Former friend claims Ont. woman accused of posing as a nurse for 4 years stole her identity

The former friend of a woman accused of falsifying documents to pose as a nurse in Simcoe County for four years claims the accused stole her identity.

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The former friend, who wishes to remain anonymous, said the two were friends for six years before she discovered the alleged fraud.

“I was shocked,“ she said in an interview with CTV News on Tuesday. “I’m still shocked.”

Provincial police said Hailey Roberts, 33, of Tiny Township worked as a nurse, conducting full nursing duties despite being unregistered to do so, at multiple health care facilities between September 2020 and April 2024.

They said she falsified employment applications, certificates, resumés, reference checks, and police checks by modifying the name to resemble active nurses with good standings to get nursing jobs.

• Related | Ont. woman posed as registered nurse in Simcoe County for 4 years: OPP

“She was a really good actor,” her former friend said, adding she had no idea what was happening until a series of speeding ticket notices and letters from Service Ontario arrived in the mail.

“And that’s when I got dinged with a ‘your licence is suspended,” she said.

Knowing those tickets weren’t hers, she said she spoke with police and learned Roberts had stolen her identity.

The former friend said she began looking online into Hailey Roberts history and said she discovered the woman she though was her friend had worked as a nurse at long-term care homes in Midland and Elmvale, including Sara Vista Long-Term Care home, but wasn’t licensed to work as a registered nurse.

“She said that she was a nurse … fast-tracked it too. It wasn’t me. I just thought she’s working at Sara Vista; obviously she has the credentials that she needs,” the former friend said.

A former boyfriend, who also didn’t want to be identified, claims Roberts pretended to be pregnant with his child.

“Even went as far as to find an ultrasound picture on Google and sent it to my ex-wife,” he alleged.

The man said he dated Roberts years ago, claiming she took out home phone, TV, internet, and cell phone services under his name without his knowledge.

“Probably, I would say [it] got close to 15 to $20,000 out of my own personal money,” he added.

Provincial police said Roberts turned herself in on Sunday. She faces 19 charges, including five counts of identity fraud, six counts of using, dealing, and acting on a forged document, and three counts of assault with a weapon, among others.

“She deserves to go to jail. The people who did get treated by her, whether it was good or bad, they still deserve justice, and that’s why I’m doing the interview, because I think the word needs to be spread,” Roberts’ former friend said.

Roberts is out on bail with her next court appearance scheduled in a week.

The allegations against her have not been tested in court.