Behavioral Health Hospital Employee Arrested for Abusing a Disabled Adult

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, with the assistance of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, today announced the arrest of a former mental health technician for abusing a disabled adult. Shauney Rashaun Wilson allegedly physically abused and caused injury to a disabled adult while under Wilson’s care and supervision as an inpatient resident at Wekiva Springs Hospital.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “The violent behavior exhibited by this health care professional is extremely disturbing. My Medicaid Fraud Control Unit will hold this defendant accountable for his crimes against a defenseless patient entrusted to his care.”

According to the investigation, Wilson worked as a mental health technician for Wekiva Springs, a licensed hospital that provides behavioral health and substance use treatment to adults and senior adults. On Nov. 30, 2020, Wilson allegedly tackled a disabled adult into the patient’s room and onto the floor. The following morning, during another confrontation, Wilson struck the same disabled adult in the head several times using a fist. A nurse heard screaming and then witnessed Wilson exiting the disabled adult’s room, observing Wilson’s clenched fists and swollen knuckles. The nurse found the disabled adult moaning in pain and observed blood inside the room. An ambulance transported the disabled adult to a general hospital to be treated for an abrasion and contusion to the forehead. Further investigation revealed that Wekiva Springs’ surveillance systems captured both incidents on camera. Wekiva Springs subsequently terminated Wilson for the abusive actions.

Wilson is charged with two counts of abuse of a disabled adult, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. The Attorney General’s MFCU will prosecute the case through an agreement with the State Attorney’s Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit.
 
The Florida Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates and prosecutes providers that intentionally defraud the state’s Medicaid program through fraudulent billing practices. Medicaid fraud essentially steals from Florida’s taxpayers. From January 2019 to the present, Attorney General Moody’s MFCU has obtained more than $74 million in settlements and judgments.

The Florida MFCU is funded through a grant totaling $27,734,297 for Federal Fiscal Year 2022, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. The Federal Share of these funds is 75% totaling $20,800,724. The State Matching Share of these funds is 25% totaling $6,933,573 and is funded by Florida.