Las Cruces, N.M. (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 A woman accused of posing as a nurse to get hired at multiple Las Cruces facilities is facing dozens of felony counts after investigators say her actions put patients at risk and included dispensing narcotics to juvenile residents.<\/p>\n
A Do\u00f1a Ana County grand jury issued an indictment this week against Margarita Gonzalez after an investigation by the Medicaid Fraud and Elder Abuse Bureau of the New Mexico Department of Justice. <\/p>\n
Prosecutors allege Gonzalez assumed the identities of nurses in Texas to gain employment at four Las Cruces nursing facilities 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.<\/p>\n
Gonzalez is 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf convicted on all counts, the defendant could face up to 100 years in prison,\u201d the New Mexico Department of Justice said.<\/p>\n
RELATED: New Mexico Health Care Authority investigates fake nurse at Las Cruces facility<\/a><\/p>\n Attorney General Ra\u00fal Torrez said the case underscores the dangers of healthcare impersonation.<\/p>\n Impersonating a healthcare provider is a reckless and selfish crime that subjects those most vulnerable to risk of serious injury or death,\u201d Torrez said. \u201cI will not tolerate those who risk the safety of patients or cause danger and unnecessary confusion within the healthcare system. These charges should keep anyone attempting to pose as a healthcare provider on notice: we will find you, and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law to protect New Mexicans.<\/p>\n Investigators said Gonzalez has no nursing license or credentials but allegedly administered injections and dispensed prescribed medications. The investigation also found she dispensed narcotics to eight juvenile inpatient residents, according to the New Mexico Department of Justice.<\/p>\n In the insulin incident, investigators said the error was caught by Gonzalez\u2019s orientating nurse before the dose was administered.<\/p>\n