A woman posing as a nurse in Tennessee received more than four years in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud, healthcare fraud, identity theft and practicing nursing without a license, according to a Sept. 23 release from the Eastern District of Tennessee Justice Department.
Misty Dawn Bacon, 44, used the license numbers of real nurses with similar first names. She worked with at least eight healthcare providers between 2012 and 2018, including assisted living communities, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, a physician's office and home health agencies. She had no nursing degree, no state nursing licensure and no legitimate nursing experience, according to the release.
Ms. Bacon "created a serious risk of injury, and even death, to patients she was treating," according to Eastern District of Tennessee U.S. Assistant Attorney Mac Heavener III. At least one patient required re-admittance and a three-day hospital stay as a result of her treatment, the office said. Ms. Bacon reportedly performed procedures she was unqualified to perform, failed to perform needed procedures, failed to chart and document patient care, dispensed medications, and had access to private medical information, according to the news release.
Ms. Bacon received a 51-month prison sentence, to be followed by three years of supervised release.