Machados to Close 4 Homes for Retarded Adults in Sex Case

The owner of five homes charged with neglecting and sexually abusing severely retarded adults has reached an agreement with state regulators that will permanently close four of the homes in Orange County and permit one to reopen under strict supervision.

Under the compromise, the state Department of Social Services on Monday revoked the licenses of three Machado Family Homes in Cypress and another in Stanton. It also restored the license of the family’s board-and-care facility in Cerritos.

State officials suspended licenses and temporarily closed the facilities in June, charging that two young men had been sexually molested, two patients scalded in showers and two retarded women impregnated, apparently by other patients.

Woman and Son Run Homes

The Machado homes are run by Maria Machado and her son, Norlan Machado Jr. No problems were found at a sixth Machado home in Torrance, which remains open.

State regulators said some of the problems at the homes were linked with Norlan Machado. He is scheduled to stand trial April 20 on five counts of oral copulation and two counts of sexual battery, allegedly involving the two male patients at homes in Orange County.

The problems for the Machado Family Homes began in May, when the Development Disabilities Center of Orange County, which places disabled adults in homes under contract with the state, began removing 34 patients from the homes because of allegations of neglect and abuse.

Machado Countersuit

The Machado family countered with a $13-million civil lawsuit against the DDC, in which it was alleged that the patients had been removed without proper permission from parents or guardians.

Edmond and Kathleen Peters of Las Vegas also filed a $10-million lawsuit against the DDC, alleging that the center had removed their son Scott, 22, from a home in Cypress without their permission.

Both lawsuits are pending, said attorney Ernest J. Franceschi Jr., who represents the Machado family and the Peters family, which later placed their son in the Torrance Machado facility.

Elaine Bamberg, executive director of the DDC, declined to comment Wednesday because of the pending civil litigation.

Franceschi said Wednesday the family maintains innocence but decided to compromise with state Social Services to avoid further costly legal expenses and prepare for the two civil lawsuits.

Social Services held several weeks of hearings last fall on the allegations against the Machado Family Homes.

“They (DDC officials) didn’t prove anything, and it is one reason they settled with the Machados . . . to save face,” Franceschi said.

The Machado homes in Torrance and Cerritos will operate for the next three years under probationary licenses. Without admitting guilt, the Machados agreed that:

- Norlan Machado will not visit either of the homes, as long as they are operated as facilities for the developmentally disabled.

- Maria Machado will not apply for three years to increase the capacity of the homes, which are licensed to care for 23 patients.

- Retarded women at the homes will receive birth control pills.

- Officials from the state Department of Social Services will be granted ready access to the homes for spot inspections and interviews.

“There are unannounced site visits mandated by state law at least once a year,” said Kathleen Norris, a Social Services spokeswoman.

“We are not expecting any problems, but with a probationary situation, we will be keeping track of it a little more stringently (than usual).”