The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office announced that Victor Simard has pleaded guilty to defrauding the MassHealth Personal Care Attendant (PCA) program while incarcerated for armed robbery and rape. Simard was sentenced to one year in state prison and three years of probation to begin after his current incarceration.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, Simard conspired with a MassHealth consumer, Jasmin Bryan of Haverhill, to submit false claims for PCA services that were never provided. In July 2024, both individuals were indicted by an Essex County Grand Jury in connection with the scheme.

Prosecutors allege that since September 12, 2019, Bryan submitted timesheets to MassHealth’s fiscal intermediary indicating that Simard provided PCA services during periods when he was incarcerated and therefore unable to deliver care. Investigators cited recorded jail phone calls in which both parties acknowledged the fraudulent submissions and their financial benefit from the scheme.

MassHealth allegedly paid Bryan and Simard more than $157,000 for PCA services that were never rendered.

On June 25, 2025, Simard pleaded guilty in Essex Superior Court to one count of Medicaid False Claims and one count of Larceny Over $1,200 by False Pretenses. In addition to his prison sentence, Simard was ordered to pay restitution and prohibited from engaging in any work related to the PCA program or with elderly or disabled individuals.

The Attorney General’s Office previously announced that Bryan pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year in a House of Correction, followed by 18 months of probation to begin after incarceration.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Heidi Gosule and Investigator Emily Hunt of the AGO’s Medicaid Fraud Division, with substantial assistance from the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and MassHealth.

Policy & Context

The MassHealth Personal Care Attendant (PCA) program is a cornerstone of Massachusetts’ home- and community-based care system, enabling individuals with chronic or long-term disabilities to live independently by receiving medically necessary assistance with activities of daily living. Services are delivered through consumer-directed care and paid by MassHealth via a fiscal intermediary.

Cases like this underscore the importance of program integrity measures, including verification processes, audits, and enforcement. Fraud diverts public resources, undermines trust in community-based care models, and places additional scrutiny on programs serving vulnerable populations.

This matter also reflects the Attorney General’s broader commitment to combating MassHealth fraud. In recent months, the AGO has announced multiple prosecutions involving false PCA claims, including cases totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars in improper billing.

As Massachusetts continues to examine oversight, accountability, and regulatory frameworks across home- and community-based care, enforcement actions reinforce the need to balance access to services with safeguards that protect public funds and ensure care is delivered safely, ethically, and as intended.

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