On January 30, 2025, Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced the sentencing of a 38-year-old woman for practicing nursing without a license. The defendant was sentenced to five years, suspended in favor of five years of probation. The first three years will be supervised by the Department of Parole and Probation.
During her probation, the judge ordered that the defendant refrain from practicing nursing unless properly licensed, be prohibited from caring for elderly or vulnerable adults, and be barred from working for any healthcare agency receiving state or federal funding.
In August 2023, the defendant misrepresented herself as a registered nurse to gain employment at a Maryland nursing home. She fraudulently used the credentials of a registered nurse in Pennsylvania with a similar name, and falsely claimed to have degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania State University—neither of which had any record of her attendance.
Between August 11 and August 29, 2023, the defendant worked nine shifts at the nursing home as a registered nurse supervisor. During this time, she administered medications, provided care to residents, and supervised other nurses and healthcare staff. By falsely claiming to be qualified, she caused Maryland Medicaid to pay $3,576.20 for services that were never rendered.
“Nursing licensure requirements ensure patients receive proper care from qualified professionals,” said Attorney General Brown. “When individuals pose as medical providers and practice without a license, they jeopardize the health and safety of those in their care—especially vulnerable populations such as the elderly and disabled.”
Compliance Perspective
Issue
It is illegal to practice a health profession without a license or to use someone else’s license. Healthcare facilities that receive government funds are required to conduct comprehensive background checks on all employees. Before hiring, a criminal background check, sex offender registry search, identification verification, past employment history, education verification, and the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE) check must be completed. For positions that require certifications or licenses, verification of these credentials must be conducted and documented in the individual’s personnel file. After hire, databases must be continually monitored to ensure that no current employee has recently been placed on an exclusion list or had a license or certification suspended or revoked since the last check. Routine monitoring will ensure that employees are legally permitted to practice healthcare in your facility.
Discussion Points
- Review policies and procedures for verifying the status of professional licenses and monitoring the OIG’s LEIE. Update as necessary.
- Train appropriate staff to follow protocols for verification of licenses and certifications of employees at the time of hire and on an ongoing basis to ensure that those licenses remain up to date and are unencumbered. Ensure that training is provided to licensed personnel about their responsibility to maintain an active license and to notify administration should their license be suspended, expire, or if they are added to the OIG’s LEIE.
- Periodically audit to verify that the licensing and certifications of employees are valid and up to date and that OIG LEIE checks are routinely conducted. In addition to background and licensure/certification checks, observe for the following: altered or forged driver’s license or insurance card; ID photo doesn’t match; physical description doesn’t match appearance; signature doesn’t match; inconsistent information between forms of ID and company records; invalid social security number; address does not exist, is a PO Box, or does not match existing records; phone number is invalid, a pager, or an answering machine; failure to provide identifying information; inconsistent personal information compared to the company record; and/or SSN is the same as provided by another company individual. Immediately address any negative findings.
*This news alert has been prepared by Med-Net Concepts, Inc. for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice.*
