DENTON, MD– Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced the sentencing of a Caroline County woman for medical fraud after she reportedly practiced nursing without a license.
Nicole Lynn Vanhorn, 38, of Denton, is accused of misrepresenting herself under a registered Pennsylvania nurse's credentials while working at Denton Nursing and Rehab in August 2023.
The AG also alleges she falsely claimed degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania State University, while neither university had record of Vanhorn as a student.
Vanhorn worked nine shifts as a registered nurse supervisor, administering medication, caring for patients, supervising registered nurses, geriatric nursing assistants and certified medical assistants, according to the AG's office. Maryland Medicaid reportedly paid $3,576.20 for these unauthorized nursing services.
On Jan. 22, Vanhorn pleaded guilty to one count of medical fraud valued over $1,000 in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County.
She received a five-year suspended sentence and five-years probation, with the first three years supervised by the Department of Parole and Probation. While on probation, the Hon. Mark W. Crooks said Vanhorn is prohibited from practicing nursing unless properly licensed, caring for the elderly or vulnerable adults and employment with state- or federally-funded healthcare agencies.
Vanhorn was also charged in Delaware after an August 2024 investigation.
The state's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit found Vanhorn used fictitious credentials to apply for employment since at least December 2022. She reportedly obtained conditional employment as a registered nurse at two long-term facilities in Delaware, but Attorney General Kathy Jennings says there is no evidence Vanhorn treated any patients.
She was charged with felony criminal impersonation, identity theft, perjury, forgery and theft, and misdemeanor practicing or offering to practice as a registered nurse without a license.