Ex-school nurse arrested on ID theft, wire fraud charges

A former Searcy elementary school nurse wanted for wire fraud and identity theft has been arrested in Missouri by federal authorities, a U.S. attorney said in a statement Thursday.

Susan Boyce, 59, formerly of in Pleasant Plains, was arrested Wednesday night in Howell County, Mo., U.S. Attorney Christopher Thyer said in a news release.

Authorities sought Boyce for five counts of wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of misuse of a social security number, according to a September 2012 indictment.

The attorney's office spokesman Cherith Beck said Boyce has pleaded not guilty to the charges on Thursday afternoon in federal court. Boyce's trial has been scheduled March 3 before U.S. District Judge Brian Miller.

Boyce worked as a school nurse for about five years at the Sidney Deener Elementary School in Searcy from August 2007 to June 2012, according to the indictment.

The indictment states that the Searcy School District considered Boyce for the school nursing position after she had submitted a previous application under an alias, "Suzanne Boyce Pitts," in which she claimed to be a registered nurse. Boyce purportedly submitted Form W-4 tax withholding documents using another person's social security number and an application with a registered nurse licensing number that wasn't hers.

Boyce received about $175,100 over her five-year tenure as the elementary school's nurse, the indictment states.

Authorities located Boyce after receiving a lead from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Thyer said.

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