A woman in Las Vegas who reportedly pretended to be a nurse specializing in diabetic care for children is facing 73 charges related to her alleged crimes. Police arrested Crystal Scott, 44, after an observant school nurse realized something was wrong and contacted authorities. Scott apparently duped many families whose children are lucky to be alive.
Scott was affiliated with a business called Glucose & Glow, which still maintains an Instagram page. The business is described as “Personalized endocrinology & aesthetics care that balances health & enhances your glow.” According to court documents obtained by KLAS, Scott used two doctors’ professional identities without their consent and obtained the license number of a nurse who works at a Las Vegas hospital. With that information, she allegedly fraudulently wrote at least two dozen prescriptions with forged signatures.
Shockingly, police reported she was using these credentials to gain the trust of parents and treat young diabetic patients, according to the outlet.
“By falsely representing herself as a registered nurse, Scott assumed a position of trust with vulnerable families who relied on her for critical medical treatment for their diabetic children,” police noted in a report. “Scott provided false assurances to parents, pharmacies, and school officials, all while lacking any professional license or medical oversight.”
When police arrested Scott, she reportedly had diabetic supplies in her possession as well as forged documentation and completed lab orders. The Clark County School District nurse who uncovered the ruse had noticed something strange on a student’s medical order, KLAS reported. The unidentified nurse contacted the physician whose license was on the order, and the doctor had no idea what she was talking about.
An alleged victim spoke to KLAS under the condition of anonymity, saying the allegations against Scott disturbed her. “She put a lot of people at risk, and some of them don’t even know,” the person said.
The mother added that families with young diabetics are easy to take advantage of. “I think it’s really important to add how difficult it is to get into a specialist,” she said, adding that wait lists can be as long as six to nine months.
Scott appeared in court on October 2 and posted a $50,000 bond. Her lawyer, Jack Buchanan, shared a statement about his client with KLAS.
“Bail for Ms. Scott was set today in accordance with arguments made on her behalf, highlighting her virtual complete lack of criminal history, standing in the community as a veteran of our armed services and as a loving mother herself,” he wrote. “The complexities of this case will no doubt be litigated in the future to show she at no point meant, or is criminally culpable, of harm to any child within the Las Vegas valley.”
Scott faces 73 charges, including 17 counts of forgery, 12 counts each of practicing or offering to practice nursing without a license, child abuse, neglect, or endangerment, and furnishing a dangerous drug to a minor. She also has been charged with three counts of obtaining or using personal identity information of another to harm or for an unlawful purpose.
Any parent of a diabetic child knows just how challenging it is to keep the condition under control. Diabetes that is not managed correctly can have serious and sometimes deadly consequences. Capitalizing on a parent’s vulnerability and endangering the life of a child is abhorrent behavior, and if she’s found guilty, Scott deserves the maximum penalty the law allows.
