AG Secures Guilty Plea for Stealing Over $220,000 from Rest Home
Summary
The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office announced a guilty plea from Luzia Wade for stealing over $220,000 from a Worcester rest home and its elderly residents. Wade was sentenced to a suspended jail term and ordered to pay restitution and cease working with the elderly.
What changed
The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office (AGO) has secured a guilty plea from Luzia Wade, who was charged with stealing more than $220,000 from the Donna Kay Rest Home and over 40 of its elderly residents. Wade pleaded guilty to larceny, forgery, false entry in corporate books, and tax evasion charges. She was sentenced to two and a half years in the House of Correction, suspended for five years, and ordered to pay $220,948 in restitution.
This case highlights the AGO's commitment to elder justice. Regulated entities, particularly those in healthcare and elder care services, should review their internal controls and employee vetting processes to prevent financial exploitation of vulnerable populations. Wade is prohibited from future healthcare work or work with individuals over 60, and must have no contact with the victims or the rest home. The charges stem from a scheme that occurred between June 2018 and May 2021.
What to do next
- Review internal controls for financial transactions involving vulnerable populations.
- Enhance employee background checks for roles involving elder care.
- Ensure accurate reporting of all income for tax purposes.
Penalties
Two and a half years in the House of Correction, suspended for five years; restitution of $220,948; prohibition from future healthcare work or work with individuals over 60.
Source document (simplified)
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News
News AG’s Office Secures Guilty Plea, Suspended Sentence And Restitution From Rhode Island Resident Who Stole More Than $220,000 From Worcester Rest Home And Its Elderly Residents
Defendant Sentenced to Two and a Half Years in the House of Correction, Suspended for Five Years; Ordered to Pay Restitution and Cease Work with Elderly
3/06/2026
- Office of the Attorney General
Media Contact
Kennedy Sims, Deputy Press Secretary
Phone
Call Kennedy Sims, Deputy Press Secretary at (617) 727-2543
Online
Email Kennedy Sims, Deputy Press Secretary at Kennedy.Sims@mass.gov
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO) announced today that Luzia Wade, 45, of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, pleaded guilty in Worcester Superior Court to charges related to a scheme to steal more than $220,000 from the Donna Kay Rest Home, located in Worcester, and its elderly residents. Wade was sentenced to two and a half years in the House of Correction, suspended for five years. In addition, Wade was ordered to pay restitution, the total of which is $220,948, have no contact with the victims or the Donna Kay Rest Home, and refrain from any future healthcare work or work with people over the age of 60.
In June 2024, Wade was indicted on four counts of Larceny Over $250 from a Person 60 Years or Older or Disabled, four counts of Larceny Over $1,200, two counts of Forgery, one count of False Entry in Corporate Books, and one count of Tax Evasion.
According to the AGO, between June 2018 and May 2021, Wade deposited at least $220,000 of funds belonging to the Donna Kay Rest Home and over 40 of its residents into her personal bank accounts. Additionally, Wade forged resident signatures and failed to report the money as income in her Massachusetts tax returns. The AGO alleges that Wade spent the stolen money on personal items, including purchases at Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Burberry.
This matter is representative of the AGO’s commitment to advance elder justice and hold accountable those who misuse roles of authority or public trust including through elder abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation. In December 2025, the AGO secured indictments against two Norfolk County residents for failing to properly care for an elderly patient, resulting in serious bodily injury, all while billing MassHealth for services not provided to her. In September 2025, the AGO secured a guilty plea and state prison sentence of up to three years from a defendant in Worcester who orchestrated a widespread MassHealth fraud scheme involving the stealing of personal information from disabled, elderly, and unhoused individuals to bill for false PCA and home health services.
This matter was handled by Senior Trial Counsel Elisha Willis, Assistant Attorney General Molly Mahan, Senior Healthcare Fraud Investigators Mirlinda Sejdiu and Vanessa Asiatidis, with assistance from Investigations Supervisor Dean Bates and Joe Shea, all of the AGO’s Medicaid Fraud Division, and Victim Witness Advocate Ceara Jondoh of the AG’s Victim Services Division. Donna Kay Rest Home, the Department of Public Health, and the Massachusetts Department of Revenue provided assistance during the investigation.
The AGO’s Medicaid Fraud Division is a Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, annually certified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to investigate and prosecute health care providers who defraud the state’s Medicaid program, MassHealth. The Medicaid Fraud Division also has jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute complaints of abuse, neglect and financial exploitation of residents in long-term care facilities and of Medicaid patients in any health care setting. Individuals may file a MassHealth fraud complaint or report cases of abuse or neglect of Medicaid patients or long-term care residents by visiting the AGO’s website.
The Massachusetts Medicaid Fraud Division receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $6,458,176 for federal fiscal year 2026. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $2,152,724 for FY 2026, is funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Media Contact
Kennedy Sims, Deputy Press Secretary
+
Phone
Call Kennedy Sims, Deputy Press Secretary at (617) 727-2543
Online
Email Kennedy Sims, Deputy Press Secretary at Kennedy.Sims@mass.gov
Office of the Attorney General
The Attorney General is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Media Contact
Kennedy Sims, Deputy Press Secretary
Phone
Call Kennedy Sims, Deputy Press Secretary at (617) 727-2543
Online
Email Kennedy Sims, Deputy Press Secretary at Kennedy.Sims@mass.gov
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