(Rocky Hill, CT) - Two women have been arrested and charged in connection with a scheme to defraud the Medicaid program by impersonating a licensed nurse and assaulting a disabled individual.
Karen Wurst, age 71, of Raleigh, North Carolina, and owner of NurseSpan, LLC, was charged on December 22, 2025 with Health Insurance Fraud, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53-442, Conspiracy to Commit Health Insurance Fraud, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-48 and § 53-442, Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-122(a)(3), Conspiracy to Commit Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-48 and § 53a-122(a)(3), Identity Theft in the First Degree, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-129b, Conspiracy to Commit Identity Theft in the First Degree, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-48 and § 53a-129b, 18 counts of Violation of Licensing Requirements, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 20-102 and 18 counts of Conspiracy to Commit Violation of Licensing Requirements, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-48 and § 20-102.
Suzean Langan, age 48, of Manchester, was charged on January 12, 2026 with Assault in the First Degree of a Disabled Person, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-59a, Health Insurance Fraud, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53-442, Conspiracy to Commit Health Insurance Fraud, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-48 and § 53-442, Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-122(a)(3), Conspiracy to Commit Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-48 and § 53a-122(a)(3), Identity Theft in the First Degree, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53-129b, Conspiracy to Commit Identity Theft in the First Degree, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-48 and § 53a-129b, 18 counts of Violation of Licensing Requirements, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 20-102 and 18 counts of Conspiracy to Commit Violation of Licensing Requirements, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-48 and § 20-102.
Authorities allege that the defendants conspired to misrepresent nursing qualifications, placing patients at significant risk. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Wurst ran a nursing staffing agency, called NurseSpan, LLC, located in West Hartford, which hires nurses and aides to supplement staff at certain facilities around the state of Connecticut. While running NurseSpan, LLC, Wurst used the nursing identification number of a nurse, without that nurse’s permission, to fabricate the credentials of Langan, who made herself out to be a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) from June 2022 to March 2023. Langan was then sent to multiple facilities, 18 in total, identifying herself and acting as a LPN, even though she did not attend nursing school, was never trained, and never obtained a nursing license. Langan’s behavior included medicine administration and care for medically complex and fragile individuals and completion of medical records. Wurst then billed the facilities $133,682.75 for Medicaid qualified services. In one instance, investigators said Langan performed a medical procedure on a Medicaid recipient involving the operation of a gastronomy tube (G-tube), a device that delivers fluids and medication directly into the patient’s stomach. During this unauthorized procedure, the patient suffered severe complications, including choking, vomiting, loss of consciousness, and aspiration pneumonia.
Wurst was released on a $75,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court, on February 18, 2026. Langan was released on two $50,000 bonds and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court on January 23, 2026. The charges are merely accusations, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community, Health Insurance Fraud, Identity Theft in the First Degree and Conspiracy to Commit Identity Theft in the First Degree are classified as B felonies and punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Assault in the First Degree on a Disabled Person is also a B felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, with a five-year mandatory minimum sentence. Violation of Licensing Requirements and Conspiracy to Commit Violation of Licensing Requirements are classified as D felonies and punishable by up to five years in prison.
The case was investigated and will be prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The Unit is grateful for the assistance of the State Department of Developmental Services and the Newington Police Department.
The Connecticut Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $2,612,588 for the fiscal year of October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $870,858 for the same fiscal year, is funded by the State of Connecticut.
Anyone with knowledge of suspected fraud or abuse in the public healthcare system is asked to contact the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney at (860) 258-5986.