Nurses banned from caregiving after accusations of sharing patient photos at Westmoreland Hospital

Two registered nurses who are accused of taking and sharing photos and making recordings of Westmoreland Hospital patients without their permission are prohibited from holding caretaking jobs.

District Judge Chris Flanigan made that part of the conditions of the $40,000 unsecured bail 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 permit them to take care of other people at this point,” she said during their arraignment.

The nurses surrendered Thursday on charges of disclosing intercepted communications, criminal use of a communication facility, invasion of privacy and harassment. They are no longer employed at the Greensburg hospital.

Both of the nurses deny the allegations.

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

In some of those photos, patients were naked inside their hospital rooms, while others were partially clothed, police said. In one instance, Castellano is accused of superimposing co-workers’ faces on a photo of a naked patient.

Some videos showed the suspects antagonizing patients, including one instance in which a patient was crying, police said.

The patients were not aware of the photos or recordings and did not give consent, according to court papers. An estimated 10 patients were involved.

Castellano and Tompkins told Flanigan they would resign from their nursing jobs and find other employment.

“My concern is reoffending or even taking advantage of vulnerable people again,” Flanigan said.

Neither of the nurses has a prior record.

“There’s a certain maliciousness about it, if it’s true … but I know the proof seems pretty strong based on the evidence the police have indicated with the phone,” she said. “I’m very concerned about either of them working taking care of other people.”

Police said the other two people involved in the messaging thread will not be facing charges.

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

“I am assuring you that Mr. Castellano is taking this extremely seriously. He realizes the ramifications and consequences he ultimately faces,” his attorney Casey Mullen said during the hearing, saying Castellano is not a threat to anyone.

Outside of court, attorney Casey White said he feels the bail conditions were fair.

“We maintain Melissa is innocent of these allegations,” he said. “There’s a group of individuals involved in this situation, and, once we start unpacking all the facts, we’ll get to the bottom of, really, who’s responsible for these unfortunate set of events.”

Preliminary hearings are set for Oct. 24.