5 Arrested in Abuse of Disabled Adults in San Jose

A San Jose family is facing charges of neglecting a dozen mentally disabled adults who were starved, beaten, forbidden to use toilet paper and bathed only once a month, authorities said Thursday.

San Jose police found rotting food, no running water and dozens of dogs when they arrived at a home on Cortona Drive on Monday. Dog feces were everywhere, said Charles Huang, a deputy district attorney for Santa Clara County.

“These incredibly vulnerable people were treated worse than the animals that were rescued,” Huang said.

The five defendants allegedly collected the Social Security checks of the disabled adults, many of whom suffered from schizophrenia, Huang said.

Those arrested are: Kathy Le, 41, George Dac Nguyen, 72, Jennifer Ngo, 63, Charles Nguyen 25, and Margret Ngo, 27.

{snip}

“The victim’s families made informal arrangements to place them in a home, a family home,” the prosecutor said.

Many of the victims were immigrants from Vietnam and spoke little English or were not familiar with their rights, Huang said.

{snip}

Police conducted a welfare check and found locks on the refrigerator door and mattresses on the floor, Huang said. The disabled residents said they were bathed and their clothes washed only once a month, on the day they would meet with a doctor.

{snip}