The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office announced on Mar. 6 that Luzia Wade, a 45-year-old resident of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, pleaded guilty in Worcester Superior Court to charges related to the theft of more than $220,000 from the Donna Kay Rest Home and its elderly residents. Wade received a suspended sentence of two and a half years in the House of Correction for five years and was ordered to pay restitution totaling $220,948. She is also prohibited from contacting victims or the rest home and from working in healthcare or with people over age 60.
Wade was indicted in June 2024 on multiple charges including larceny over $250 from persons aged 60 or older or disabled, larceny over $1,200, forgery, false entry in corporate books, and tax evasion. According to the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), between June 2018 and May 2021, Wade deposited at least $220,000 belonging to the rest home and more than 40 residents into her personal accounts. The AGO said she forged signatures and failed to report this money as income on her Massachusetts tax returns. The stolen funds were allegedly spent on personal luxury items.
The AGO said this case reflects its ongoing efforts to address elder justice issues and hold accountable those who abuse positions of trust through financial exploitation or neglect. In December 2025, indictments were secured against two Norfolk County residents for failing to care properly for an elderly patient while billing MassHealth for unprovided services. In September 2025, another defendant in Worcester pleaded guilty and received a state prison sentence for orchestrating a MassHealth fraud scheme involving theft of personal information from vulnerable individuals.
The investigation involved Senior Trial Counsel Elisha Willis; Assistant Attorney General Molly Mahan; Senior Healthcare Fraud Investigators Mirlinda Sejdiu and Vanessa Asiatidis; Investigations Supervisor Dean Bates; Joe Shea; and Victim Witness Advocate Ceara Jondoh—all part of the AGO’s Medicaid Fraud Division—as well as assistance from Donna Kay Rest Home staff, the Department of Public Health, and the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.
The Medicaid Fraud Division is certified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to investigate health care provider fraud against MassHealth as well as abuse or exploitation complaints involving long-term care facility residents or Medicaid patients. Individuals can file complaints about MassHealth fraud or report abuse via the AGO’s website.
For federal fiscal year 2026, the division receives three-quarters of its funding—$6.46 million—from federal sources with the remaining quarter—$2.15 million—funded by Massachusetts.
