A Connecticut woman who was allegedly impersonating a licensed nurse and performing unauthorized procedures and the woman who owned the staffing agency that hired her have been arrested on multiple charges,
Karen Wurst, 71, of Raleigh, North Carolina, was charged on Dec. 22, 2025 with health insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit health insurance fraud, first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community, conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community, first-degree identity theft, conspiracy to commit first-degree identity theft, 18 counts of violation of licensing requirements and 18 counts of conspiracy to commit violation of licensing requirements, according to a release from the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice.
Suzean Langan, 48, of Manchester, was charged Monday with first-degree assault of a disabled person, health insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit health insurance fraud, first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community, conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community, first-degree identity theft, conspiracy to commit first-degree identity theft, 18 counts of violation of licensing requirements and 18 counts of conspiracy to commit violation of licensing requirements, the DCJ said.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Wurst owned NurseSpan, LLC, a nursing staffing agency located in West Hartford. The agency reportedly hires nurses and aides to supplement staff at facilities around 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 from June 2022 to March 2023,” officials allege. “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.”
According to court records, Langan was expected to administer medicine, care for medically complex and fragile individuals and complete of medical records. Wurst then allegedly billed the facilities $133,682.75 for Medicaid 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,” officials allege. “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 Feb. 18. Langan was released on two $50,000 bonds and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court on Jan. 23, according to the DCJ.
The charges of first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community, health insurance fraud, first-degree identity theft and conspiracy to commit first-degree identity theft are considered Class B felonies that are punishable by up to 20 years in prison, as is assault on a disabled person, which has a five-year mandatory minimum sentence. The charges of violation of licensing requirements and conspiracy to commit violation of licensing requirements are Class D felonies and carry up to five years in prison.
The case was investigated 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 DCJ release said.