A Leominster woman has pleaded guilty to stealing thousands of dollars from elderly residents across Worcester and Middlesex counties while posing as a professional caregiver, according to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
Regina Henaku, 33, admitted to using stolen identities and professional credentials to get hired at multiple health care agencies and long-term care facilities, where she stole the bank cards of at least 16 elderly victims. The AG’s office said she used cards from 11 of those victims to make about $28,000 in fraudulent purchases and attempted to steal from the others.
Henaku pleaded guilty on Oct. 14 in Middlesex Superior Court to charges including larceny over $250 from an elder or disabled person, credit card fraud, attempted larceny, identity fraud, and witness intimidation.
She was sentenced to two years in the House of Correction, with one year to serve and the rest suspended for two years. Henaku was also barred from working in any job involving the elderly, disabled, or health care, and was ordered to pay remaining restitution to victims, the AG’s office said.
Investigators said Henaku used stolen identities of a relative and a former co-worker to get temporary jobs at facilities in Framingham, Bedford, Hudson, and Leominster between August and November 2024. She allegedly stayed at each facility for only a few weeks before moving on.
While under investigation by local police, Henaku also misled officers about her identity by posing as a relative, according to the AG’s office.
The case was handled by Assistant Attorney General Joanna V. Staley and Senior Healthcare Fraud Investigator Erica Schlain of the AG’s Medicaid Fraud Division, with help from several local police departments and the affected health care agencies.
The division investigates and prosecutes health care fraud and financial exploitation of Medicaid patients and long-term care residents.
