Three Former Employees of the Psychiatric Institute of Washington Indicted for Criminal Negligence in the Death of a Patient

WASHINGTON - Nelson Kuma, 37, Richard Hounnou, 45, and Norma Munoz-Bent 68, all from Maryland, were indicted on charges of criminal negligence and appeared in court yesterday for their arraignment, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

After the arraignment, Kuma, Hounnou, and Munoz-Bent were released pending trial. They are scheduled to appear before the Honorable Carmen McLean on May 29, 2026.

The indictment was returned by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on March 31, 2026. It is alleged that on the date of his death, and while in the care of PIW staff, G.W., a 58-year-old male, became unresponsive and stopped breathing. Kuma and Hounnou, who were employed by PIW as psychiatric counselors, and Munoz-Bent, a registered nurse, discovered G.W. in this condition, but failed to timely and properly assess G.W., failed to perform CPR, and failed to provide any potentially lifesaving measures. G.W. did not receive life saving measures for at least 21 minutes. By the time lifesaving measure started, it was too late, and G.W. could not be resuscitated.

Joining the announcement was Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

In announcing the indictment, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Inspector General Lucas acknowledged the work of those who are investigating and prosecuting the case from the Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the D.C. Office of the Inspector General's (OIG) Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU). They commend the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Facci, who is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

2026 CF2 005110; 2026 CF2 005111; 2026 CF2 005112