PEARLAND, Texas – A Sugar Land woman has been accused of posing as a psychologist in Pearland and even recommending treatments for patients.
Pearland police said Karena Garcia went into the Better Life Health Care office in Pearland in November to offer her psychology services.
Investigators said Garcia got lucky that Better Life, which helps adults and children with mental retardation, autism or any other disability, was looking to hire a psychologist.
After she was hired, the directors of the organization got suspicious.
"She didn't look very professional and there were typos on her certification," director Lisa Marino said.
The directors said they started digging online and found a Karina Garcia-Bravo, which was the same name on Garcia's email and resume.
"We found Karina Garcia-Bravo on the Internet and she was Hispanic and looked nothing like the woman that walked into our office," said Marino. "She would also always wear sunglasses, even during classes and at night."
The directors sent their suspicions to the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists and found out their gut feelings were right.
"The certificate she presented had errors, misspelled words and the size was smaller than the authentic one. When the TSBEP investigated, they found out it was fraudulent," said Lt. Onesimo Lopez with the Pearland Police Department.
Investigators put two and two together and contacted the real Dr. Karina Garcia-Bravo. She told police she was never hired as a consultant for Better Life Health Care and she had no idea how her identity was taken.
The names Karena Garcia and Karina Garcia-Bravo are so similar, police said, it was easy to steal the name and identity.
Garcia did about 10 sessions with clients before she was busted, investigators said The directors said Garcia even recommended treatment plans for her patients and they were very impressed how well done they were.
When she was arrested, police said they found drugs believed to have been cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs inside of her car.
She is in the Brazoria County jail charged with drug possession and tampering with government documents.