Woman steals nurse's identity to work in St. Louis hospital's ICU

A 36-year-old woman pleaded guilty Oct. 19 in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to healthcare fraud and identity theft after she lied about her nursing credentials to work at a St. Louis hospital and teach nursing at a New Mexico college, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Samantha Rivera first pretended to be a nurse in 2015, when she lied on her resume to get a job teaching nursing at Brown Mackie College in Albuquerque, N.M. Although the college could not verify details she provided, including her education and employment history, the school did not notify the state's nursing board that Ms. Rivera was posing as a nurse.

In September 2016, Ms. Rivera secured a job at St. Alexius Hospital in St. Louis by using the name and license number of a New Mexico nurse with a similar name to apply for a job through a staffing agency. On the application, she also falsely claimed to have a bachelor's degree in nursing and experience working at a New Mexico hospital, according to the report.

Ms. Rivera worked as a nurse in St. Alexius Hospital's intensive care unit and a geriatric psych ward, but her contract was not extended in February. She then applied for a job through a Chicago staffing agency, which discovered her nursing license and resume were fraudulent.

Ms. Rivera is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 17 and faces up to 16 months in federal prison, according to the report.   

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