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Subscribe to RSSLOS ANGELES -- Authorities say a man masqueraded as a female to get into three local hospitals, charging more than $100,000 in medical bills to a woman's medical card.
"He had enough personal information, including the victim's address, to obtain some type of health care card under the victim's name," said Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Jim Amormino of 51-year-old Perla Serrano.
Police said Serrano was arrested initially because he was found sleeping overnight along a roadside in San Clemente. Investigators described him as a transient, and believed he was a woman.
Read NBCLosAngeles.com's Man Dressed as Woman in Medical Claim Scam
"He wore clothes that females would wear, such as a female-type sweatshirt with a hood, or female-type shirt or blouse, not necessarily a dress," Amormino said.
He was also wearing an identification bracelet from a San Clemente hospital, one of three in South Orange County where he is accused of racking up $100,000 in medical bills, police said.
Serrano is facing six charges of identity theft, burglary and impersonation. The victim is said to resemble Serrano.
"This has been a nightmare for the victim," Amormino said, adding "as one could imagine."
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One would think that the first exam would blow his cover. Expose his deception, so to speak.
So he wracked up $100,000 in medical bills. What'd he do? Go in there because he had a cold and walk out with some antibiotics?
With todays costs, I would not be suprised if that is all he did.
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/03/16/homeless-man-gets-free-medical-care-for-13-years-in-california-by-posing-as/
According to Fox News, this 'homeless man' racked up the $100k in medical bills over a period of 13 years via ER visits. To be honest, that seems pretty inexpensive when you think about how much an ER visit can potentially cost between any potential radiology charges and the battery of lab tests he was probably given each time.
The real story should be aimed at the person whose identity he stole and why the hospital or her health insurance company allowed this to go on for 13 years without changing anything related to the ID card. The hospitals don't treat identity the way it's handled somewhere like an airport and it's really not that hard to believe that he was able to walk into the facilities looking like a an obvious tranny and given whatever treatment he needed.
I really can't even imagine the hell this woman was probably put through as a result of this man having acted as an imposter for so many years since it's very difficult to argue and win against the Health Insurance companies with anything once their mind is made up about something.
This is the new trend ....
Everyone wants everything for free ....
Not "everyone".
There are 300+million of us,only half pay taxes.He is worthless,kill him.
Welfare people get to stick the hospitals and/or the taxpayers with all their bills, but working stiffs have to work for decades with torn ligaments, bad knees, etc. because they can't afford to have the surgery.
I hate these identity thief scumbags; really, really hate them. They do so much damage, and it can take years to get everything cleared up. I feel so bad for the victim.