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TALLAHASSEE, FL - Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that a Miami man is in custody on charges he physically abused a disabled adult under his care. Max Auguste, 27, was arrested last night by law enforcement with the Miami-Dade Police Department on a warrant issued by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

The arrest resulted from an investigation by the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit's Patient Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation (PANE) team, acting on information received from the Department of Children and Families, Adult Protective Services. Investigators determined that while employed by MACTown, Inc., a Miami group home for developmentally disabled adults, Auguste was observed punching and choking one of the residents. Auguste, who had to be pulled off the victim by other employees, was subsequently terminated.

Auguste is being held at the Miami-Dade County Jail and will be charged with one count of battery on a disabled adult, a third-degree felony. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. The case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney for the 11th Judicial Circuit.

The PANE Project plays a key role in detecting abuse and neglect of elderly and disabled patients, helping to ensure that efficient and effective health care is being provided.