Press Release  AG's Office Secures Indictments Against Worcester-Based Temporary Nurse Staffing Agency and Owner For Defrauding Nursing Homes And Putting Patients At Risk With Uncertified Aides

WORCESTER — The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO) today announced that a Worcester County Grand Jury has returned 13 indictments against Blooming Staffing Agency, Inc., a temporary nurse staffing agency; its owner, Catherine Kibe; and a former employee, Osaretin “Jerry” Osazee, for staffing nursing homes with uncertified individuals and fraudulently billing those facilities for services they provided. Blooming is charged with Larceny by False Pretenses Over $1,200, Larceny by False Pretenses under $1,200, and Attempted Larceny by False Pretenses. Kibe is charged with Larceny by False Pretenses Over $1,200, Larceny by False Pretenses under $1,200, Attempted Larceny by False Pretenses, and Identity Fraud. Osazee is charged with Attempted Larceny by False Pretenses and Identity Fraud. 

According to the AGO, Catherine Kibe, 46, of Worcester, has owned Blooming since 2020. Blooming contracts with and provides Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), and Registered Nurses (RNs) to numerous nursing homes in the Worcester area. Temporary nurse staffing agencies are regulated by the Department of Public Health (DPH) and are required to ensure that all medical personnel maintain current licenses, registrations, or certifications as applicable to their roles.  

The AGO alleges that Kibe knowingly allowed and/or instructed uncertified individuals to work as CNAs in nursing homes in the Worcester area, which puts patients at risk because uncertified aides do not have the requisite training to care for patients appropriately. Kibe then fraudulently billed these nursing homes for CNA staffing services by claiming that her uncertified employees were CNAs. Blooming billed and received over $300,000 for contracted CNA services that were not performed by actual CNAs.  

Jerry Osazee, 29, of Worcester, worked as an employee for Blooming between 2023-2024. During this time, he worked at nursing homes in the Worcester area, despite never obtaining a CNA certificate in Massachusetts. According to the AGO, Osazee knowingly impersonated a licensed CNA, a former employee of Blooming Staffing Agency, at the direction of Kibe.  

This matter is representative of the AGO’s commitment to curbing violations by temporary nurse staffing agencies and prioritizing the safety and well-being of elders. Since taking office, AG Campbell has recovered nearly $900,000 from temporary nurse staffing agencies as a result of five settlements to resolve allegations that they that failed to comply with DPH rate regulations. The AGO recently secured a guilty plea and jail sentence from a Leominster woman who posed as a caregiver and stole more than $28,000 from elderly victims in nursing facilities throughout Middlesex and Worcester counties.     

 These charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.  

 This case was investigated and prosecuted by Managing Attorney Katie Cooper Davis and Investigator Kevin Todd of the AGO’s Medicaid Fraud Division, with substantial assistance from the Shrewsbury Police Department, Board of Registration in Nursing, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and Worcester County District Attorney’s Office.  

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.

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