Stolen $140K Allegedly Spent at Casinos, Wisconsin Home Care Worker Sentenced

A WI home-care financial aid spent nearly $140,000 at gaming properties from money she allegedly stole from an elderly woman. The defendant recently was sentenced to 18 months of incarceration. She also must pay off indorse almost $303,000 to the 70-year-old victim.

Kassie A. Wujkowski, 29, of Arbor Vitae will also live placed on extended oversight for 18.5 years after she is released from confinement. The condemn was issued after Wujkowski pled hangdog finally month to 2 counts of theft greater than $10,000.

A body politic investigation revealed that betwixt Oct 2017 and October 2019 Wujkowski completed 1,324 financial transactions using the victim’s course credit cards. They totaled $313,774.

Wujkowski also paid herself and her folk over $80,000, prosecutors claim. Wujkowski’s salary was supposed to follow $1,250 a month.

She also allegedly used over $20,000 of the money to pay off her own credit identity card bills. In total, over $400,000 was stolen from the victim, prosecutors add.

Elder Fraud Growing Problem

Elder fraudulence and victimization is a growing problem, with an estimated $77.8 billion lost annually in Wisconsin,” Badger State Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a recent statement. “It is also a immensely underreported crime.”

Suspected sr. insult in Wisconsin tin can live reported at www.ReportElderAbuseWI.org or by calling 1-833-586-0107.

The Wujkowski example was investigated by the Badger State Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigations (DCI). It was prosecuted past the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office.

Across the country, inward October, a CT lawmaker was arrested on a federal wire put-on charge. He allegedly stole to a greater extent than $600,000 to monetary fund his gaming excursions.

Connecticut Rep. Michael DiMassa (D-West Haven) recently appeared before US District Margaret Court Judge Sarah Merriam before beingness released on $250,000 bail. His next judicature appearing is on March 10.

Under the scheme, DiMassa formed an entity called Compass Investment Group LLC, and allegedly used the companion to slip COVID-19 relief monetary resource from the metropolis of Rebecca West Haven. In improver to being a tell lawmaker, DiMassa has been a Benjamin West Haven urban center employee for 12 years, and was the administrative help to the West Haven City Council.

In that role, DiMassa likely had memory access to the $1.2 gazillion inwards COVID-19 ministration money the US governing supplied the Constitution State town through the CARES Act, prosecutors said.

Defendant Allegedly Used Money at Mohegan Sun

DiMassa made numerous withdrawals from Compass. Much of that money went toward his gambling trips to the Mohegan Sun tribal gambling casino inwards Eastern Connecticut, prosecutors add.

He often visited Mohegan Sun where he allegedly purchased big amounts of gaming chips. In May alone, he allegedly purchased $57,600 inward casino chips.