CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – A man accused of posing as a nurse in Clay County pleaded not guilty to several charges on Tuesday, according to the court portal.
Julien Williams was arrested back in March in Michigan with his fiancée, Alexiea Irwin, and charged with 14 counts of practicing medicine without a license, one count of criminal use of personal identification, and one count of schemes to defraud.
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While posing as a nurse, according to investigators, Williams oversaw the care of an elderly man who died of natural causes last year.
“You may ask, why weren’t they charged with murder or manslaughter or something like that?” Cook said. “The fact of the matter is after a long and exhausting investigation, there was no evidence to prove these charges. As stated previously, the elderly person in this case passed away due to natural causes.”
While the couple was not charged directly with the elderly man’s death, court documents show an investigation into the man’s death by the Agency for Health Care Administration led to Jacksonville-based BrightStar Care losing its license in November.
READ: AHCA final order in BrightStar case
The owner was also suspended from running any other health care companies for five years.
The elderly man died of natural causes on Oct. 13, 2024, while under Williams’ care, investigators said.
According to the AHCA investigation, the patient had both a tracheotomy and a gastric tube and needed 24-hour registered nurse care in his home.
According to the AHCA report, early on Oct. 13, 2024, the man started to show signs of respiratory distress, but instead of alerting the man’s spouse, “staff member ‘E’” -- identified by Cook as Williams -- turned off the oxygen monitor alarm and gave the man “sugar water” for his very low blood sugar level.
All of this was captured on video, investigators said.
The video also showed Williams starting to give the man a bath, even though he was unresponsive. Investigators said Williams never performed CPR or called for help.
When the man’s adult child showed up, they called 911, but it was too late, and the man died in the home.
According to the sheriff’s office, Williams’ fiancée Irwin worked at BrightStar Care handling patient information, scheduling and human resources duties in September 2024.
Irwin convinced the company to hire Williams by falsifying documents to help him get the job as a home health aide, even though he was not qualified to apply for the position, Sheriff Cook said.
Williams was untrained as a home health aide and wasn’t a licensed nurse, so Irwin used a former licensed practicing nurse’s identity and employment information to help Williams pose as a nurse, Cook said.
Under the falsified credentials, Williams was assigned as the in-home nurse for the elderly patient who later died.
The fraud investigation was sparked after family members of the elderly man became suspicious of Williams’ experience and because Williams and Irwin left the company shortly after the man’s death.
The CCSO issued arrest warrants for the couple after an extensive monthslong investigation.
Williams was extradited to Clay County jail on April 17.
