New Mexico Woman Charged with Posing as Licensed Nurse in Multiple States
A New Mexico woman is facing serious criminal charges after allegedly using stolen identities to pose as a licensed nurse at hospice centers across several states.
April Guadalupe Hernandez, 26, has been charged with 19 counts including practicing nursing without a license, abuse of a resident, and fraud. She is accused of stealing the identities of licensed nurses from Texas, California, and Kansas.
According to the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office, Hernandez worked at three hospice facilities between August 2024 and June 2025, using aliases such as Guadalupe Hernandez and April Vasquez-Hernandez. Despite being a certified nurse assistant, she claimed to be a licensed practical nurse (LPN), a higher-level qualification she did not possess.
Authorities say she successfully passed initial background checks by submitting fraudulent documents, but her deception was later uncovered during routine license verification.
One of the facilities, Luna Del Valle Hospice, said it hired Hernandez in August 2024 after verifying a Kansas LPN license that appeared valid. However, by December, irregularities in her records led to an internal investigation. Hernandez resigned abruptly before providing proper documentation. The company reported her to the New Mexico Board of Nursing.
Two other employers, Lily Care of New Mexico and Hospice de la Luz, also terminated Hernandez after discovering her forged credentials. Hospice de la Luz stated she worked only 27 days and was supervised throughout her employment.
Deputy Director Joseph Martinez of the Medicaid Fraud and Elder Abuse Bureau described the scheme as “well-thought-out and difficult to catch,” emphasizing the dangers posed to patient safety.
The Attorney General’s Office has scheduled Hernandez’s arraignment for September 8. If convicted on all counts, she faces up to 27.5 years in prison.
