A Texas woman is being accused of impersonating a nurse and providing care through multiple home health companies in the Laredo area.
The Department of Justice said Nora Nely Avila was arrested on Monday on charges of making false statements related to health care matters and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors said she impersonated a nurse from January 2017 through December 2019.
Prosecutors said she provided care through federally funded Medicaid and Medicare programs. The Department of Justice said she even obtained employment as a nurse trainer in a federally funded Job Corps program and was assigned to train future nurses.
She was previously listed by the Texas Board of Nursing on its registry of imposters. The Texas Board of Nursing said she practiced as a registered nurse by using a license number belonging to another nurse with the same first and last name.
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The Texas Board of Nursing has listed nearly two dozen people posing as nurses.
The Department of Justice says Avila could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
In order to become a registered nurse in Texas, someone must graduate from an approved licensed practical nurse/vocational nurse or registered nurse program, take the appropriate U.S. exam, and have either worked in nursing or have taken the U.S. NCLEX exam sometime in the previous four years prior to the application, the Texas of Board of Nursing said.
The state of Texas has over 231,000 registered nurses, according to state data.
