Arizona woman who faked being a nurse practitioner during pandemic gets 5-year prison term

PHOENIX (AP) - An Arizona woman who faked being a nurse practitioner during the coronavirus pandemic was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison.

State prosecutors said 58-year-old Pamela O’Guinn pleaded guilty to fraud, forgery and identity theft.

The Arizona Board of Nursing began investigating O’Guinn after she falsely claimed that she was a medical professional and had been providing services to one of the parties in a child custody case.

Authorities said O’Guinn had been treating patients and writing prescriptions as a nurse practitioner under the name of "Dr. Pamela Robinson" between May 2020 and February 2021, which was during the height of COVID-19.

Court records show O’Guinn applied for nursing certification in Arizona by using personal information stolen from a Maine resident.

Prosecutors said O’Guinn worked at a wellness center in the Phoenix suburb of Youngtown before being arrested.