Officials: 'Nurse of the Year' Not Really a Nurse
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A Connecticut woman who authorities say spent more than $2,000 to stage a dinner honoring her as "Nurse of the Year" has been charged with pretending to be a nurse at a doctor's office.
Fifty-six-year-old Betty Lichtenstein of Norwalk was charged Thursday.
Prosecutors say Dr. Gerald Weiss believed Lichtenstein was a registered nurse, especially after she was named the Connecticut Nursing Association's "Nurse of the Year" in 2008.
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According to the arrest warrant, that association does not exist.
The state's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit began investigating after a patient complained about Lichtenstein.
She faces up to five years in prison if convicted of reckless endangerment and criminal impersonation charges.
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Lichtenstein did not return a telephone message for comment.