McALLEN, Texas ‐ A San Benito man falsely holding himself out as a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) has been charged and arrested for aggravated identity theft and making false statements, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson.
Juan Manuel Perez, 35, turned himself in to authorities today. He is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge U.S. Magistrate Judge Dorina Ramos at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow.
According to charges, Perez obtained employment with Cleveland Health Care LLC in McAllen in January 2015, falsely claiming to be an LVN. Perez presented a license number, but it allegedly belonged to another individual of the same name. Perez is not licensed by the Texas Board of Nursing and is not a LVN, according to the criminal complaint.
The charges allege that Perez posed as an LVN, conducted patient home visits and provided medical services from January 2015 through July 2016 while employed with Cleveland Health Care.
The criminal complaint further alleges Perez had utilized the stolen identification to gain employment with various other area health care institutions including Harlingen Medical Center and Valley Baptist Medical Center.
If convicted of making false statements relating to health care matters, Perez faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. The aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory two‐year additional prison term, upon conviction, which must be served consecutive to any other prison sentence.
The Department of Health and Human Services‐Office of Inspector General, FBI and Health and Human Services Commission conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Swartz and Michael Day are prosecuting the case.
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