A Baltimore County woman has been sentenced to nearly three years in federal prison after posing as a nurse at more than 40 facilities across Maryland, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office.
Thomasina E. Amponsah, 51, pleaded guilty in August to aggravated identity theft and making false statements about health care matters.
A prolonged identity theft scheme
Court documents show that between September 2019 and August 2023, Amponsah used stolen nursing licenses and falsified educational and professional histories to obtain employment as both a registered nurse and licensed practical nurse—despite having no official credentials.
Most of the facilities she worked at were skilled nursing centers providing inpatient rehabilitation and medical treatment. She also worked at a Baltimore City public school and multiple nursing homes. Over her scheme, she earned more than $145,000.
Her fraud began in August 2019, when she submitted a job application using a stolen Maryland nursing license number and a photograph of the license holder. She modified her name to include the victim’s last name and falsely claimed she had been a nurse supervisor and earned a nursing degree from Florida State University.
Amponsah was fired from one facility after admitting she had forged a physician’s signature on a prescription for an opioid painkiller.
Multiple identities used
She later used a second stolen identity, submitting a fake résumé and a fraudulent Florida nursing license to obtain work at a staffing agency in July 2021. Between July 2021 and October 2022, she worked at at least 21 different facilities under these fake credentials.
Court documents indicate that during shifts in October 2022, Amponsah failed to administer prescribed medications to multiple patients and falsified medical records.
Although the staffing agency eventually terminated her employment for being unlicensed, Amponsah continued applying for nursing positions using false credentials through August 2023.
