Alleged fake nurse Lisa Driscoll charged with fraud, identity theft and stealing pills
Lisa Driscoll, 43, facing long list of charges related to work as unlicensed RN, LPN
A woman who worked at various long-term care homes in Newfoundland without proper credentials has been charged by two police forces with a long list of offences.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary in St. John's has charged Lisa Driscoll — who also went by surnames Strickland, O'Driscoll and Harris — with three counts of fraud, three breaches of probation, two counts of identity theft and one count of perjury. She's also facing one count of breaching the provincial Licensed Practical Nurses Act and one count of breaching the Registered Nurses Act.
Gander RCMP, meanwhile, have charged Driscoll with theft under $5,000 and identity theft. They're accusing Driscoll of stealing "a quantity of prescription medications" from residents at Lakeside Homes.
All the matters will be dealt with at provincial court in St. John's.
Driscoll made a brief court appearance by phone on Tuesday morning. She called in from the lockup in St. John's, and told the judge she had COVID-19. When asked if she understood the charges she was facing, Driscoll said yes.
The 43-year-old was flagged by Central Health in December after it was revealed she worked for a travel nursing agency and had done 25 shifts at Lakeside Homes as a registered nurse with the credentials of an actual nurse with a similar name.
Subsequent investigation by CBC News revealed she had also worked as an LPN at Chancellor Park in St. John's for more than a year, as well as stints at Lane's and Kenny's Pond. She's now charged with defrauding those three retirement homes in St. John's and stealing the identities of two real nurses.
CBC News also confirmed Driscoll — while going by "Lisa Strickland" — was convicted of negligence causing death in Hamilton after her four-year-old son died in 2017. She was sentenced in 2021 to 2½ years in prison, but only served an additional 75 days due to time served before sentencing. Driscoll returned home to Newfoundland after that. Court records show she's currently living in St. John's.
Driscoll was still on probation when she worked at the three St. John's nursing homes, prompting the charges for breaching court conditions.
According to the charges, Driscoll worked in St. John's between March 2021 and July of last year. The RNC says it was tipped off on June 10. Central Health says Driscoll started working in Gander in August and had her last shift in early November.
"Throughout the course of the investigation the RNC have determined that Driscoll has applied for and obtained nursing positions under various [surnames], including Driscoll, O'Driscoll, Strickland and Harris, with the use of similar given names," reads a release from the RNC.
Driscoll, who was arrested Monday, will spend at least one more night in the lockup while awaiting a bail hearing, which is scheduled for Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.