Nurse Impostor Pleads Guilty To Identity Fraud At Monroe County Nursing Home

Attorney General Spitzer today announced that a Georgia woman who stole the identity and professional credentials of a licensed nurse and worked undetected for nine months at the Latta Road Nursing Home in Greece, NY, has pleaded guilty to felony charges in the case.

Tashiany Martin appeared June 28th before Acting Monroe County Court Judge Stephen K. Lindley and pleaded guilty to Unauthorized Practice of a Profession (Nursing), Identity Theft in the Second Degree, and Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree.

Martin, 31, of 1140 Lexus Court in Lawrenceville, Georgia, is scheduled to be sentenced on August 18, at which time Judge Lindley indicated he would sentence her to four months of weekends in jail and five years' probation, and order her to repay $29,504 to the nursing home.

According to the Information filed at the time of the defendant's arrest in March 2005, Martin obtained a nursing position at Latta Road Nursing Home by assuming the name and identity of an actual nurse and by presenting the nursing home with a forged Social Security card and a forged New York State driver's license, as well as a copy of the nurse's LPN license. Under the assumed identity, Martin worked in the home between September 2003 and June 2004 and received $29,504 for nursing services to which she was not entitled.

Attorney General Spitzer thanked the staff at Latta Road Nursing Home, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Office of the Gwinnett County (Georgia) District Attorney for their assistance in the investigation.

Special Assistant Attorney General Timothy McFarland prosecuted the case. Senior Special Investigators William Falk assisted in the investigation.