Investigation Brings New Light to Neglect at Mount Joseph at Waterville Nursing Home

Earlier this year, our firm filed a lawsuit on behalf of the family of Daniel Crommett, a 48-year-old man with disabilities who died just six months after entering Mount Joseph in Waterville Maine.

Now, the Portland Press Herald has released a sweeping investigation into conditions at Mount Joseph. Its findings confirm and expand upon the serious issues at the heart of the Crommett family’s lawsuit, bringing broader public attention to what happened behind the facility’s doors.

The Crommett Family’s Loss

Daniel Crommett lived with cerebral palsy, autism, and a seizure disorder. In 2021, after a fall, he was admitted to Mount Joseph. His family visited him daily and quickly began noticing alarming warning signs: untreated seizures, bruising, repeated falls, and signs of untreated pain.

When staff failed to act, the family was forced to call 911 themselves. Daniel was transferred to a hospital but died just two days later in December 2021

Our lawsuit’s complaint alleges his death was preventable and the result of systemic failures: understaffing, falsified records, and a facility culture that ignored staff and family warnings.

What the Press Herald Investigation Found

The Portland Press Herald’s reporting paints a picture of dysfunction that extends well beyond one resident’s case:

• Medication Neglect: Nurse Shenee Foster repeatedly told leadership that her colleague, Marius Ramirez, was failing to administer Daniel’s anti-seizure medication. Rather than addressing her concerns, she was reprimanded for “causing trouble.” Ramirez was later convicted of reckless endangerment, admitted to mistreating multiple residents, and was disciplined by the nursing board for sleeping on shifts, failing to administer medication, and falsifying records.
• Severe Understaffing: Certified nursing assistant Christina Oelmann described being assigned more than 40 residents in a single 12-hour shift, a level of staffing she said made neglect unavoidable.
• Regulatory Violations: DHHS launched multiple investigations into Mount Joseph, confirming failures such as residents going weeks without showers, unreported abuse, and missed staffing ratios that continued into 2024. At one point, the department was investigating nearly 20 separate complaints.
• Voices of Residents: One 90-year-old resident told state investigators, “I pray every day the Lord will get me out of this hell hole.”
• Culture of Silence: Foster reported that instead of encouraging accountability, leadership criticized those who spoke up. Oelmann said she ultimately resigned because she “couldn’t deal with the guilt” of watching residents consistently neglected.
• Community Outcry: In 2022, Oelmann and another nurse launched a Facebook group called “Boycott Mount Joseph of Waterville.” The group now has over 100 members, including past and present employees who use it to share concerns and encourage one another to report wrongdoing.
• Ownership Allegations: The lawsuit and the investigation point to owners Michael Biderman and Akiko Ike, who allegedly siphoned revenue out of Mount Joseph through inflated rents and management fees, while leaving the facility short-staffed and under-resourced.

Together, these findings show a pattern of neglect and mismanagement, not isolated errors.

Why This Matters

The Crommett case matters because it exposes systemic weaknesses in how we protect vulnerable residents in Maine’s long-term care system. It highlights:

• The human cost of understaffing: When workers are stretched too thin, basic needs like bathing, medication, and safety checks go unmet. Neglect becomes built into the system.
• The silencing of whistleblowers: Nurses and aides who raised concerns were reprimanded or ignored, showing how facility culture can punish truth-telling.
• The gap in oversight: DHHS cited Mount Joseph for numerous violations, yet the problems persisted year after year. Regulatory action often came too late for residents like Daniel.
• Corporate practices that prioritize profit: The allegations of inflated rents and siphoned resources illustrate how ownership decisions at the top directly impact care at the bedside.

Daniel’s story is a tragedy, but it is not unique. By pursuing legal action and through the exposure created by journalism, systemic change becomes more possible.

Applauding Investigative Journalism

The Portland Press Herald’s reporting validates the concerns of families, residents, and workers who for too long felt ignored. By bringing these issues to light, journalists provide transparency and ensure accountability doesn’t stop at the courtroom door.

At Gideon Asen, we commend the Press Herald for its commitment to this investigation. Daniel’s story and the voices of so many others, deserve to be heard. Together, through litigation and investigative reporting, we can move toward a system that values dignity, safety, and compassion for every resident.