Leticia Gallarzo, 48, allegedly used the Michigan licensing number and name of a licensed nurse to gain employment at a hospice facility. She also told the facility she had earned a master’s degree in nursing, which was untrue, according to an Aug. 2 Justice Department press release. The facility discovered Ms. Gallarzo was a “nurse imposter” when her fingerprints matched records indicating she had two previous state and federal convictions for practicing nursing without a license in Texas in 2015 and 2016.
She was indicted on charges of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, making false statements in medical records affecting healthcare benefit programs as well as production of a false identification document. If convicted, she could face 20 years in federal prison.
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