Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced on Monday that a Maryland resident was arrested for allegedly stealing the identity of a registered nurse (RN) and attempting to use those credentials to fraudulently obtain employment in Delaware nursing homes.
"The licensing system for healthcare professionals is crucial to patient safety," Attorney General Jennings said. "The Delaware Department of Justice will protect our state’s patients from anyone falsely holding themselves out as a healthcare professional."
Nicole L. Vanhorn, also known as Nicole Van Horn, was arrested on August 19 following an investigation led by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), a unit within the Delaware Department of Justice’s Fraud & Consumer Protection Division. The investigation began after a report by the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation’s Board of Nursing indicated that Vanhorn—formerly a resident of Middletown, Delaware—attempted to use a Pennsylvania-licensed RN’s identity supported by fictitious educational and professional credentials to obtain a Delaware nursing license.
Following the Board of Nursing’s report, MFCU discovered that since at least December 2022, Vanhorn used falsified credentials attempting to obtain employment as a healthcare professional and managed to secure conditional employment as an RN at two Delaware long-term care facilities. There is no evidence at this time that Vanhorn treated any patients in Delaware. Anyone with additional information about Vanhorn should contact the MFCU hotline at (302) 577-5000.
Vanhorn faces felony charges including Criminal Impersonation, Identity Theft, Perjury, Forgery, and Theft, as well as multiple misdemeanor charges including Practicing or Offering to Practice as a Registered Nurse without a License.
The Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $2,183,996 for Federal fiscal year (FFY) 2024. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $728,000 for FFY 2024, is funded by the State of Delaware.
Vanhorn was arraigned and released on her own recognizance on all counts, ordered to have no contact with victims and not hold herself out as a health care professional. The Delaware DOJ reminds the public that the charges in this case are allegations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.