Baltimore County Woman Sentenced for Impersonating Nurses and Aggravated Identity Theft

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Thomasina E. Amponsah, 51, of Baltimore County, Maryland, to 38 months in federal prison for making false statements in connection to health care matters and aggravated identity theft. Amponsah used stolen nursing licenses to obtain employment as a registered nurse (RN) and licensed practical nurse (LPN) but never held a nursing license or credential of her own.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).

According to the plea agreement, beginning in or about September 2019, and continuing until in or about August 2023, Amponsah used stolen nursing credentials and false educational and professional histories. This helped her to obtain health care work as a purported licensed nurse at no less than 40 facilities in Maryland. Most of the facilities served as skilled nursing facilities that provided in-patient rehabilitation and medical treatment centers and were staffed with trained medical professionals.

These facilities billed for services that Amponsah provided to health care benefit programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. Other facilities included a Baltimore City public school and multiple nursing homes. Amponsah earned more than $145,000 in wages from working at these facilities with her false credentials.

On or about August 21, 2019, Amponsah submitted a job application to Nursing Facility 1. In her application, Amponsah fraudulently used a Maryland nursing license number issued to Identity Victim T.R.S. She also provided a duplicated picture of Identity Victim T.R.S.’s nursing license to Nursing Facility 1.

Additionally, on her application, Amponsah modified her name to falsely include Identity Victim T.R.S.’s last name as part of her purported name.  In her purported professional and educational history, Amponsah also claimed that she previously served as an LPN supervisor, and that she held a nursing degree from Florida State University, although neither claim was true.

As a result of this fraudulent application, Nursing Facility 1 hired Amponsah as an LPN. Nursing Facility 1 terminated Amponsah after she admitted forging a physician’s signature for Tramadol — an opioid painkiller — on a controlled medication prescription form and then faxing the form to a pharmacy.

Amponsah also admitted she used a second stolen identity to obtain nursing positions. On or about July 18, 2021, Amponsah submitted an online job application to Staffing Agency 1. Nurses who work for Staffing Agency 1 can sign up for nursing shifts at partner facilities. On her Staffing Agency 1 application, Amponsah used a Florida nursing license number that belonged to Identity Victim E.A. She also provided a duplicated picture of Identity Victim E.A.’s nursing license to Staffing Agency 1 and submitted a fictitious resume.

Additionally, Amponsah used her fabricated application to obtain employment in numerous other skilled nursing facilities. In total, between July 18, 2021, and October 9, 2022, Amponsah worked for at least 21 different skilled nursing facilities in connection with her fictitious Staffing Agency 1 application.

Through Staffing Agency 1, Amponsah also obtained several shifts at Nursing Facility 2 in October 2022. During these shifts, Amponsah failed to administer prescribed medication to multiple patients and falsified the corresponding medical records. Although Nursing Facility 2 and Staffing Agency 1 confronted and eventually terminated Amponsah for working as an unlicensed nurse, she continued applying for and accepting employment as a licensed nurse using Identity Victim T.R.S.’s and Identity Victim E.A.’s credentials through August 2023.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the HHS-OIG for its work in the investigation.  Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph L. Wenner and Sean R. Delaney, who prosecuted the case, and recognized Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Phelps and Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber, for their valuable assistance.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit justice.gov/usao-md  and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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