News Briefs: November 13, 2023

A Michigan woman has pleaded guilty in connection with a nurse imposter scheme, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan said Sept. 7.[1] Leticia Gallarzo, 49, of Allegan County, pleaded guilty to making a false statement in a medical record affecting a health care benefit program and aggravated identity theft. According to court documents, when Gallarzo applied for a job at a nursing facility, she pretended she was a licensed registered nurse and had finished a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Davenport University. “When transmitting her application to the prospective employer over the internet through Indeed.com, Gallarzo used the means of identification of someone that she knew to be an actual licensed registered nurse in the state of Michigan,” the U.S. attorney’s office said. “After obtaining employment as a nurse, Gallarzo evaluated and assessed elderly nursing home patients and falsely signed electronic medical records as a licensed registered nurse. These false statements were related to Medicare, a health care benefit program, because the nursing home relied on Gallarzo’s status as a licensed registered nurse to meet certain Medicare regulations for participation in and billing of Medicare.”

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