Baltimore Woman Pleads Guilty to Using Stolen Nursing Licenses
Baltimore County Woman Pleads Guilty To Using Stolen Nursing Licenses At Dozens of Maryland Facilities
A Baltimore County woman has admitted to using stolen nursing licenses to work at more than 40 healthcare facilities across Maryland over a four-year period, earning at least $100,000 in fraudulent wages, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.
Thomasina Amponsah, 50, pleaded guilty to making false statements in connection with health care matters and aggravated identity theft. She is scheduled to be sentenced at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
According to prosecutors, from September 2019 to August 2023, Amponsah posed as both a registered nurse and a licensed practical nurse using stolen identities, falsified educational histories, and fake credentials.
In August 2019, she used a Maryland nursing license number belonging to another person and submitted a copy of that license to gain employment as a licensed practical nurse. Amponsah also altered her own name on applications to include the victim’s last name and falsely claimed to hold a nursing degree from Florida State University as well as prior supervisory experience.
She was terminated from her first job after admitting to forging a physician’s signature on a prescription for Tramadol, a controlled opioid painkiller.
In July 2021, Amponsah used a different stolen identity and a Florida nursing license number to apply for positions through a staffing agency. Between July 2021 and October 2022, she worked at 21 skilled nursing facilities through that agency.
At one facility in October 2022, she failed to administer prescribed medications and falsified medical records. Even after being confronted and terminated for working without a valid license, she continued to seek employment using stolen credentials. Several facilities billed Medicare and Medicaid for services she provided during this period.
Amponsah faces up to five years in federal prison for making false statements related to health care matters. Federal sentences are often below the maximum, with judges considering sentencing guidelines and other factors.
