Denton Woman Sentenced for Medicaid Fraud

A Denton woman has been sentenced after pleading guilty to 1 count of Medicaid Fraud stemming from allegations that she was practicing nursing without a license. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown says that 38 year old Nicole Vanhorn was sentenced to five years suspended in favor of five years of probation by Circuit court for Anne Arundel County Judge Mark Crooks on Thursday. The first three years are to be supervised by the Department of Parole and Probation. Judge Crooks ordered that during the probationary period Vanhorn not practice nursing unless properly licensed, be excluded from caring for the elderly or vulnerable adults and be excluded from employment with any healthcare agency that receives state or federal funding.

Additional information from AG Brown:

In August 2023, Vanhorn misrepresented herself as a registered nurse in order to obtain employment at Denton Nursing and Rehab located in Caroline County, Maryland. She fraudulently used the credentials of a registered nurse in Pennsylvania with a similar name. In addition, Vanhorn falsely represented that she had attained degrees at the University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania State University. Neither school had any record of her attending their institutions.  

Between August 11, 2023, and August 29, 2023, Vanhorn worked nine shifts at Denton Nursing and Rehab as a registered nurse supervisor. In that capacity, she administered medications, cared for patients, and supervised registered nurses, geriatric nursing assistants, and certified medical assistants. By fraudulently claiming that she was qualified to perform skilled nursing, she caused Maryland Medicaid to pay $3,576.20 for nursing services that were not rendered. 

 “Nursing licensure requirements ensure patients are properly treated by trained health care professionals,” said Attorney General Brown. “When someone poses as a medical provider and practices without a license, they threaten the health and safety of those entrusted to their care – a threat made even more serious when their patients are elderly or disabled, some of the most vulnerable Marylanders in our State.”       

In making today’s announcement, Attorney General Brown thanked Medicaid Fraud and Vulnerable Victims Unit Chief Zak Shirley, Assistant Attorney General Kelly A. Casper, Investigators Mark Janowitz and Michael Regan, Senior Auditor Todd Sheffer, and members of the Delaware Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for their work on this case.   

The Maryland Office of the Attorney General, Medicaid Fraud and Vulnerable Victims Unit receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $6,845,828 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2025. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $2,281,939 for FY 2025, is funded by the State of Maryland.