McALLEN – A San Benito man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for aggravated identity theft.
Juan Manuel Perez, 36, pleaded guilty to using another man’s ID so he could pose as a licensed vocational nurse.
Perez started working for Cleveland Health Care LLC in McAllen in Dec. 2014.
Prosecutors say the license number Perez used belong to another man with the same name. They say Perez is not licensed by the Texas Board of Nursing and is not an LVN.
Perez posed as a nurse when he made home visits and gave medical care to patients of the health care company from Dec. 2015 through July 2016.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez handed Perez a mandatory 24-month sentence.
Judge Alvarez said Perez’s misappropriation of the LVN’s identity had denied patients the right to receive health care from a licensed professional.
