Former Prince George’s County Caregiver Charged with Abuse of a Vulnerable Adult

BALTIMORE, MD (June 19, 2009) - Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that former caregiver Mary Arung has been charged in the District Court of Maryland for Prince George’s County with abuse of a vulnerable adult in the second degree, and second degree assault for an incident that occurred in November, 2008 when Arung was employed as a counselor at the Center for Social Change.

Arung, 39, of the 14000 block of 4th Street in Laurel, was a paid caregiver for a developmentally disabled woman who lives in a group home located in Washington, D.C. and managed by the Center for Social Change. Arung was transporting the vulnerable adult victim to a doctor’s appointment in Lanham where a bystander witnessed the assault.

Abuse of a vulnerable adult is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Second degree assault is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $2,500 fine. A Criminal Information is but an accusation and all persons are innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 20, 2009 in Prince George’s County District Court.

This case was investigated by Attorney General Gansler’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has authority to investigate and prosecute abuse and neglect of vulnerable adults in facilities that receive Medicaid funds, in group homes that provide services to the developmentally disabled, and in Assisted Living Facilities across the State of Maryland.