Woman who stole identities to work in health care is sentenced to 6-plus years in prison

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KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — A woman who stole identities to work as a nurse or physician's assistant in multiple states has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Tim VerHey in western Michigan said it was a “happy accident” that Leticia Gallarzo didn't harm anyone while starting intravenous lines, distributing medications, removing catheter lines and supervising others.

Gallarzo pleaded guilty in 2023 to identity theft after she was accused of creating a false nurse's license and other credentials to work at a Michigan nursing home. This followed a conviction and prison sentence a few years earlier for impersonating a nurse in Texas.

Authorities said Gallarzo left Michigan in 2024 while awaiting her sentence and worked in the Chicago area as a physician's assistant under the license and identity of another person. She was finally caught last September near Los Angeles where she again was working as a nurse despite failing to have real credentials.

U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney sentenced Gallarzo to more than six years in prison Tuesday. Defense lawyer Rachel Frank said Gallarzo has a history of mental health struggles.

“She loved taking care of people, and felt she was doing something important. However, she now recognizes that her conduct, especially after being punished for it in the past, is unacceptable, and that her reasons for committing this offense are irrelevant,” Frank said in a court filing.