'Imposter nurse' arrested for using 20 aliases to illegally treat patients

Muri Assunção, New York Daily News on Jul 22, 2025

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A woman posing as a nurse is accused of using nearly two dozen aliases to illegally treat patients at multiple facilities in Pennsylvania, authorities said Monday.

Shannon Nicole Womack, 39, was initially arrested in April after providing Pennsylvania State Police with false identification during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 79 in Cecil Township, CBS Pittsburgh reported.

An investigation later determined that around 20 aliases and seven different Social Security numbers were associated with Womack’s name, police spokesperson Rocco Gagliardi said at a press conference Monday.

Days after Womack’s initial arrest, investigators executed a search warrant on her vehicle and found prescription medications, medical records and equipment, and multiple forms of identification, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by the Observer-Reporter.

Although Womack is not licensed to practice medicine in any U.S. state, she allegedly worked nursing shifts at facilities in Allegheny, Erie, Washington, Beaver, Bradford and Westmoreland counties, according to Pittsburgh’s ABC affiliate WTAE.

“Womack obtained employment through staffing agencies and (was) able to create her own host agency,” Gagliardi told reporters. “She was picking up the phone and transferring those employment, jobs and careers to herself.”

According to police, Womack used the identities of four licensed nurses from other states to pose as a licensed practical nurse, registered nurse and nursing supervisor at rehabilitation and long-term care facilities throughout Pennsylvania.

The deception likely began in 2020 in the early days of the pandemic, police said

“During that COVID time, (health care facilities) got hit hard, and they needed help,” Gagliardi said. “So it wasn’t uncommon for these different residence locations, agencies, to reach out to host agencies and say we need some extra shifts filled. That started in 2020 and it was such an easy transition, she just kept going after that.”

Womack is charged with 43 counts, including identity theft, falsely pretending to hold a license and endangering the welfare of a care-dependent person, ABC News reported, citing court records.

She appeared in court Monday, where a judge set her bail at $250,000. She’s due back in court July 28 on charges stemming from the traffic stop. A preliminary hearing on the new charges is scheduled for Aug. 12.

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