A Georgia resident, Corissa Laws, has been convicted for practicing as a nurse without proper licensing in Vermont. The Attorney General’s Office announced that Laws, 38, from Lawrenceville, Georgia, was sentenced after using someone else's identity to work as a nurse in Vermont and other states, without the necessary training or certification.
In 2022, Laws impersonated a licensed nurse from Florida to acquire emergency authorization during the pandemic to register as a licensed nurse in Vermont and New Hampshire. She subsequently worked in residential care facilities, performing at a care level beyond her training.
The Vermont Secretary of State’s Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) identified Laws’ true identity in April 2023 and collaborated with the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU) to investigate. Laws was found in Cobb County, Georgia, after a search warrant was executed on her cell phone to determine her location.
In court, Laws admitted to felony identity theft and misdemeanor unauthorized practice of nursing. Superior Court Judge Michael J. Harris gave her a three-year prison sentence, suspended for six years of probation. Her probation will be monitored in Georgia, where she is also facing other charges. Additionally, she is prohibited from working as a Medicaid service provider in the future.
The Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit was instrumental in this investigation, with 75 percent of its funding coming from a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant totaling $1,332,724 for the Federal fiscal year 2025. The State of Vermont provides the remaining 25 percent, amounting to $444,241 for the same fiscal year.
Individuals suspecting Medicaid fraud are encouraged to report it through the MFRAU's online resources.