Michigan Judge Prescribes Jail Time To Woman Posing As Nurse

Nurses are some of the most amazing people in the world.

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They work hard, doing important work that often goes unnoticed, all while making sure patients in their care receive everything they need.

To become a registered nurse (RN) in Michigan, you need to complete an approved nursing program, pass the NCLEX-RN exam, and obtain a license from the Michigan Board of Nursing.

That's a lot of work, but it's important that the men and women who take care of you know exactly what they're doing, and just didn't watch a few episode of Grey's Anatomy.

As crazy as that idea might sound, a woman was recently sentenced to jail time after she was found guilty of impersonating a registered nurse.

Leticia Gallarzo, from Allegan County, was recently sentenced to over six years in federal prison for impersonating a licensed registered nurse (RN).

The case stemmed from a 2023 job application that was uncovered when fingerprints were checked during a background review.

She repeatedly used stolen identities and fake credentials to secure jobs at healthcare facilities, including a Grand Rapids-area hospice.

Leticia Gallarzo posed as "Leticia Perri" and others fake names, providing patient care, signing Medicare records, and earning wages while unqualified.

This was not her first time faking being a nurse.

She has two prior convictions in Texas for similar fraud, leading to bans from jobs directly involving patients.

Cases like this confuse me, I feel like if she could work this hard to fake being a nurse that if she took the classes and worked hard she might have been able to actually do the job she kept pretending to do.