Nurses accused of sharing patient photos at Westmoreland Hospital will be banned from practicing nursing

Two registered nurses accused of taking and sharing photos and recordings of patients at Westmoreland Hospital without their permission have been banned from practicing nursing duties.

District Judge Chris Flanigan made that part of the conditions of the $40,000 unsecured bond she set Thursday for Peter Castellano, 36, of Pittsburgh's Fineview neighborhood, and Melissa Tompkins, 36, of Baldwin.

“It would be irresponsible of me to allow them to take care of other people at this time,” she said during her arraignment.

The nurses turned themselves in Thursday on charges of disclosing intercepted communications, criminal use of a communications facility, invasion of privacy and harassment. You are no longer employed at Greensburg Hospital.

Both nurses deny the allegations.

Greensburg police said in court documents filed this week that they learned of a group text message thread between Castellano, Tompkins and two technicians at the hospital that indicated the suspects were treating patients improperly, according to court documents. Messages obtained by police showed the thread sent audio and video recordings and images of patients from numbers belonging to Castellano and Tompkins, investigators said.

Some of those photos showed patients naked in their hospital rooms, while others were partially clothed, police said. In one case, Castellano is accused of superimposing the faces of colleagues on a photo of a naked patient.

Some videos showed the suspects angering patients, including in one case where a patient was crying, police said.

The patients had no knowledge of the photos or recordings and did not give consent, according to court documents. An estimated 10 patients were involved.

Both Castellano and Tompkins told Flanigan that they were leaving their nursing jobs and seeking other employment.

“My concern is about re-offending or even exploiting vulnerable people,” Flanigan said.

None of the nurses have a criminal history.

“If that's true, there's some malice in it … but I know that based on the evidence that the police reported with the phone, the evidence seems pretty compelling,” she said. “I’m very worried that one of them will have to take care of other people.”

Police said the two other people involved in the message thread will not be charged.

According to state records, Castellano's license as a registered nurse was issued in 2022. Tompkins was licensed as a nurse in 2020 under the last name Marsh.

“I assure you that Mr. Castellano is taking this matter extremely seriously and is aware of the repercussions and consequences he will ultimately face,” his attorney, Casey Mullen, said during the hearing, adding that Castellano does not pose a threat to anyone.

Outside court, lawyer Casey White said he thought the bail conditions were fair.

“We maintain that Melissa is innocent of these allegations,” he said. “There is a group of individuals involved in this situation and once we establish all the facts we will truly find out who is responsible for these unfortunate events.”

Preliminary hearings are scheduled for October 24.