DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE NEWS RELEASE
This week, a Bernalillo County grand jury issued an indictment against April Guadalupe Hernandez for allegedly assuming the identities of nurses and illegally providing care to hospice patients following an investigation by the Medicaid Fraud and Elder Abuse Bureau of the New Mexico Department of Justice (NMDOJ). Operating under a stolen identity, Hernandez allegedly mis-transcribed a medication order for a patient that nearly led to the administration of a fatal dose of morphine. She has been charged with 19 counts of misconduct including identity theft, nursing without a license, fraud totaling approximately $40,000, abuse of a resident, violations of the Nursing Practice Act and more.
If convicted on all counts, Hernandez could face up to 27.5 years in prison.
“To exploit trusting patients in their most vulnerable moments is unconscionable,” said Attorney General Raúl Torrez. “These charges send a clear message: the New Mexico Department of Justice will not tolerate those who endanger the safety of patients or betray the trust of our healthcare system. Anyone posing as a healthcare provider in New Mexico will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law as we continue to fight to protect those who are in their most vulnerable state.”
The defendant, a certified nurse assistant, began the alleged criminal activity in New Mexico in 2024 when she is accused of falsification of documents and fraud. The NMDOJ’s investigation revealed that over the last year and a half, the defendant stole the identities of two registered nurses, one from Texas and one from California, as well as a licensed practical nurse in Kansas to gain employment as a nurse in New Mexico. Each of the stolen identities were similar to her own, allowing her to confuse agencies and fly under the radar, illegally caring for patients and nearly causing the death of at least one via morphine overdose.
The defendant was employed by Luna Del Valle Healthcare Services, Lily Care of New Mexico and Hospice De La Luz, all of which paid compensation to her based on the fraudulent licenses, accounting for the $40,000.
This case was investigated by the NMDOJ’s Medicaid Fraud and Elder Abuse Bureau (MFEAB). The New Mexico MFEAB receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $3,451,202 for federal fiscal year 2025. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $1,150,401 for fiscal year 2025, is funded by the State of New Mexico.