A Texas woman is being accused of impersonating a nurse and providing care through several home health companies in the Laredo area.
Nora Neely Avila was arrested Monday on charges of making false statements related to health care matters and aggravated identity theft, the Justice Department said. Prosecutors said she impersonated a nurse from January 2017 to December 2019.
Prosecutors said he provided care through the federally funded Medicaid and Medicare programs. The Justice Department said she also obtained employment as a nurse instructor in the federally funded Job Corps program and was tasked with training future nurses.
She was previously listed on the fraudsters registry by the Texas Board of Nursing. The Texas Board of Nursing said she practiced as a registered nurse by using the license number of another nurse with the same first and last name.
Texas Board of Nursing has listed about two dozen people calling themselves nurses.
The Justice Department says if convicted, Avila could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
To become a registered nurse in Texas, one must graduate from an approved licensed practical nurse/vocational nurse or registered nurse program, take the appropriate US examination, and have either worked in nursing or taken the US NCLEX exam in the past. Have given. Four years before application, the Texas Board of Nursing said.
There are over 231,000 registered nurses in the state of Texas, According to state data.