Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced on Friday the conviction of a Delaware woman who stole the identity of a Registered Nurse (“RN”) in an attempt to fraudulently obtain employment in nursing homes.

“Registered Nurses dedicate years of their lives obtaining and maintaining the skills necessary to provide quality care to patients,” Attorney General Jennings said.  “Anyone falsely holding themselves out as a healthcare professional will face swift action from the Delaware Department of Justice.”

On March 26, 2025, Nicole L. Vanhorn, a/k/a Nicole Van Horn, 38, pleaded guilty to felony counts of Identity Theft and Theft by False Pretense.  Vanhorn also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing and Practicing as a Registered Nurse Without a License.

From March 23, 2023, through September 8, 2023, Vanhorn falsely represented to potential Delaware employers that she was a licensed RN.  In early June of 2023, Vanhorn used fictitious educational and licensing credentials to obtain conditional RN employment at a Delaware long-term care facility.  In mid-June 2023, Vanhorn used the personal identifying information of a Pennsylvania Registered Nurse in an initial attempt to obtain a Delaware RN license.  Vanhorn continued her attempts to obtain a Delaware RN license in September 2023, submitting a falsified Pennsylvania nursing license to the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation (“DPR”).

This conviction results from an investigation by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (“MFCU”), a unit within the Delaware Department of Justice’s Fraud & Consumer Protection Division, following a referral from DPR.  Vanhorn was sentenced to a total of 10 years’ incarceration, suspended immediately for one year of supervised probation.  She was also fined $500.00 and ordered to pay restitution.  Vanhorn’s conviction will be reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank and to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General.

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 $2,115,488.00 for Federal fiscal year (“FFY”) 2025.  The remaining 25 percent, totaling $705,162.00 for FFY 2025, is funded by the State of Delaware.

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