Two women have been arrested and charged in connection with a scheme to defraud the Medicaid program by impersonating a licensed nurse and assaulting a disabled individual, according to an announcement released January 15, 2026, by the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice.
Defendant 1, age 71, of Raleigh, North Carolina, was arrested on December 22, 2025. She faces multiple felony charges related to health insurance fraud, larceny, identity theft, and violations of nursing licensing requirements, including conspiracy counts and 18 alleged violations tied to improper nurse credentialing.
Defendant 2, age 48, of Manchester, Connecticut, was arrested on January 12, 2026. In addition to facing the same fraud, larceny, identity theft, and licensing-related charges as Defendant 1, she was also charged with Assault in the First Degree of a Disabled Person.
According to authorities, the defendants conspired to misrepresent nursing qualifications, placing patients at significant risk. Arrest warrant affidavits allege that Defendant 1 operated a nursing staffing agency based in West Hartford that supplied nurses and aides to healthcare facilities throughout Connecticut. While running the agency, Defendant 1 allegedly used the nursing identification number of a licensed nurse, without that nurse’s knowledge or permission, to fabricate credentials for Defendant 2.
From June 2022 through March 2023, Defendant 2 allegedly presented herself as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) despite never attending nursing school, receiving nursing training, or obtaining a nursing license. During that time, she was placed at 18 healthcare facilities, where she reportedly administered medications, provided care to medically complex and fragile individuals, and completed medical records.
Investigators allege that Defendant 1 billed healthcare facilities a total of $133,682.75 for Medicaid-qualified services performed by Defendant 2. In one incident cited by investigators, Defendant 2 allegedly performed a medical procedure involving the operation of a gastrostomy tube (G-tube) on a Medicaid recipient. Authorities state that the unauthorized procedure resulted in severe complications, including choking, vomiting, loss of consciousness, and aspiration pneumonia.
Compliance Perspective
Issue
Healthcare facilities are responsible for ensuring that all individuals providing clinical care are properly licensed, qualified, and authorized to perform their assigned duties. Failures in credential verification, oversight, or monitoring can allow unqualified individuals to work in patient care roles, increasing the risk of patient harm, regulatory noncompliance, and financial liability. To mitigate these risks, facilities must maintain clear policies, provide appropriate staff education, and implement routine oversight mechanisms to verify licensure, monitor compliance, and promptly address identified gaps.
Discussion Points
- Review facility policies and procedures related to employee credentialing, licensure verification, identity validation, and assignment of clinical duties. Policies should clearly define verification requirements at hire, ongoing monitoring expectations, and escalation steps when discrepancies or concerns are identified. Facilities may consider working with an experienced healthcare compliance consultant to review existing processes, conduct focused assessments, and ensure policies align with current regulatory expectations and industry best practices.
- Provide ongoing education to appropriate staff on licensure requirements, scope of practice limitations, and proper role assignment. Training should reinforce recognition of red flags, documentation standards, and internal reporting responsibilities. Med-Net Academy offers the course Staying on Top of Employee Checks, which reviews important topics such as the OIG Exclusion List, the List of Debarred Contractors, key tips for licensing and certification verification, and background screening procedures.
- Conduct routine audits of personnel files, licensure documentation, and credential verification records to confirm that information is accurate, current, and complete. Audits should evaluate whether verification steps were performed as required and whether follow-up actions were documented when issues arose. Facilities may benefit from engaging external reviewers or mock survey resources to provide an objective evaluation of credentialing and oversight practices, identify vulnerabilities, and support corrective actions through improvement plans.
*This news alert has been prepared by Med-Net Concepts, Inc. for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice.*