A Jacksonville woman was arrested on Monday morning for practicing as a health care professional without a valid Florida license.
Amy Suzanne Pohlman, 48, falsely claimed to be an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) and to have a PhD, while working as a nurse administrator for Ponte Vedra Home Care starting in 2015.
The investigation into Pohlman's false claims began in June 2016 when company officials became suspicious of her background when attempting to determine if the suspect's license was still valid. Officials were unable to determine if she was licensed and notified the Department of Health.
The suspect shortly thereafter resigned from her position. Detectives within the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office Special Victim's Unit in accordance with a medical investigator from the Florida Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud took over the investigation.
After further investigation, it was discovered that the suspect had created a fake ARNP license. The investigation also revealed that Pohlman never earned the PhD she claimed, nor did she have any nursing-related degree. She has also been charged with performing a physical exam on an applicant of Ponte Vedra Home Care.
A fake plaque from the Trustees of the Mayo Clinic: Alzheimer's Disease Research Center was discovered to be on display in her office. It was determined that there never was such an award and the suspect had in fact paid to have the plaque created for her.
Pohlman is currently being held in St. Johns County Jail on a $50,000 bond. Additional charges are pending further investigation. Any persons who may have come in contact with Pohlman in a professional capacity is asked to contact SVU Detective David Rosado with the SJCSO at 904-209-2161.
Source: FirstCoastNews, HWN Africa.
: 2017-03-13 18:16:33 | : 1813