Scotia Man Pleads Guilty to Groping a Nursing Student at the Albany VA Medical Center

ALBANY, NEW YORK - Danning Lake, age 86, of Scotia, New York, pled guilty today to abusive sexual contact.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Thomas Gibbons, Chief of the Department of Veterans Affairs Police at Stratton VA Medical Center; and Special Agent in Charge Christopher F. Algieri of the Northeast Field Office for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, made the announcement.

Lake admitted that on February 29, 2024, he grabbed the breast of a nursing student as she was giving him medical care. Lake then asked the student nurse, "did you like that?" and told her "they feel nice." When the VA Police Officer spoke to Lake, he said that he would do the same thing again if he had the opportunity. Lake's mental status was not altered by medication, age, or illness. He groped the nursing student for his own sexual gratification and without her consent.

When he is sentenced on March 20, 2025, Lake faces up to 2 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 1 year. A defendant's sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. As a result of this conviction, Lake will also have to register as a sex offender.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Police Department and Office of Inspector General investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan S. Reiner and Tamara B. Thomson are prosecuting.