Fraudster who posed as nurse in seniors’ homes sentenced to 18 months of house arrest

The fraudster who pretended to be a nurse in a seniors' home has been sentenced to 18 months of house arrest.

The Barrie, Ont. woman who stole the identity of a licensed nurse so she could work in long-term care homes during the pandemic, despite having no training or qualifications to do so, will not be going to jail.

Hailey Roberts, 34, left the Collingwood courthouse following the ruling of Justice Esther Rosenberg who decided not to send Roberts to actual jail. Instead, Rosenberg sentenced Roberts to 18 months of house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor followed by curfew for the final six months of a two-year conditional sentence.

Roberts walked into the Collingwood courthouse Thursday morning wearing a medical mask to cover her face, along with sunglasses. Her parents were by her side for the proceedings, also wearing medical masks.

Roberts had previously spent a few weeks in jail in North Bay after her surety revoked her bail and was living with her parents who secured her bail in August. Roberts was arrested and charged a year ago by provincial police with several fraud counts along with assault with a weapon when victims of fraud came forward to police to share how Roberts had assumed their identities.

In June, Roberts pleaded guilty to nine charges, including using forged documents, fraud under false pretenses, impersonation for financial gain, and assaulting seniors when she used needles to administer medicine and vaccines to 58 patients in local seniors’ homes.

The Crown had sought two years less a day behind bars along with three years of probation. Justice Rosenberg gave the defence what it had asked for from the court.

Defence lawyer Mitch Eisen told the court, during the sentencing hearing in September, that at a time when the healthcare system needed help during the height of the pandemic, Roberts stepped up, albeit without proper credentials or a license to work as a nurse, caring for the community’s most vulnerable people.

Crown Attorney Sarah Sullivan told the court Roberts was “not an unsung hero of a beleaguered healthcare system, she is the exposed villain of it.”

The Crown also sought restitution from Roberts totalling about $118,000 for the victimized long-term homes she took payment from while pretending to be a licensed nurse in good standing. That nurse, through a victim impact statement read to the court in September’s hearing, described fear, anxiety and an overwhelming sense of being violated by Roberts. Justice Rosenberg did not order restitution.

According to those who know her, Roberts has faked brain cancer and fooled two men into thinking she was pregnant. A Barrie landlord said Roberts squatted in her home and never paid a dollar.

The judge wished Roberts well, hoping the convicted fraudster will learn her lesson.

As part of her sentence, Roberts was ordered to perform 240 hours of community service.