Story by Ethan
On August 14th, 2024, charges against Charles Gonder, 52, were announced by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. Charles Gonder was charged with first and third-degree Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, twenty-six counts of first-degree Falsifying Business Records, two counts of second-degree Falsifying Business Records, two counts of Fraud and Deceit related to controlled substances, and two counts of Petit Larceny.
Queens District Attorney Melissa Katz stated that, “As an official at two Queens nursing homes, this defendant was entrusted with the safety of patients under his care including the safe disposal of narcotics. We allege he violated that trust after a long-term investigation by my office found more than 1,500 oxycodone pills were missing from the two facilities. He was arrested today and will now face justice in court. Thank you to our partners at the New York State Department of Health’s Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement for their work on this case.”
According to the Queens District Attorney’s Office, Charles Gonder was hired on May 4th, 2023, for the acting director of nursing services position at Regal Heights Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Jackson Heights. It was noted that Charles Gonder failed to report two criminal convictions in Nassau County, one being a felony, when applying for the job. However, Charles Gonder was terminated from this position on May 12th, 2023, following an incident of missing medications. For example, 141 oxycodone pills linked to four different prescriptions were missing from a receptacle bin. Allegedly, in addition Charles Gonder accepted thirty pills from one prescription, while also getting handed another fifteen from the same prescription. Charles Gonder was responsible for the disposal of these pills, however the pills were not found in the disposal bin.
On May 18th, 2023, Charles Gonder applied for a management position at Sapphire Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing of Central Queens in Flushing, New York. Similar to his previous application, Charles Gonder did not fill out the application question asking if he had any prior convictions. Charles Gonder was hired on May 22nd, 2023, and he was responsible for the collection, documentation, and disposal of unused prescription medication. During Charles Gonder’s time of employment at Sapphire Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing of Central Queens, only he and the nursing home admin had access to the locked drug receptacle bins. A regulated audit of the nursing home’s narcotic log in March 2024, found that 1,534 oxycodone pills linked to 66 different prescriptions missing from the receptacle bins. It was also revealed in a log book that Charles Gonder acknowledged receipts from 26 out of the 66 prescriptions. Charles Gonder was then terminated from the Sapphire Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing of Central Queens in July 2024, and was subsequently arrested on August 13th, 2024.
The Queens District Attorney’s Office stated that the charges against Charles Gonder are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
