Kenyan Woman Arrested in Arizona Over Alleged Nurse Impersonation
A Kenyan woman has been arrested in Arizona for allegedly posing as a registered nurse and using another person’s professional licence to work in hospice care facilities.
Arizona investigators say Christine Nyambura Muturi, who used the name Christine Lewis, faces felony charges including forgery, fraud, practising without a licence, and computer tampering. She was hired in August by Northern Arizona Hospice (NAZ) in Cottonwood after presenting herself as an experienced nurse with prior hospital work in Las Vegas.
She also submitted what appeared to be a valid multi-state nursing licence from Colorado. Concerns emerged soon after her hiring. Administrators discovered that the licence number she provided had been issued before she was born.
The genuine licence holder, nearly 30 years older, confirmed she did not know Muturi and had not allowed anyone to use her credentials. Muturi resigned from NAZ when questioned, but had already obtained another position at Golden Rose Hospice in Mesa.
The Cottonwood Police Department was notified, prompting a broader inquiry that confirmed Muturi had never been licensed to practise nursing in any US state. On 13 November, an undercover agent from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office met her while posing as the owner of a new hospice facility.
During the meeting, she allegedly repeated her claim of holding an active nursing licence, leading to her arrest. Muturi was taken into custody at her home in Mesa earlier this week.
Court records show she was denied bail due to her criminal history, which includes earlier arrests in Las Vegas for domestic battery and a fugitive-from-justice case in Los Angeles. Officials say additional charges may follow as they examine her work across hospice facilities.
