Betty Lichtenstein of Norwalk, Conn., has been sentenced to one year of imprisonment following a guilty plea to criminal impersonation, practicing medicine without a proper nursing license and second-degree forgery, according to a CT Post news report.
The Connecticut Medicaid Fraud and Control Unit investigated Ms. Lichtenstein's activities between March and Aug. 2009 and consequently charged her with illegally claiming to be a registered nurse while working for Gerald Weiss, MD, a neurologist from Norwalk. She was also charged with six counts of second-degree reckless endangerment and criminal impersonation, according to the report.
Ms. Lichtenstein admitted to offering medical advice and administering shots to patients. Additionally, in Nov. 2008, the MFCU found Ms. Lichtenstein spent $2,000 to stage an event purportedly hosted by the Connecticut Nursing Association, where she supposedly received the Nurse of the Year award. Investigators found no such organization actually exists, according to the report.
Ms. Lichtenstein expressed regret for her actions, saying she knew what she did was "very, very wrong" and offered her apologies for endangering patients. She also believed Dr. Weiss played a significant role during the time she impersonated a nurse, claiming he even served as keynote speaker at the staged awards dinner. No details of whether Dr. Weiss will face disciplinary action were disclosed in the report.
The judge presiding over the case pronounced that Ms. Lichtenstein would not be allowed to have any contact with Dr. Weiss, his employees or patients and cannot seek employment in the medical field after she is released from prison, according to the report.
Read the news report about Ms. Betty Lichtenstein's sentence.
Read other coverage about nurse fraud and abuse:
- Florida Physician and Nurse's Sentences for Medicare Fraud Upheld by Federal Appeals Court
The Connecticut Medicaid Fraud and Control Unit investigated Ms. Lichtenstein's activities between March and Aug. 2009 and consequently charged her with illegally claiming to be a registered nurse while working for Gerald Weiss, MD, a neurologist from Norwalk. She was also charged with six counts of second-degree reckless endangerment and criminal impersonation, according to the report.
Ms. Lichtenstein admitted to offering medical advice and administering shots to patients. Additionally, in Nov. 2008, the MFCU found Ms. Lichtenstein spent $2,000 to stage an event purportedly hosted by the Connecticut Nursing Association, where she supposedly received the Nurse of the Year award. Investigators found no such organization actually exists, according to the report.
Ms. Lichtenstein expressed regret for her actions, saying she knew what she did was "very, very wrong" and offered her apologies for endangering patients. She also believed Dr. Weiss played a significant role during the time she impersonated a nurse, claiming he even served as keynote speaker at the staged awards dinner. No details of whether Dr. Weiss will face disciplinary action were disclosed in the report.
The judge presiding over the case pronounced that Ms. Lichtenstein would not be allowed to have any contact with Dr. Weiss, his employees or patients and cannot seek employment in the medical field after she is released from prison, according to the report.
Read the news report about Ms. Betty Lichtenstein's sentence.
Read other coverage about nurse fraud and abuse:
- Florida Physician and Nurse's Sentences for Medicare Fraud Upheld by Federal Appeals Court