Attorney General James Announces Arrest of Buffalo Nursing Home Worker Charged With Sexual Assault of a Vulnerable Resident

July 22, 2026

NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the arrest and arraignment of Isiah Favors, 38, of Buffalo, a certified nurse aide at the McAuley Residence nursing home in Erie County, on charges of sexual assault of a resident suffering from dementia. Favors was arrested today and charged with felonies for Rape in the Second Degree and Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person in the First Degree. This case is part of an ongoing investigation by the Office of the Attorney General's (OAG) Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU).

"My prayers are with the victim and their family who deserve justice after enduring this horrific crime," said Attorney General James. "My office is conducting a full investigation, and we will use every resource at our disposal to deliver justice in this case and ensure all nursing home residents are kept safe. I thank our partners in law enforcement for their collaboration in this investigation."

Favors was arrested on allegations that on July 7, 2026, at approximately 12:10 a.m., he sexually assaulted the elderly and mentally disabled victim in her room at McAuley Residence by performing oral sex on the victim. A witness immediately reported the incident to the facility's management, and the victim was transported to the hospital where a rape kit test was conducted. The Tonawanda Police Department reported the matter to OAG.

Favors was arraigned today in Tonawanda Town Court and is being held with bail set at $100,000 cash or a partially secured surety bond. If convicted on the top count, he faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.

The charges against the defendant are accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Attorney General James thanks the Tonawanda Police Department, the Erie County Central Police Services Laboratory, Catholic Health Healthcare System, and the New York State Department of Health for their assistance in this investigation.

The investigation by OAG's MFCU was conducted by Detective Jason Arlington and Detective Jaimie Krzyskoski with support from Detective Trainees Bradley Converse and Anthony Dinizo, under the supervision of Acting Supervising Detective Christopher Canfield, Assistant Chief Investigator James Zablonski, and Deputy Chief Investigator Ronald Lynch.

The case is being prosecuted by MFCU's Buffalo Regional Office Director Paul C. Parisi and Special Assistant Attorney General Anthony M. Rossi. Auditor-Investigator Rebecca Whitescarver and Medical Analyst Jennifer Cronkhite assisted in the investigation. The MFCU is led by Deputy Attorney General Amy Held and Assistant Deputy Attorney General Thomas O'Hanlon. MFCU is a part of the Division for Criminal Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.

Reporting Medicaid Provider Fraud: Attorney General James encourages anyone with information or concerns about alarming nursing home conditions or resident abuse or neglect to file a confidential complaint online or call OAG's MFCU hotline at (212) 417-5397. If the situation is an emergency, please call 911.

New York MFCU's total funding for federal fiscal year (FY) 2026 is $70,793,651. Of that total, 75 percent, or $53,095,240, is awarded under a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $17,698,411 for FY 2026, is funded by New York State. Through MFCU's recoveries by means of law enforcement actions and civil enforcement actions, it regularly returns more to Medicaid than it received in funding.