Fake Nurse Worked in a Jail and Hospitals for a Year Before Being Caught—Here’s How
- A New Orleans woman impersonated a Registered Nurse for over a year.
- Because she used real credentials from another nurse, she was able to work undetected at three different facilities before getting caught.
- The 32-year-old woman was eventually arrested after an anonymous tip to the Louisiana Board of Nursing.
Making it through a nursing program can be a challenge, but one New Orleans woman allegedly decided to opt out of nursing school completely—and simply pretend to be a nurse.
Somehow, 32-year-old Shakeenya Cooper allegedly impersonated a Registered Nurse and was able to work at different healthcare facilities and a jail over the course of a year, all without proper licensing or credentials.
The facade crumbled in November 2024, when Cooper was arrested at the University Health Center.
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How She Pulled It Off
According to police reports, Cooper reportedly used fake registered nurse numbers and another nurse's stolen credentials to pretend to be a nurse. Because she used real credentials and license numbers, she passed standard background and employment checks.
Using her stolen credentials, Cooper was able to get hired at three different healthcare facilities in the New Orleans area:
- The Orleans Justice Center as a charge nurse from August to October 2024 as a contractor through Wexford Health
- Lafon Nursing Facility in New Orleans East from February to March 2025
- Finally, at the University Medical Center
It sounds like Cooper did raise some red flags, as she was confronted by employees at Lafon Nursing Facility who questioned her credentials.
However, when questioned, she reportedly disappeared and never returned, moving on to her next fraudulent position.
She was eventually caught when an anonymous tip was received by the Louisiana Board of Nursing.
How a Fake Nurse Affects Patient Care
While impersonating a nurse, Cooper did engage in hands-on patient care. For instance, she dispensed hundreds of doses of medication, reviewed charts, and accessed confidential patient information while working under false credentials.
The impact of an unlicensed person taking care of patients could be dire, but legal experts have warned her past patients that legal recourse may be limited.
"If you want to sue a physician, there's money in a pool you can recover. That is not the case for this one. She is just a hustler on the street," FOX 8 legal analyst Joe Raspanti explained.
Cooper now faces multiple charges for her time pretending to be a nurse, including:
- Health care facility application fraud (2 counts)
- Unauthorized participation in medical assistance programs, misdemeanor (2 counts)
- False or fraudulent claim misrepresentation (2 counts)
- Unlawfully prescribing, distributing, dispensing or assisting in illegally obtaining controlled dangerous substances (2 counts)
- Professions and occupations – violations; penalty (2 counts)
The magistrate court set her bond at $10,000.
Could This Happen to Other Nurses?
The final place of Cooper's employment, University Medical Center, confirmed that Cooper passed all required hiring steps, primarily because she used a real nurse's identity.
The statement read: "All required hiring steps were followed; she cleared the background check only because she used another person's identity."
The fact that nursing license information is available publicly and online can give other RNs pause that another impersonator could steal their information. Nurse.org does provide tips on how to prevent nurse identity theft, such as regularly checking your license status and keeping your license private.
The American Nurses Association also recommends multi-layered verification approaches, including direct confirmation with licensing boards, personal reference checks, and periodic credential re-verification throughout employment.
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