A Michigan woman pleaded guilty to using another person's identity to gain employment as a nurse and making false statements related to healthcare matters, a Nov. 7 Justice Department press release said.
Leticia Gallarzo, 48, 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.
Ms. Gallarzo pleaded guilty to making a false statement in a medical record affecting a healthcare benefit program and aggravated identity theft. She is facing up to seven years in prison. The court has not yet scheduled her sentencing date.