Criminal charges were filed against a West Mifflin, Pa., nurse who allegedly fabricated insurance claims for cancer treatments for herself and her husband to support her gambling activity.

Diane Stanesic

Diane L. Stanesic, 56, allegedly submitted nearly $36,000 in fictitious cancer treatment claims to her insurance company, supposedly documenting treatments received by her and her husband, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

A total of 29 fraudulent claims were submitted between July 2007 and April 2008, according to a criminal complaint, detailing cancer treatment services never provided to the couple. The attorney general’s office said Stanesic used her background as a nurse to create claims that appeared to be legitimate, even though neither she nor her husband was ever diagnosed or treated by any physician.

Stanesic concealed the false claims from her husband, allegedly using the money from athe insurance claims to prevent her family from discovering her video poker losses, according to the complaint against her.

She is charged with one count each of insurance fraud, theft by deception and forgery, all third-degree felonies punishable each by up to seven years in prison and fines of $15,000. Stanesic also faces one count of tampering with records, a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.