A Baltimore County woman has been sentenced to 38 months in federal prison for impersonating nurses and committing aggravated identity theft. Thomasina E. Amponsah, 51, was convicted of making false statements related to health care matters after using stolen nursing licenses to obtain jobs as a registered nurse (RN) and licensed practical nurse (LPN), despite never holding a legitimate nursing license.
The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland, along with Maureen Dixon, Special Agent in Charge at the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
According to court documents, Amponsah began her scheme around September 2019 and continued until August 2023. She used stolen credentials and falsified educational backgrounds to secure employment at more than 40 facilities across Maryland. Most were skilled nursing centers providing rehabilitation and medical treatment staffed by trained professionals.
Facilities where Amponsah worked billed health care benefit programs such as Medicare and Medicaid for services she provided under false pretenses. Her fraudulent activities also extended to a Baltimore City public school and several nursing homes. Over the course of her employment using fake credentials, Amponsah earned more than $145,000 in wages.
On August 21, 2019, Amponsah applied for a job at one facility using a Maryland nursing license number belonging to another individual identified as T.R.S., including a duplicated picture of that person's license. She altered her name on the application to include T.R.S.'s last name and falsely claimed prior experience as an LPN supervisor and a degree from Florida State University.
Amponsah was hired based on this application but later terminated after admitting she forged a physician’s signature for Tramadol on a prescription form and faxed it to a pharmacy.
She also used another stolen identity belonging to E.A., submitting an online application with Staffing Agency 1 in July 2021 using E.A.’s Florida nursing license number and photo identification. This allowed her access to shifts at multiple partner facilities through Staffing Agency 1; between July 2021 and October 2022, she worked at least 21 different skilled nursing facilities under these false credentials.
In October 2022, while working shifts at another facility obtained through Staffing Agency 1, Amponsah failed to administer prescribed medication to patients and falsified their medical records. After being confronted by both the facility and agency—and subsequently terminated—she continued seeking work using stolen identities through August 2023.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended HHS-OIG for its role in investigating the case. "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."
Further information about reporting fraud or resources from the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office can be found at justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
