Former Licensed Nursing Assistant Sentenced to State Prison for Stealing from Hospice Patient

Concord, NH – Attorney General John M. Formella announces that Nicole Ferry, age 26, of Strafford, has pleaded guilty and was sentenced in the Strafford County Superior Court, on one class A felony count of theft by unauthorized taking or transfer.

On January 24, 2022, Ms. Ferry, a licensed nursing assistant (“LNA”), began caring for hospice patient G.M. (age 85) at G.M.’s home in Lee. G.M. was bedbound and relied on Ms. Ferry to perform daily living activities, including bathing, dressing, grooming, meal preparation, and toileting. 

Between February 22, 2022, and July 11, 2022, the defendant stole and forged 59 checks belonging to G.M., totaling $81,285. Ms. Ferry used the funds to, among other things, buy a new car, gamble, and purchase concert and sporting event tickets. 

The Court sentenced Ms. Ferry to serve 5-10 years in the New Hampshire State Prison, stand committed. The Court suspended 3 years from the minimum term for 10 years. As a condition of her suspended sentence, the Court ordered that Ms. Ferry pay restitution. Because Ms. Ferry satisfied $42,000 of the $81,285 prior to sentencing, the Court ordered restitution in the amount of the balance, $39,285. Ms. Ferry is also prohibited from caring and acting as fiduciary for elderly, disabled, or impaired adults. In exchange for Ms. Ferry’s guilty plea, remaining indictments alleging class B felony forgery will be nolle prossed.

Ms. Ferry voluntarily surrendered her license to practice as an LNA in October 2024.

This matter was investigated jointly by the Attorney General’s Office and the Lee Police Department, with assistance from the New Hampshire Bureau of Aging and Adult Services. The matter was prosecuted by Senior Assistant Attorney General Bryan  J. Townsend, II, of the Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation Unit and Assistant Attorney General Warren Cormack of the Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of elder abuse or financial exploitation, please contact your local police department or the Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services (1-800-949-0470).  

Article from the New Hampshire Department of Justice.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you are interested in learning more about healthcare law and ethics, we offer several online courses over this topic:

Pedagogy's courses are available for purchase by the individual or facility. For individuals, register with us to create your username and password, click on the course title of interest, and then click the Purchase button. For a complete listing of all our online continuing education courses, including the largest selection of infusion continuing education courses offered online, click here!

For organizations that would like to purchase education for their entire staff, email sales@pedagogyeducation.com and let us know the course(s) of interest and how many staff members you need to provide education for, and we will be happy to send you a price quote.