Florida man arrested on suspicion of being a fake nurse
A Florida man who showed up for a job interview for a nursing position was immediately arrested by authorities as part of an undercover operation by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
News 6 in Orlando reported that Joseph Thomas Kinney, 55, was taken into custody and charged with impersonating a registered nurse to seek employment at Ridgecrest Health and Rehab Center in DeLand. He was allegedly attempting to use another person’s license and identity to get the job.
Kinney was reported by a hiring manager at the facility, who has apparently known of him from a previous role he held at Indigo Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation in Daytona Beach. Police said he was impersonating someone he used to live with and had a driver’s license from that person.
Investigators said Kinney did previously hold nursing licenses in Alabama, California, and Florida. However, his credentials were stripped after repeated incidents of diverting drugs and unprofessional conduct.
Police said he made a habit of applying to nursing jobs using the stolen identity, and even held two positions in Florida—though he was fired from both in less than a week.
He has been officially charged with two felony counts of practicing health care without a license. Kinney remains behind bars on a $20,000 bond.
The rise of ‘fake nurses’
In August, a woman in Florida named Autumn Bardisa, 29, was charged with working as a nurse at AdventHealth Palm Coast for over a year, despite getting the job without a valid nursing license. She has been accused of using the identity of a person with whom she attended nursing school.
Shortly after, the Washington Post released a report outlining multiple nationwide incidents of “fake nurses” traveling the country, noting that multiple states have developed lists to identify them.
The scope of the problem remains unknown. The cases are only superficially related.
Kinney and Bardisa are still awaiting trial and neither has been convicted of any crime.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.