The Flagler County Sheriff's Department, along Florida's east coast, has arrested a woman who faked being a nurse at a local hospital for 18 months and treated thousands before being uncovered.
The Department posted this week that it had arrested 29-year-old Autumn Bardisa of Palm Coast and charged her with impersonating a registered nurse. She was hired as an advanced nurse tech in July 2023 at Advent Health in Palm Coast, about an hour's drive south of Jacksonville.
Investigators with the department said she supplied documentation that had discrepancies, which were noted at the time she was hired, and she never cleared up the paperwork.
Bardisa had been involved with providing care for about 4,400 patients up through January of this year. Then she was promoted. Another review of her licensing documentation, initiated by another employee, prompted administrators at Advent Health to terminate her employment when she could not provide the required verifications.
Sheriff Rick Staly said in the department release that, "This is one of the most disturbing cases of medical fraud we've ever investigated." He said Bardisa "potentially put thousands of lives at risk by pretending to be someone she was not." Staly said Bardisa violated the trust of patients and their families and "an entire medical community."
As of Wednesday, Bardisa was being detained on a $70,000 bond, according to the department.
A Facebook user posted in response to the department's release, "How did it ever ever get this far?! I can't even visit a patient without showing a photo ID! Shame on Advent!"
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.