Pittsburgh woman accused of working as nurse without license at area nursing homes

Staff and wire reports

To aid in an ongoing investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation is requesting health care agencies and providers in the state to review their employment records due to an investigation of suspected fraudulent activities involving Shannon Nicole Womack.

Womack is alleged to have used at least 10 aliases to pose as a licensed practical nurse, registered nurse, and registered nurse supervisor at rehabilitation and nursing home facilities in various regions across Pennsylvania.

She is charged with securing the nursing positions through staffing agencies by submitting fraudulently signed documents and also by creating a false LLC to deploy herself to jobs.

Reports indicate Womack worked at each of these jobs for only a short time.

Investigators confirmed Womack used the following aliases in various parts of the state: Shannon Nicole Parham, Shannon Nicole Abiola, Shannon Nicole Armstrong, Shannon Abiola- Parham, Shannon Nicole Grimes, Shannon Nicole Womack, Shannon Nicole Lawson, Shannon Nicole Lethco, Shannon Nicole Robinson, and Shannon Lee Lawson.

If any of the names listed above match any employment records at a provider’s facility, they are urged to contact PSP Washington at 724-223-5200.

State police filed charges against Womack on Monday, following an investigation that began when she was pulled over for traffic violations on April 5 on Interstate 79 in Cecil Township, Washington County.

Police said she used an identical or similar alias when she worked shifts at three Allegheny County facilities: • Corner View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood from March 4-17, in the role of a registered nurse supervisor.

• Eldercrest Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Munhall from March 9-27, as a registered nurse.

• Harmar Village Care Center in Cheswick from March 10-13, as a registered nurse.

According to police, she was placed on “do not retain” status at all four facilities because of professional misconduct.

Police said in a criminal complaint that Womack was found to have prescription drugs belonging to three Corner View residents in her vehicle and that she stole 13 doses of oxycodone, 5 mg each, from a medical cart at Harmar Village and altered a drug tracking log at that facility.

It was unclear what misconduct Womack was accused of at Oak Hill and Eldercrest. Workers who answered the phone at those two nursing homes Monday evening declined comment. Attempts to reach the facilities’ parent company, New Jersey-based GBK Eight LLC, weren’t immediately successful.

The Pennsylvania Department of State confirmed that Womack is not licensed as a medical professional in the state, state police said. Investigators said they could not confirm that she is so licensed in any state. They said they learned from the Georgia Board of Nursing that she reportedly has been using identities of multiple nurses, some of whom she previously worked with, to obtain work since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic — with multi-state licensing being accepted.

Investigators said, in the complaint, that she “went as far as creating her own staffing agency, which was not legitimate, in order to pick up shifts.” They said she was “operating as an unlicensed professional across multiple states, taking advantage of employers to ultimately negatively impact patients/residents by stealing medication for her own benefit and not administering it appropriately.”

Police said Womack additionally was placed on “do not retain” status at:

• Greenery Center for Rehab and Nursing in Canonsburg, where she worked four shifts in the capacity of a licensed practical nurse and two shifts as a registered nurse from Oct. 1 through Oct. 6 — and was accused of professional misconduct

• Beaver Valley Healthcare and Rehabilitation, where she worked as a registered nurse from Feb. 3 through Feb. 23 — accused of professional misconduct

• Sayre HealthCare Center in Bradford County, where she worked as a registered nurse on Feb. 17 and 18 — rated with poor performance

• St. Mary’s Home of Erie, where she worked as a registered nurse on April 2. Police said prescription drugs belonging to residents were found in her vehicle

• Southmont of Presbyterian SeniorCare in Washington County, where she worked beginning March 1 — accused of professional misconduct. Police said 5 mg doses of oxycodone were missing from her medical cart, affecting five residents.

When Womack was pulled over for traffic violations on April 5 in Washington County, police discovered she was wanted on warrants from four states including Georgia. They further found that she had used about 20 different aliases and seven different Social Security numbers.

She is charged with theftand drug-related violations, two counts of corrupt organizations and multiple counts each of forgery, identity theft, falsely pretending to hold a professional license, unlawful use of a computer and endangering the welfare of a person in her care.

Womack was arraigned Monday before District Judge James Saieva Jr. in Canonsburg and was placed in the Washington County jail after failing to post $250,000 bail. She faces an Aug. 12 preliminary hearing before Saieva.