NYC nurse accused of stealing credit card from dying COVID-19 patient
The family alleges that the essential worker charged $60.23 on the card to buy gas and groceries
A Staten Island nurse is accused of stealing and using a credit card that belonged to her dying patient. She allegedly charged $60.23 on the card.
A Staten Island nurse is accused of stealing and using a credit card that belonged to her dying patient.
Danielle Conti, 43, allegedly charged $60.23 on the card which she used to buy gas and groceries. She was later charged with grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, and petit larceny.
READ MORE: Coronavirus front lines: A New York City nurse details life in a pandemic
In a statement, Staten Island University Hospital said, “Danielle Conti has been temporarily suspended and faces termination in response to the felony charges. We are working closely with the law enforcement authorities and the hospital is conducting its own investigation. Ms. Conti has been an employee since 2007.”
Anthony Catapano died on April 12 after contracting coronavirus. In a Facebook post, his daughter Tara stated that she got her father’s American Express statement in the mail and noted the two charges for gas and groceries during the time that her father was in the hospital.
Nurse tends to a recovering patient (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
“As family members, we aren’t allowed to be with our family members and advocate for them or see what is going on and these poor people are being taken advantage of,” Tara Catapano wrote, “I’m sure my dad is not the first person this happened to and I’m sure he won’t be the last. This behavior is disgusting and unacceptable.”
She also stated that she never received several other items belonging to her father including his glasses and cell phone. She explains that she shared the story because families around the world are suffering and the idea of them being taken advantage of is added stress.
READ MORE: New York ICU nurse sobs after ‘walking into rooms and your patients are dead’ from coronavirus
There have been over 19,000 deaths from COVID-19 which causes the coronavirus in New York City. The pandemic has strained NYC hospitals and their staff. An article last month in the New York Times allowed nurses to be able to share what their workday is like inside the hospitals during the pandemic.
“It feels like a year already,” one nurse said, “like one long day that’s never-ending.”
