Lanham Assisted Living Facility Employees Charged with Neglect

LANHAM, MD ? Two employees at Lanham?s Able Hands Assisted Living were charged with neglecting a vulnerable adult after the death of a facility resident, Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh said.

Dorothy N. Nwaneri, 65, and Fatmata Bella Bangs, 61, were both charged in the Circuit Court for Prince George?s County with one count of neglect of a vulnerable adult in the first degree, according to a news release from the attorney general's office.

Nwaneri was the owner and assisted living manager of the facility and Bangs was a home health aide.

Between the late evening on Feb. 2, 2020, and the early morning of Feb. 3, 2020, Able Hands resident Frank Riddick Jr. wandered away from the facility. The 65-year-old resident with dementia was hit and killed by an Amtrak train at 5:06 a.m. on Feb. 3.

Bangs was the only employee on duty at the time of the incident and reportedly fell asleep during her shift, according to Frosh.

This case is being prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Attorney General?s Office. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has jurisdiction over abuse and neglect cases with assisted living facilities.