A federal grand jury in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, has indicted a certified nurse assistant for their alleged involvement in a hospice fraud scheme. Potential sentencing includes more than two decades of imprisonment.

April Guadalupe Hernandez, 27, was an employee of Luna Del Valle Hospice, LilyCare of New Mexico and Hospice De La Luz. She allegedly assumed the identities of hospice nurses and illegally provided care to patients, according to a statement the New Mexico Department of Justice (NMDOJ) released on Wednesday.

Hernandez is charged with 19 counts of misconduct including allegations of identity theft, elder abuse, nursing without a license and Medicaid fraud, among other charges. An investigation by NMDOJ’s Medicaid Fraud and Elder Abuse Bureau found that Hernandez allegedly operated under stolen identities and mis-transcribed morphine medication to a patient, resulting in a nearly fatal dosage. If convicted, Hernandez faces up to 27.5 years in prison for all counts.

“To exploit trusting patients in their most vulnerable moments is unconscionable,” Attorney General of New Mexico Raúl Torrez said in the statement. “These charges send a clear message: the New Mexico Department of Justice will not tolerate those who endanger the safety of patients or betray the trust of our healthcare system. Anyone posing as a health care provider in New Mexico will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law as we continue to fight to protect those who are in their most vulnerable state.”

Hernandez is accused of violating the Nursing Practice Act and receiving $40,000 in fraudulent Medicaid dollars, all of which was paid compensation under the stolen nursing licenses.

She allegedly began falsifying Medicaid billing documentation in 2024 in a fraud scheme that lasted more than a year and a half, according to the NMDOJ. During that time, she stole the identities of two licensed nurse practitioners in California and Kansas, which were similar to her own. The stolen identities allowed Hernandez to “confuse” the hospice companies and “fly under the radar,” resulting in illegal care delivery and the near death of at least one patient, the NMDOJ alleged.

Hernandez faces nearly $50,000 in potential fines and possible penalties of six counts of fourth-degree felonies, three counts of third-degree felonies, nine misdemeanors and one petty misdemeanor, according to a grand jury indictment.

Hernandez allegedly “knowingly or recklessly” failed to act in a manner that prevented physical or psychological harm to a resident, the grand jury indictment stated.