For the Tomahawk Leader
RHINELANDER – A Vilas County woman was sentenced to 18 months in prison for stealing more than $400,000.00 from a 70-year-old individual she provided in-home care for, a release from the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) said.
Kassie A. Wujkowski, 29, of Arbor Vitae, will serve 18.5 years of extended supervision after her prison sentence. She was also ordered to pay $302,960.54 in restitution.
Wujkowski pleaded guilty to two counts of theft greater than $10,000.00 in Oneida County court on Nov. 30.
“According to the criminal complaint, between Oct. 2017 and Oct. 2019, Wujkowski made 1,324 transactions with the victim’s credit cards, totaling $313,774.00, of which nearly $140,000.00 was spent at casinos,” the release stated. “Wujkowski paid herself and her family over $80,000.00, despite Wujkowski’s salary only being $1,250.00 per month. Wujkowski also paid over $20,000.00 of her own credit card bills with the victim’s money.”
“Elder fraud and exploitation is a growing problem, with an estimated $77.8 million lost annually in Wisconsin,” Attorney General Kaul said in the release. “It is also a vastly underreported crime. Thank you to everyone at DOJ and the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office whose work ensured that the defendant is being held accountable.”
The case was investigated by the DOJ Division of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and prosecuted by the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office.
Anyone in Wisconsin can report suspected elder abuse at www.ReportElderAbuseWI.org or by calling 1-833-586-0107.