Alleged ‘imposter’ nurse arrested under fraud warrants

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- A woman accused of posing as a nurse and working without a license has been arrested in El Paso Thursday, according to jail records. Forty-three-year-old Margarita Gonzalez' arrest comes after a Doña Ana County jury indicted her in May.

Jail records said the El Paso County Sheriff's Office arrested her under several warrants for fraud charges -- including for health care and possessing someone else's identifying information. Records said the offenses reportedly took place between January 2023 and July 2025.

Her bond totaled $130,000. Jail records said some of the charges she faced didn't have bond.

In May, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez charged Gonzalez with 34 counts of misconduct for allegedly impersonating nurses in Texas to get a job in Las Cruces. If convicted, she faces up to 100 years in prison.

The New Mexico Department of Justice alleged she administered narcotics to minors and nearly caused a patient's death.

According to a NMDOJ investigation, Gonzalez illegally administered injections and prescribed medicine, including narcotics to eight children.

The investigation also alleged she incorrectly dosed a patient with insulin, which could have caused a serious incident or death, NMDOJ said. Another nurse caught the mistake before the patient got the dose.

NMDOJ said Gonzalez worked at the following places, which all paid compensation based on the fraudulent licenses:

• Village at Northrise
• Las Cruces Wellness and Rehabilitation
• Peak Behavioral Health
• Matrix Home Care

In October 2025, the Texas Board of Nursing issued an imposter alert accusing Gonzalez of posing as a nurse.