Local News in Brief : Nurses Charged Over Test
Two registered nurses have been arrested on charges they arranged to be paid $5,000 to take a state licensing exam for a third woman who had previously failed the test, prosecutors said.
Charged by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office were Marianne Oro, 30, of Marina del Rey, her twin sister, Marilou Oro, of La Verne, and the woman who allegedly was willing to pay them the $5,000, Esmat Pira, 33, of Santa Monica.
Prosecutors said Pira first took the exam last October and failed with a score of 172. She signed up to take the test again in April and apparently passed with a score of 416.
But investigators later learned that Marianne Oro arranged for her sister to take the second exam for Pira, prosecutors said. In return, Pira paid $1,000 to Marilou Oro and agreed to pay $4,000 more upon notification that she had passed.
The fraud was uncovered before the balance of the money could be paid, prosecutors said. Test officials learned of the ruse because Marilou Oro turned in her own photo identification card upon completing the test on behalf of Pira.
The three women were charged with three counts of conspiracy, two counts of forgery and one count of preparing false evidence.
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