General is responsible for the prosecution of a health care facility employees charged with willful abuse, mistreatment or neglect of a patient. Suspected abuse of facility patients should be reported to the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit [(603) 271-1246], your local police department, or the Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services [(800) 949-0470].