Convicted Fraudster Uses False Identity to Impersonate Nurse, Oversee 60 Patients

A Virginia woman was arrested last week for allegedly using a false identity to work as a nurse at two California hospitals without a license.

Amanda Porter, 44, reportedly impersonated a nurse at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, where she saw 60 patients from early April to early May. ABC News reported that Porter was arrested on November 7 — after bonding out of custody in Los Angeles County — for pulling a similar stunt at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Santa Clarita.

Investigators say they believe she may have committed several such acts using false identities throughout southern California.

Porter allegedly does not have a nursing license, police said while noting she is on probation for a federal fraud charge out of Virginia.

In May, Burbank police were tipped off about a woman impersonating a nurse at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center. Porter had already received two paychecks before getting fired for impersonating a real nurse from out of state.

“As a new hire, this employee was in her orientation phase, and as such was partnered with a training nurse during the five nursing shifts she worked in our hospital,” a Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center spokesperson told McClatchy News.

Jailed without bond, Porter is charged with felony identity theft, felony false impersonation, and felony grand theft. Police asked hospital officials for leads, as they suspect she defrauded other hospitals in southern California.