A Baltimore County woman has pleaded guilty to charges related to impersonating nurses and aggravated identity theft. Thomasina E. Amponsah, 50, admitted in federal court that she used stolen nursing licenses to obtain employment as a registered nurse (RN) and licensed practical nurse (LPN), despite never holding any legitimate nursing credentials.
The announcement was made by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, alongside Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).
According to court documents, Amponsah’s scheme began around September 2019 and continued until August 2023. She used false educational backgrounds and professional histories to secure jobs at more than 40 health care facilities across Maryland. Most of these were skilled nursing centers providing rehabilitation and medical treatment staffed by trained professionals.
Facilities employing Amponsah billed Medicare, Medicaid, and other health care benefit programs for services she provided under false pretenses. Other employers included a Baltimore City public school and several nursing homes. Authorities say Amponsah earned at least $100,000 in wages during this period.
In one instance on August 21, 2019, Amponsah applied for a job at Nursing Facility 1 using a Maryland nursing license number belonging to Identity Victim T.R.S., along with a duplicated image of the victim’s license. She also falsely claimed to have served as an LPN supervisor and held a degree from Florida State University.
Nursing Facility 1 hired her as an LPN but later terminated her after she admitted forging a physician’s signature on a prescription for Tramadol—a controlled opioid painkiller—and faxing it to a pharmacy.
Amponsah also admitted using another stolen identity to gain employment through Staffing Agency 1 beginning July 18, 2021. Using credentials belonging to Identity Victim E.A., she worked at least 21 different skilled nursing facilities between July 2021 and October 2022 with fictitious documentation.
While working shifts at Nursing Facility 2 through Staffing Agency 1 in October 2022, Amponsah failed to administer prescribed medication to multiple patients and falsified medical records. Despite being confronted and terminated by both Nursing Facility 2 and Staffing Agency 1 for unlicensed practice, she continued seeking work using stolen identities.
Amponsah faces up to five years in federal prison for making false statements regarding health care matters, plus a mandatory two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft that must be served consecutively if convicted on both counts. Sentencing is scheduled for November 12 at 2:30 p.m., though actual sentences may be less than the statutory maximums based on judicial discretion.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended HHS-OIG investigators for their efforts in the case and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph L. Wenner and Sean Delaney for prosecuting the matter, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Phelps and Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber for their assistance.
Further information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-md or https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
