MIAMI — The death of a patient receiving in-home health care led his family to discover the nurse was a fraud, with an entirely forged work history, according to investigators in Florida.
Julien Williams now faces 14 counts of practicing medicine without a license, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said in a video posted March 18 to Facebook.
The patient died of natural causes on Oct. 13, about one month after Williams was hired as a live-in nurse, Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook said.
“Our detectives launched a fraud investigation … when family members became suspicious of Williams’ qualifications and the fact that … Williams left the company shortly after the death of the loved one,” Cook said.
The patient was identified as retired U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Kensworth Moody of Fleming Island by WTLV. He was 69 and battling kidney disease, an obituary reports.
An investigation into Williams’ background revealed his credentials were falsified by his fiancée, Alexiea Irwin, who worked in the office of Jacksonville-based BrightStar Care, Cook said.
Irwin started with the company in September and got Williams hired as a nurse after transferring a former employee’s work history onto Williams’ applications, officials said.
“Julien Williams was not trained as a home health aide nor was he trained as a nurse. He was not licensed as a nurse,” Cook said.
“Williams, using these fake credentials, was eventually paired with a local Clay County family and oversaw the care of the elderly man in our community. This man required 24-hour care and skilled nursing assistance. Williams would work out of the family’s home, with the impression of legitimate skilled nursing care.”
Williams and Irwin left BrightStar Care after the patient died, and were found March 17 in Michigan by U.S. Marshals, Cook said.
They are charged with 14 counts of practicing medicine without a license, one count of criminal use of personal identification information and one count of schemes to defraud, Cook said.
An investigation found no evidence that Williams caused Moody’s death, she said.
As of March 18, the two suspects were “awaiting extradition back to Clay County,” Cook said.
By MARK PRICE/Miami Herald
