EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — A woman who is under investigation by authorities in both El Paso and Las Cruces for allegedly impersonating a nurse has been arrested.
According to jail records, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office arrested Margarita Gonzalez on Thursday and she was booked into the Downtown County jail on over a dozen charges related to healthcare fraud.
Mugshot of Margarita Gonzalez. July 9, 2026. Credit: EPCSO
Breakdown of charges:One count of healthcare fraud greater than $2.5K but less than $30K. Two counts of healthcare fraud greater than $30K but less than $150K.One count of healthcare fraud greater than $150K but less than $300K.Two counts of healthcare fraud greater than $300K.Seven counts of fraudulent use or possession of identifying information, less than five items.
The dates of the offenses range from January 2023 to July 2025.
2nd arrest
Jail records also show Gonzalez had been arrested earlier this year, on May 19, again by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, on 13 charges of violating nursing regulations.
The dates listed for those offenses range from May 2024 to August 2025.
Mugshot of Margarita Gonzalez. May 19, 2026. Credit: EPCSO
RELATED: New Mexico AG charges Las Cruces imposter nurse accused of endangering patients
Back in May 2026, the Dona Ana County grand jury issued an indictment against Gonzalez after an investigation by the Medicaid Fraud and Elder Bureau of the New Mexico Department of Justice.
Prosecutors allege Gonzalez assumed the identities of nurses in Texas to gain employment at four Las Cruces nursing facilities (Village at Northrise, Las Cruces Wellness and Rehabilitation, Peak Behavioral Health and Matrix Home Care) and then illegally provided patient care, including an incident in which she nearly administered an incorrect insulin dose that could have caused a serious incident or resulted in death.
Margarita Gonzalez, a woman accused of using the nursing licenses of people with similar names to try and gain employment worked at Las Cruces Wellness & Rehabilitation in Las Cruces, New Mexico from February to May 2025. (Credit: KFOX14/CBS4)
Gonzalez was charged with 34 counts of misconduct, including identity theft, nursing without a license, abuse of a resident, distribution of controlled substances to a minor and fraud totaling more than $25,000.
Authorities said Gonzalez was terminated by several facilities due to patient safety concerns after displaying what they described as a questionable method of delivering medical care and a lack of knowledge during patient care.
Court records in New Mexico show a jury trial for Gonzalez is scheduled for August 23.
RELATED: New Mexico Health Care Authority investigates fake nurse at Las Cruces facility
KFOX14/CBS4 first reported the allegations in October of 2025, after the Texas Board of Nursing’s Quarterly bulletin alerted that in February of 2025, a woman using the names Margarita Gonzalez, Margarita Gonzales or Margaritta Gonzales tried to work as a registered nurse at Mountain View Nursing and Rehabilitation and AVIR at Patriot in El Paso using licenses and names of other nurses with similar names.
The board reportedly caught wind of the situation after the two facilities reported that the names, addresses, date of birth and social security numbers did not match.
According to the Texas Board of Nursing’s Quarterly bulletin, a woman who goes by the name of Margarita Gonzalez or Margarita Gonzales or Margaritta Gonzales, allegedly tried to practice as a Registered Nurse at Mountain View Nursing and Rehabilitation and AVIR at Patriot in El Paso while using license numbers and names belonging to nurses with similar names in February 2025. Credit: TBON
RELATED: Nursing board warns of alleged nurse imposter in El Paso and Las Cruces
It is important to note that according to the Texas Board of Nursing, nurses with a Texas license can practice in other states outside of Texas, as long as they are part of the “Nurse Licensure Compact”, which New Mexico is.
RELATED: No answers how alleged nurse imposter was hired in Las Cruces
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