The Case of the “Impostor” Nurse
A woman is accused of using multiple false names to work at health care facilities across Pennsylvania and other states. According to state police in Washington, Pennsylvania, they discovered these aliases during a traffic stop. Shannon Nicole Womack faces charges for allegedly using false names to work at health care facilities in Pennsylvania and other states.
During a traffic stop on April 5, Womack reportedly provided three different names. One of those names revealed multiple active warrants in Georgia, Tennessee, New Jersey, and Indiana. As the investigation continued, authorities found that Womack had at least 20 different aliases along with seven different Social Security number combinations, according to a criminal complaint.
Police fingerprinted Womack and obtained the name Shannon Nicole Robinson. At that time, it was unknown what her real identity was. Washington County authorities processed Womack as “Shannon Nicole Womack.”
Days after her arrest, a search warrant was executed on her vehicle. Inside, police found multiple forms of identification, prescription medication, paraphernalia from different nursing and healthcare facilities, medical documents and equipment, and patient logs.
Locations Where Womack Allegedly Worked
Womack is accused of working at several healthcare facilities, including:
- Eldercrest Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center (Allegheny County): Not retained due to professional misconduct.
- Harmar Village Care Center (Allegheny County): Not retained due to professional misconduct. Authorities say Womack stole oxycodone from a medical cart.
- St. Mary’s Home of Erie (Erie County): Not retained after prescription drugs were found in Womack’s car that belonged to current residents.
- Greenery Center for Rehab and Nursing (Washington County): Not retained due to professional misconduct. Items found in car during executed search warrant were allegedly from Greenery Center.
- Beaver Valley Healthcare & Rehabilitation (Beaver County): Did not retain due to professional misconduct.
- Sayre HealthCare Center (Bradford County): Did not retain due to poor performance.
- Oak Hill Healthcare & Rehab (Westmoreland County): Did not retain due to professional misconduct.
- Southmont of Presbyterian SeniorCare (Washington County): Did not retain due to professional misconduct. Officials say multiple packs containing oxycodone were missing from a medical cart Womack was in charge of.
- Corner View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (Allegheny County): Did not retain due to professional misconduct. According to officials, prescriptions for multiple residents were found in Womack’s car during the search.
Professional Misconduct and Legal Consequences
Investigators say Womack was not a licensed medical professional in Pennsylvania or any other state. “The nurses provide a very important function with regard to health care, and these individuals were not only getting that level of health care, they also weren’t getting the vital medication that was prescribed them by their doctor because this individual was taking it,” said Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh. “So, it’s twofold. So, she was perpetrating not only a fraud but not providing the care that was needed for these individuals in these medical facilities.”
The criminal complaint states that Womack appears on Georgia’s ‘Nursing Impostor Alerts’ site. According to the report, the Georgia Board of Nursing said Womack has used identities of multiple nurses to obtain work since the start of the pandemic due to multi-state licensing being accepted.
Authorities say she used multiple staffing agencies and, at one point, created her own, to pick up shifts. Womack is facing a number of charges that include endangering the welfare of care-dependent persons.
State Police say this could have started in 2020 during a nursing shortage. “During that Covid time, they got hit hard and they needed help,” said Trooper Rocco Gagliardi. “So, it wasn’t uncommon for these different residents, locations, agencies to reach out to host agencies and say, we need some extra shifts filled. That started in 2020, and it was such an easy transition, she just kept going after that.”
As the investigation continues, more details are expected to emerge. Local news outlets are working to learn more about the case and will bring updates as they become available.
