Florida woman arrested for allegedly posing as registered nurse, treating over 4,000 patients
Autumn Bardisa was taken into custody on August 5 at her home—still wearing medical scrubs—following a seven-month investigation by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
A 29-year-old woman in Florida has been arrested on suspicion of impersonating a registered nurse and providing medical services to thousands of patients without a valid licence.
Autumn Bardisa was taken into custody on August 5 at her home—still wearing medical scrubs—following a seven-month investigation by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities say Bardisa worked at AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway from July 2023 until January 2025, during which time she allegedly treated 4,486 patients. Sheriff Rick Staly described the case as “one of the most disturbing cases of medical fraud we’ve ever investigated.”
Investigators claim Bardisa used the licence number of another nurse with the same first name who worked at a different AdventHealth facility. She allegedly explained the discrepancy by claiming she had changed her surname after marriage, but failed to provide a marriage certificate when asked.
Concerns surfaced in January when Bardisa was offered a promotion, and a colleague noticed her nursing assistant licence had expired. Her contract was terminated soon after, triggering the criminal probe.
She now faces seven counts of practising a healthcare profession without a licence and seven counts of fraudulent use of personal identification.
“This woman potentially put thousands of lives at risk by pretending to be someone she was not,” Sheriff Staly said.
Bardisa is being held at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility on a $70,000 bond. The Sheriff’s Office has set up a dedicated email—fakenursecase@flaglersheriff.com—for patients who believe they were treated by her.
