Indianapolis woman used stolen nursing license to fraudulently work in nursing homes

Photo by: Video Blocks

Nursing Home Resident

By: WRTV.com Staff

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis woman could face up to five years in prison for allegedly using stolen Social Security numbers and a stolen Licensed Practical Nurse number to obtain jobs she wasn’t qualified for while collecting over $50,000 in fraudulent Social Security benefits.

Rochelle Perry, 49, of Indianapolis, was indicted by a federal grand jury on five counts of Social Security number fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of Social Security disability benefits fraud.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, between February 2020 and March 2022, Perry submitted five fraudulent applications for employment to Indianapolis area nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Officials say Perry used a stolen Social Security number on all five applications. She was receiving Social Security disability insurance benefits under her true Social Security number, and she knew that those benefits would be reduced or eliminated if the Social Security Administration found out she had a job.

Perry also knew that she might not be able to pass an employment background check if she applied to a health care facility using her true Social Security number, the U.S. Attorney’s Office says.

Court documents state in some of the job applications, Perry also used a stolen Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) license number to make employers believe she was an LPN. Perry has never received any type of nursing license in the state of Indiana.

Of the five job applications, four were for LPN positions. Perry applied for those positions despite not having a nursing license.

Officials say Perry worked as an LPN at one facility from January 2021 to April 2021. She worked at a second facility from May 2021 to November 2021, and at a third facility she worked as a Memory Care Program Coordinator from February 2020 to April 2020.

Between December 2019 and December 2022, Perry received $54,991 in Social Security disability benefits under her true Social Security number.

On two separate occasions, in August 2021 and October 2022, Perry submitted Work Activity Reports to the Social Security Administration. In those reports, Perry declared, under penalty of perjury, that she had not earned any income since May 2019. Perry did not disclose that she had been earning wages at health care facilities.

If convicted on all counts, Perry faces up to 5 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine the actual sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Full Article & Source:
Indianapolis woman used stolen nursing license to fraudulently work in nursing homes