A neurotic scammer was nabbed by Florida cops in the middle of a staged job interview Monday, following a weeks-long probe into his alleged scheme posing as a nurse for hire using his roommate’s stolen credentials.
Joseph Thomas Kinney, 55, was arrested by officers with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office after a hiring manager at a Florida clinic reported him in August for applying with fraudulent nursing credentials.
Kinney’s original licenses, which he held in Alabama, California, and Florida, were revoked in 2022 due to several alarming violations, including diverting drugs from his employer and driving under the influence of drugs, according to the sheriff’s office.
The manager first encountered Kinney during a previous interview at the Indigo Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation in Daytona Beach in October 2024, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by ClickOrlando.
At the time, the manager recalled Kinney was clearly nervous and provided dubious documents, including a driver’s license with inconsistent details, according to the affidavit.
When authorities caught wind that Kinney was trying to apply for yet another position in DeLand, Fla., they sent detectives to stand in as faux hiring coordinators, according to the VCSO.
Kinney was arrested without incident upon arrival, but appeared befuddled as he looked between the five deputies taking him into custody, according to body camera footage released by the sheriff.
“What did I do?” He asked.
During their investigation, authorities claimed that Kinney had applied for 10 to 15 nursing jobs throughout Central Florida with the same stolen certifications. He was even hired for two positions in Seminole and Orange counties, but only held down the job for less than a week each time.
It’s unclear if Kinney was fired from the two gigs or lost his nerve and quit.
Before his licenses were nullified, Kinney was disciplined for repeated violations, including diverting drugs from his employer, driving under the influence of drugs, providing false information, and unprofessional conduct, according to the sheriff’s investigation.
Kinney was booked on charges for two counts of practicing health care without a license and is being held at the Volusia County Jail on a $20,000 bond.
In August, another Florida resident in a county just 40 miles north of Volusia was arrested for working under a fake nursing license for a staggering two years.
The woman’s employers only realized the glaring discrepancy once she was up for a promotion.
During her two-year stint, the knockoff nurse treated more than 4,000 patients.
Read the full article here