A Virginia woman was caught impersonating a registered nurse for a month and is believed to have worked at multiple California hospitals while overseeing the care of about 60 patients.
Amanda Leeann Porter, 44, was arrested by Burbank police on Tuesday after it was revealed that she was allegedly posing as a nurse at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Los Angeles County, KTLA. reported.
Porter cared for about 60 patients at the hospital and collected two paychecks between April 8 and May 8 before staff discovered she was posing as a real, registered nurse not based in California, the department said.
The hospital subsequently fired the fraudster and reported her actions to authorities, according to KTLA.
The LA County District Attorney’s Office charged Porter on Tuesday with three felonies: identity theft, false impersonation and grand theft.
Detectives said she was arraigned Wednesday and is being held without bail at the LA County Central Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood.
During their investigation, Burbank police discovered that Porter had previously posed as a nurse.
The LA County Sheriff’s Department had arrested Porter on suspicion of committing a similar crime at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Santa Clarita, Burbank police have unearthed.
However, Porter posted bail and was released from the custody of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.
Burbank PD Detectives’ investigation revealed that Porter is believed to have obtained employment at multiple local hospitals using several false identities in California.
Detectives believe other local hospitals hired Porter after she allegedly used a false identity.
Investigators urged anyone with information about similar cases in Southern California to call their local law enforcement agency or the Burbank Police Department.
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center and Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital told KTLA that Porter was in a probationary phase of her employment and was supervised by a qualified training nurse during her time.
Officials at both hospitals said it quickly became clear that Porter’s care, while she fraudulently obtained a short-term position at their facilities, fell short of what was expected of a registered nurse.
Both hospitals said they were informing all patients in their care about the incident.
Detectives told the LA times that Porter is also on federal probation for a fraud offense in Virginia.
According to the US Department of Justicea woman named Amanda Porter-Eley, matching the age of the suspect and also referred to as “Amanda L. Porter” in court filespleaded guilty to impersonating a nurse and committing bank fraud in Virginia in 2017.
Prosecutors said Porter-Eley in September 2015 used the identity of a nurse living in New York to obtain work at a hospital in Virginia.
She was found guilty of working as a nursing supervisor without the required licenses at that hospital for six months before being fired.
Porter-Eley continued to use the real nurse’s identity until her arrest in September 2016, causing banks and retailers to suffer more than $120,000 in losses.
During that time, she fraudulently opened multiple bank accounts and obtained more than $450,000 in cash, loans, goods and services, including at least three vehicles and property under the identity of the stolen nurse.
Porter-Eley also pleaded guilty to opening bank accounts using others’ Social Security numbers, with prosecutors discovering she obtained nearly $50,000 in worthless checks.
According to the LA Times, Burbank police have not confirmed whether Amanda Leeann Porter and Amanda Porter-Eley are the same person while the investigation is ongoing.
