New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez's office on Thursday announced the indictment of an “imposter nurse” who defrauded three Albuquerque-area hospice centers and nearly caused the death of a patient. (Photo by Austin Fisher / Source NM)
New Mexico prosecutors allege that an “imposter nurse” nearly caused the death of a hospice patient earlier this summer after working for three health care providers in Albuquerque for a year-and-a-half using a stolen identity.
A Bernalillo County grand jury on Aug. 22 indicted 26-year-old April Guadalupe Hernandez, of Los Lunas, with 19 criminal counts including falsifying documents, nursing without a license, fraud, identity theft and abuse.
The indictment alleges that Hernandez stole the identity of three people with similar names in order to deceive three different Albuquerque-based hospice centers, and went on to receive up to $40,000 in fraudulent wages.
The New Mexico Department of Justice said in a news release on Thursday that Hernandez, a certified nurse assistant, stole the identities of two registered nurses from Texas and California and a licensed practical nurse in Kansas in order to work as a nurse in New Mexico.
The indictment charges Hernandez with abuse of a care facility resident on June 7. The news release states that she allegedly mis-transcribed a medication order for a patient that nearly led to the administration of a fatal dose of morphine.
“To exploit trusting patients in their most vulnerable moments is unconscionable,” Attorney General Raúl Torrez said in a statement. “These charges send a clear message: the New Mexico Department of Justice will not tolerate those who endanger the safety of patients or betray the trust of our health care system. Anyone posing as a health care provider in New Mexico will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law as we continue to fight to protect those who are in their most vulnerable state.”
If convicted on all counts, the defendant could face up to 27-and-a-half years in prison, the news release states.
Hernandez is set to appear before Second Judicial District Court Judge Britt Baca on Sept. 8, according to court records.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Comments