HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A former Houston VA nurse has surrendered her nursing license after pleading guilty to lying about the care she gave a veteran the night he died, according to a letter form the Texas Nursing Board.
On Aug. 11, Christiana Ogbonnaya pleaded guilty to making or using false documents, according to federal court records.
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Prosecutors said Ogbonnaya falsely reported in the VA software system that she visited James Duplechain three times between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. on a night in July 2024.
Records show she last checked on Duplechain at 8:45 p.m. and did not return until 4:40 a.m., when she found him unresponsive. He was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later. A medical examiner said the veteran hanged himself.
Ogbonnaya was charged in May 2025 with lying about patient rounds. At the time, a VA spokesperson confirmed that she was no longer employed at the center, but Texas Board of Nursing records showed her nursing license was still active.
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On Sept. 2, the board said it accepted the voluntary surrender of Ogbonnaya’s license to practice nursing in Texas.
She is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 27.
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