A homeless man is facing six charges of identity theft after racking up thousands of dollars in medicinal bills in order to receive medical treatment from three different hospitals.
Perla Serrano, who appeared to be a woman, is actually a 51 year-old man who has been appearing as a “she” for the past 13 years after stealing an Orange County woman’s identity.
“He had enough personal information, including the victim’s address, to obtain some type of health care card under the victim’s name,” said Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
“When confronted with the true facts by deputies, this person insisted he was the victim,” Amormino told NBC News.
Serrano was initially arrested after violating a city ordinance when he was caught sleeping overnight along El Camino Real in San Clemente. When confronted, he identified himself as Perla Serrano.
Serrano was described as wearing ” a female-type sweatshirt with a hood, or female-type shirt or blouse, not necessarily a dress,” according to Amormino.
Police contacted San Clemente Hospital after noticing that Serrano was wearing a hospital identification bracelet with another name on it. Serrano has charged more than $100,000 in medical services.
Serrano now faces numerous charges including false impersonation, burglary and grand theft according to ABC News.