GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — An Allegan County woman has been federally charged for allegedly posing as a nurse.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office – Western District of Michigan (DOJ) says 48-year-old Leticia Gallarzo used the identity of a licensed nurse to seek work at a hospice facility and nursing home.
We’re told she falsely claimed to have had a bachelor’s degree from Davenport University and a master’s degree from George Washington University.
The hospice facility determined Gallarzo was not a licensed nurse upon learning her fingerprints matched those of someone who was convicted in Texas for posing as a nurse without a license in 2015 and 2016, according to the DOJ. She was arrested by state troopers soon after.
“These allegations that Ms. Gallarzo faked her qualifications as a licensed medical professional are highly concerning and potentially put innocent patients at risk,” says U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “My office takes this threat to the public very seriously and thanks our law enforcement partners for their investigative work in this case.”
Federal attorneys say Gallarzo was charged with wire fraud, two counts of falsifying medical records, two counts two counts of identity theft and one count of creating a false ID. She faces up to 20 years behind bars on the wire fraud charge and 2 years for identity theft if found guilty.
