Rapist posing as nurse

Published

Posted on Thu, Nov. 20, 2003

Escaped rapist accused of posing as nurse

By ROBERT A. CRONKLETON

The Kansas City Star

Authorities have accused a convicted rapist who escaped from a Michigan prison 21 years ago of stealing the identity of a nurse and working at area health-care facilities.

Willis Taylor III, 47, made his first appearance Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., on one count of mail fraud. He allegedly sent a nursing license renewal application under the name of Kevin Michael Morrisroe.

At a hearing before U.S. District Judge James P. O'Hara, Taylor waived his right to a detention hearing and a preliminary hearing. His next scheduled court date is Dec. 16.

FBI spokesman Jeff Lanza said the FBI received information that a nurse's identity had been stolen and was being used fraudulently in the medical community.

Authorities arrested Taylor at 2 p.m. Tuesday as he reported to work at a medical center in Topeka, Lanza said.

When FBI agents checked Taylor's fingerprints, they discovered that he had escaped from prison in 1982.

"Up until that time, we were working the case as one of fraud and identity theft," Lanza said.

Lanza said Taylor had been convicted of aggravated rape in 1978 and sentenced to eight to 20 years.

"We are investigating the possibility that he has been masquerading as a nurse since his escape over the past 21 years," Lanza said. "It is so early right now, we don't know how many places he has been working or how many different states he has lived in.."

FBI agents do not think Taylor has had any training as a nurse, even though he has been involved with patient care, Lanza said. According to an affidavit by FBI Special Agent Tye M. Breedlove, an official with RehabCare Group Inc. of St. Louis told authorities in October that an individual, who later turned out to be Taylor, was pretending to be Morrisroe and was employed as a registered nurse at a subsidiary, Star Med Staffing Group in Overland Park.

While employed by Star Med, Taylor worked as a registered nurse at various hospitals in Kansas and throughout the Kansas City area, according to Breedlove.

Taylor used Morrisroe's identity to get nursing licenses in Missouri and Kansas, Breedlove said.

Reach Robert A. Cronkleton

at (816) 234-5994 or

[email protected].

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