A Raleigh nurse is sidelined from practicing in North Carolina after Connecticut prosecutors charged her in what they say was a fake-credentials Medicaid scheme that put at least one patient at serious risk. State and criminal filings describe a West Hartford staffing agency and an untrained worker who allegedly carried out nursing tasks across dozens of group-home locations.
Charges filed in Connecticut
According to a press release from the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice, 71-year-old Karen L. Wurst was charged on Dec. 22, 2025, with health-insurance fraud, conspiracy, first-degree larceny, identity theft and 18 counts of violating licensing requirements. Prosecutors say 48-year-old Suzean Langan of Manchester was charged on Jan. 12, 2026, with assault of a disabled person and related offenses tied to the same alleged scheme. The division notes that some charges are B-felonies that carry substantial prison exposure, while the licensing counts are classified as D-felonies.
NC board moves to suspend license
The North Carolina Board of Nursing this month summarily suspended Wurst's multistate registered nurse license after finding she denied having pending criminal charges on a January renewal application, according to The Charlotte Observer. The board's May 18 order says the temporary suspension will stay in place while officials investigate the Connecticut allegations. The order also notes Wurst has held a North Carolina license since 2014.
The alleged scheme and patient harm
Prosecutors allege Wurst operated NurseSpan LLC out of West Hartford and used another nurse's identification number to create bogus credentials for Langan, who then posed as a licensed practical nurse at 18 facilities between June 2022 and March 2023, per the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice. Investigators say Langan administered medications and even performed a gastronomy (G-tube) procedure that led to choking, vomiting, loss of consciousness and aspiration pneumonia in one patient. Wurst allegedly billed facilities $133,682.75 for services that qualified for Medicaid reimbursement. Local reporting indicates the scheme surfaced after a group-home patient died and that provider Oak Hill later cut ties with the staffing agency, as reported by CT Insider.
Oversight and upcoming hearings
The North Carolina Board of Nursing has listed Wurst on its May 20 administrative hearings agenda, signaling the state is conducting its own review of whether she should be allowed to keep her license. After that hearing, the board could decide to make the current suspension permanent. The agenda entry is available through the North Carolina Board of Nursing.
What happens next
Wurst was released on a $75,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court on Feb. 18, 2026; Langan was also released on bond and had an earlier court date, according to The Charlotte Observer. The charges remain accusations, and both women are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.
