Press Release  AG Campbell Secures Indictments Against Lawrence Woman For Manslaughter, Caretaker Neglect, And Fraud Following Husband's Death

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO) announced that Judit Diaz de Vargas, 49, of Lawrence, has been indicted by an Essex County Grand Jury on charges related to the significant neglect of her husband, ultimately leading to his death. The AGO also alleges that Vargas lied about her relationship to her husband to become his Personal Care Attendant (PCA) and collect payments from MassHealth. 

Vargas is charged with one count of Involuntary Manslaughter, Caretaker Neglect Causing Serious Bodily Injury, Caretaker Neglect Permitting Abuse or Neglect on an Elder, Medicaid False Claims, and Larceny by False Pretenses over $1,200. She was arraigned in Essex Superior Court on September 25, 2026, and her bail was set at $15,000. She was ordered not to work with the PCA program or any other MassHealth program, not work or volunteer with the disabled and elderly community, surrender her passport, and not to travel outside the Commonwealth without permission. 

MassHealth’s PCA program helps individuals with chronic or long-term disabilities live independently in their community by providing medically necessary physical assistance with personal care needs. Through the PCA program, eligible MassHealth members employ PCAs to assist them with their activities of daily living. 

The AGO alleges that Vargas applied to be her husband’s PCA in April 2023, listing herself as her husband’s “ex-daughter-in-law" after being told that MassHealth regulations prevent spouses from serving as PCAs. Between April 2023 and November 2025, MassHealth paid approximately $135,000 as a result of timesheets Vargas submitted for services she supposedly rendered to her husband.  

The AGO also alleges that in October 2025, Vargas’s husband was admitted to Lawrence General Hospital with more than ten pressure wounds, at least eight of which were unstageable, and extreme emaciation. Her husband died four days after being admitted to the hospital from sepsis due to infections of his necrotic wounds. 

The AGO’s Medicaid Fraud Division began investigating after receiving a referral from an adult protective services agency that had been contacted by the hospital during Vargas’s husband’s stay. Through medical records and conversations with medical workers and family members, the AGO alleges that Vargas’s husband’s wounds would not have progressed to the degree they did if Vargas had provided proper care.  

 All of the charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. This matter is representative of the AGO’s commitment to protecting elders from abuse and neglect. In July 2026, the AGO announced a $2.75 million settlement with Bear Mountain Healthcare resolving allegations that Bear Mountain knowingly understaffed its nursing homes, resulting in resident neglect. In April 2026, the AGO announced charges against an in-home caregiver for neglect and kidnapping associated with her alleged significant mistreatment of an elderly, intellectually disabled man. In December 2025, the AGO indicted a couple on neglect and fraud charges for failing to properly care for a family member, all while billing MassHealth for services not provided to her. In November 2024, the AGO announced indictments against three individuals accused of involuntary manslaughter, fraud, and neglect in connection to the inadequate care of an elderly victim, ultimately leading to her death. 

This matter is being handled by Managing Attorney Heidi Lyn Gosule, Assistant Attorney General Kimberly Ang, Senior Healthcare Fraud Investigator Mirlinda Sejdiu, Nurse Investigator Barbara Edwards, and Paralegal Erika Umana, all of the AGO’s Medicaid Fraud Division and Victim Witness Advocate Edith Ayuso of the AGO’s Victim Services Division. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General, Lawrence Police Department, State Police assigned to the Essex County District Attorney’s Office, and the Essex County District Attorney’s Office provided substantial assistance with the investigation.  

The AGO’s Medicaid Fraud Division is a Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, annually certified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to investigate and prosecute health care providers who defraud the state’s Medicaid program, MassHealth. The Medicaid Fraud Division also has jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute complaints of abuse, neglect and financial exploitation of residents in long-term care facilities and of Medicaid patients in any health care setting. Individuals may file a MassHealth fraud complaint or report cases of abuse or neglect of Medicaid patients or long-term care residents by visiting the AGO’s website.    

The Massachusetts Medicaid Fraud Division receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $6,458,176 for federal fiscal year 2026. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $2,152,724 for FY 2026, is funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.   

###