April 27, 2023 -Springfield- After a trial before a Hampden County Superior Court judge, on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 Mihail Lujan, 37, of West Springfield, was sentenced to 10-12 years in state prison for a 2013 sexual assault at a nursing home in West Springfield. It is expected that the defendant will be detained by the federal government for deportation proceedings after he serves the aforementioned sentence in this case.

Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni stated,  “Acts of violence and sexual assault on our most vulnerable citizens will be met with our most diligent efforts to protect them and punish those who commit these heinous acts. I thank the West Springfield Police Department for their professional investigation of this case, and Assistant District Attorney Matthew Green for his skillful work and steadfast effort to secure justice.”

The victim, who was in a long term care facility, had been put to bed by a nurse. The nurse left the curtain open to be able to see the victim from the hall. When looking into the room the nurse noticed the curtain had been closed and went to check on the victim. The nurse discovered Mihail Lujan behind the curtain with the victim in a state of undress.

The nurse did not recognize the defendant as he was part of contracted cleaning crew. The nurse did report what she witnessed and the West Springfield Police Department was called. Responding detectives begin an investigation which included sending the victim to Baystate Medical Center for an evaluation. Based upon their investigation, probable cause was developed and the defendant was charged with rape.

Mihail Lujan was indicted by a Hampden County Grand Jury on April 30, 2013. At the time of the offense, investigators learned Lujan had recently emigrated to the United States. During the course of the prosecution the Massachusetts Appeals Court upheld a judge’s ruling that statements made by the defendant after his arrest were inadmissible because of the use of an inappropriate interpreter. The appeals process and the Trial Court’s difficulty in finding a proper interpreter for various hearings and the trial caused significant delays in moving the case.

Assistant District Attorney Matthew Green represented The Commonwealth in this case.