Lithonia Woman Sentenced for Operating Filthy Unlicensed Care Home for Disabled Adults

A Lithonia woman has been convicted and sentenced after operating an unlicensed care home where disabled adults were found living in deplorable and dangerous conditions.

On Thursday, October 3, 2025, a DeKalb County jury found Crystal Nasir, 43, guilty of Deprivation of Essential Services to Disabled Adults and Exploitation of a Disabled Adult. The charges stem from a January 2022 investigation into the shocking state of the home Nasir owned and operated on Castle Downs Trace in Lithonia.

The case began when a 38-year-old disabled man called police on December 28, 2021, to report that he and several others were living in “terrible conditions.” The man told investigators he stayed in the basement without heat or air conditioning and that the area was covered in sewage from an overflowing toilet. He also said he hadn’t received his prescription medication for an extended period.

On January 4, 2022, officers with the DeKalb County Police Department executed a search warrant at the home. What they found was described as horrifying. Dog feces and dirt were smeared across floors, walls, and stairs. The home reeked of waste, and residents were walking around barefoot or in shoes caked with feces.

Inside the bedrooms, investigators discovered residents sleeping on bare or soiled mattresses. Some rooms were covered in mold, and one had a severe bedbug infestation. In the basement, the situation was even worse—standing water on the floors, no heat, mold on the walls, a rat infestation, and a nonfunctional bathroom that had overflowed with raw sewage. Investigators reported that the basement temperature matched the cold weather outside, and residents were sleeping on the floor or under thin blankets. One resident said the basement had been in that condition for months and even provided photos showing it had been worse just a week earlier.

Nasir, who lived in the same house, kept her personal room and bathroom clean. Investigators found the residents’ medications, financial records, mail, and personal documents stored in her bedroom and home office. Five disabled adults were found living in the home, all of whom were paying to stay there. One 44-year-old woman with significant mental health challenges was forced to cook and clean daily for the others without pay.

Prosecutors said Nasir profited from exploiting vulnerable residents who were unable to care for themselves. “The conditions were unfit for any human being,” District Attorney Sherry Boston said in a statement. “These individuals were neglected and taken advantage of by someone who was supposed to help them.”

Immediately after the verdict, Judge Gregory A. Adams sentenced Nasir to 15 years, with 10 to serve in prison and the remainder on probation.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Laura Alford of the Crimes Against Elder Persons and Adults with Disabilities Unit, with support from Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Franklin Engram, Investigator Charles Maupin, and Victim Advocate Tina Williamson. Former DeKalb County Police Detective Aria Lynch, now a DA’s Office investigator, led the initial investigation.