‘Nurse’ used stolen license to trick Indiana care homes into hiring her, feds say

Using a stolen Social Security number, an Indiana woman applied for five jobs with nursing homes and assisted living facilities, according to federal authorities. In some of those applications, she also used someone else’s Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) number, officials said.

The woman did not have a nursing license, authorities said, but she tricked employers into hiring her.

Now, the 49-year-old from Indianapolis has been indicted on five counts of Social Security number fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of Social Security disability benefits fraud.

Her defense attorney was not listed in public court records as of May 31.

Authorities said the woman applied for the jobs using a stolen Social Security number between Feb. 26, 2020, and March 23, 2022.

“She was receiving Social Security disability insurance benefits under her true Social Security number, and she knew that those benefits would be reduced or eliminated if the Social Security Administration found out she had a job,” according to a May 31 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana. “Additionally, (she) knew that she might not be able to pass an employment background check if she applied to a health care facility using her true Social Security number.”

Four positions she applied for were LPN openings, authorities said, though she never received her nursing license in Indiana.

She was hired to work as an LPN at an Indianapolis-area facility from about January 2021 through April 2021, then at a second facility from about May 2021 through November 2021, according to the release.

She also worked as a memory care program coordinator from about February 2020 to April 2020, officials said.

Authorities said she did not include the income she received from those jobs in her Work Activity Reports to the Social Security Administration. She has received almost $55,000 in Social Security disability benefits using her actual identity, according to the release.

A jury trial is scheduled for July 31, records show.

This story was originally published May 31, 2023 at 1:52 PM with the headline "‘Nurse’ used stolen license to trick Indiana care homes into hiring her, feds say."