Woman who faked being nurse practitioner, wrote prescriptions sentenced to 5 years in prison

PHOENIX — A woman who claimed that she was a nurse practitioner was sentenced Wednesday in Phoenix.

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In a news release, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office announced that Pamela O’Guinn, 58, was sentenced to five years in prison and three years of supervised probation. O’Guinn was convicted of fraudulent schemes and artifices, taking the identity of another and forgery for stealing an identity and claiming to be a nurse practitioner in Arizona.

Officials said patients visited with O’Guinn, who wrote them prescriptions and provided treatment, KTVK reported.

The Arizona State Board of Nursing received a complaint during a child custody hearing where O’Guinn claimed to be “Dr. Pamela Robinson,” the news outlet reported. The complaint prompted an investigation. O’Guinn also reportedly claimed to have provided a patient who was involved in the dispute with mental health services.

The Nursing Board found no record of “Dr. Pamela Robinson” during the investigation and reached out to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office for a criminal investigation.

Authorities also learned that O’Guinn had provided some patients with prescriptions for controlled substances while using a stolen identity, according to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.

O’Guinn has been investigated by state and federal agencies and investigators determined that she did not have a nursing license anywhere in the United States, KTVK reported.