I would imagine if you were trying to get away with pretending to be someone else or lying about your credentials, you would want to keep a low profile. You know, try and stay under the radar. It doesn’t seem very smart to put your self out there, because you are then putting yourself at risk for being caught. Just ask Bobbi Kristina Brown’s former nurse. It was her involvement with the celebrity’s daughter that shed a light on her lie. According to the news report, the woman was one of the nurses attending to Ms. Brown during her final days in hospice. It seems there were some licensing issues and by continuing to practice nursing without a valid license, she had opened herself up to Criminal Impersonation charges.
What is Criminal Impersonation in Larimer County?
Colorado law defines Criminal Impersonation – C.R.S. 18-5-113 – as:
(a) Assumes a false or fictitious identity or legal capacity, and in such identity or capacity he or she:
(I) Marries, or pretends to marry, or to sustain the marriage relation toward another without the connivance of the latter;
(II) Becomes bail or surety for a party in an action or proceeding, civil or criminal, before a court or officer authorized to take the bail or surety; or
(III) Confesses a judgment, or subscribes, verifies, publishes, acknowledges, or proves a written instrument which by law may be recorded, with the intent that the same may be delivered as true; or
(b) Assumes a false or fictitious identity or capacity, legal or other, and in such identity or capacity he or she:
(I) Performs an act that, if done by the person falsely impersonated, might subject such person to an action or special proceeding, civil or criminal, or to liability, charge, forfeiture, or penalty; or
(II) Performs any other act with intent to unlawfully gain a benefit for himself, herself, or another or to injure or defraud another.
Based on the story above, the woman would be facing these charges for falsely presenting herself as a registered and licensed nurse, when this was not the case. She fraudulently gained employment using this false information and preformed acts that would open her up to criminal and legal proceedings.
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As a class 6 felony in Larimer, Boulder, and Grand County, Criminal Impersonation is punishable by 12 to 18 months in the Colorado Department of Corrections and up to $100,000 in fines. This does not even touch on the lawsuits this woman could be facing when people find out she was not a licensed health care provider when she cared for their loved ones. This charge is similar to Impersonating a Peace Officer. Also a class 6 felony, this crime is charged when a person identifies himself as a police officer and performs an act a police officer would do.