Man posed as woman for 13 years to get free medical care

A homeless man in Southern California is accused of stealing a woman's identity, and posing as the female victim for 13 years in a plot to get medical care.



Officers said the man, who used the name Perla Serrano, 51, stole the woman's identity to rack up more than $100,000 worth of medical treatment in emergency rooms at hospitals in Orange County for more than a decade.

Serrano was only discovered when an eagle-eyed sheriff's deputy in San Clemente noticed he was wearing a hospital wristband while sleeping outdoors. Police said they were able to determine that he had stolen the woman's identity.



Authorities have charged Serrano with felony counts of unauthorized use of personal identifying information, false impersonation, second-degree burglary and grand theft. He is being held in a men's jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.