Cheshire Nurse Accused Of Selling Prescriptions In Fraud Scheme: Feds

CHESHIRE, CT — A Cheshire nurse faces federal charges in connection with selling prescription drugs, according to authorities.

Michele Rene Luzzi Muzyka, 60, of Cheshire, was arrested June 23 on a federal criminal complaint charging her with unlawful distribution of controlled substances and making false statements in connection with health care matters.

The complaint accuses Muzyka, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), of unlawfully distributing “amphetamines and benzodiazepines to individuals who did not have a legitimate medical need,” according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Connecticut.

“Muzyka charged patients $200 in cash for visits in which she prescribed Schedule II and IV controlled substances, including to an undercover agent who posed as a Medicaid beneficiary,” officials wrote in the news release. “Muzyka declined to accept the undercover agent’s Medicaid plan and instead charged her $200 cash fee. Medicaid paid $257.58 for the unlawful prescriptions written for the undercover agent.”

The arrest was announced Monday by the U.S. Department of Justice along with the results of its 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, dubbed “Operation Gold Rush,” that officials said resulted in “criminal charges against 324 defendants, including 96 doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other licensed medical professionals, in 50 federal districts and 12 State Attorneys General’s Offices across the United States, for their alleged participation in various health care fraud schemes involving over $14.6 billion in intended loss,” according to a news release.

Read more about the national takedown operation here.