Healthcare in America has gotten so bad that nobody knows who to trust anymore.
The system is broken from top to bottom with incompetent bureaucrats running the show.
And a Florida man was caught red-handed using one trick that left hospital bosses speechless.
The fake nurse scheme that fooled everyone
Joseph Thomas Kinney thought he was smarter than everyone else in the room.
The 55-year-old from Lake Mary, Florida had his nursing license revoked in 2022 for some pretty serious stuff – diverting drugs from his employers, driving under the influence of drugs, providing false information, and unprofessional conduct.
But losing his license didn’t stop this guy from trying to keep working as a nurse.
Kinney cooked up a scheme that would make your head spin.
He started using another person’s identity to apply for nursing jobs all over Central Florida.
We’re talking about 10 to 15 different positions using fake IDs and stolen nursing credentials.
The guy even managed to get hired at two different facilities in Seminole and Orange counties.
But here’s the kicker – he only lasted less than a week at each job before something went wrong.
One hiring manager saw right through the con
A hiring manager at a Florida clinic started getting suspicious when Kinney applied for a position in August.
Turns out the manager had run into this character before at Indigo Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation in Daytona Beach back in October.
And let me tell you, red flags were flying everywhere during that first meeting.
Kinney was sweating bullets through the whole interview and handed over paperwork that looked about as legitimate as a three-dollar bill.
His driver’s license didn’t match up with what he was telling them, and the whole thing reeked of amateur hour.
So when word got back to authorities that this same joker was trying to pull the same stunt at another facility in DeLand, they figured it was time to have some fun with him.
Sheriff sets the perfect trap
The Volusia County boys weren’t about to let this slide.
They could’ve just rolled up to his house and slapped the cuffs on him, but where’s the entertainment value in that?
Detectives posed as hiring coordinators and set up a fake job interview with Kinney.
The guy took the bait hook, line, and sinker.
On Monday, Kinney showed up for what he thought was going to be another nursing job interview.
Instead, he walked right into a trap with multiple deputies waiting for him.
Body camera footage from the arrest shows Kinney surrounded by officers as they slapped the handcuffs on him.
"What did I do?" Kinney asked as he looked around at all the deputies.
Really? You used someone else’s identity, applied for more than a dozen nursing jobs using fake credentials, and actually worked at healthcare facilities treating patients without a valid license.
What did you think was going to happen?
Look at what this really shows us about our healthcare system
Here’s what should scare the hell out of everyone reading this story.
This guy managed to fool multiple healthcare facilities and actually got hired to treat patients.
We’re talking about someone whose nursing license was revoked for stealing drugs and driving under the influence.
And the system was so broken that he slipped through the cracks not once, but twice.
How many patients did this fake nurse treat during those brief stints at two different facilities?
The reports don’t say, but you can bet it was more than zero.
This isn’t just about one con artist in Florida – this exposes serious problems with how healthcare facilities verify credentials and do background checks.
If Kinney could pull this off so easily, how many other fake healthcare workers are out there right now treating patients?
The whole thing makes you wonder what other corners are being cut in our healthcare system.
When hospitals are so desperate for staff that they don’t properly vet people, patients are the ones who pay the price.
And this comes at a time when trust in healthcare is already at rock bottom after years of COVID lies and medical bureaucrats who care more about politics than patients.
Kinney is now sitting in Volusia County Jail on $20,000 bond facing two felony counts of practicing healthcare without a license.
The Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is also involved in the investigation.
But the real question is how many other Joseph Kinneys are out there right now, and what’s being done to stop them before they hurt someone?
¹ Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, "Man Arrested for Practicing Healthcare Without License," September 9, 2025.
² ClickOrlando, "Arrest Affidavit Details," September 10, 2025.
³ Daily Mail, "Fake Nurse Arrested After Applying for 10 Different Positions," September 10, 2025.
⁴ Gray News, "Man Arrested After Working as Nurse Without License," September 10, 2025.
