A nurses' aide from Jackson who tended elderly patients in Ocean and Monmouth Counties risks lengthy prison time if convicted of forging her state certification.

Jennifer Pizzuti, 32, was indicted by a grand jury in Ocean County, according to the office of acting New Jersey Attorney General Robert Lougy.

The most serious charge, falsifying a government document, is a second-degree count, carrying a possible prison term of five to 10 years on conviction, plus a fine of up to $150,000.

Pizzuti's indictment also includes third-degree charges of forgery, uttering a forged writing, and uttering a false government document, and a fourth-degree count of falsifying or tampering with records.

Each third-degree count could mean three to five years of incarceration and possible $15,000 fines. The fourth-degree charge is punishable by up to 18 months in prison and fines up to $10,000.

Pizzuti was employed by R.J. Healthcare Services of Asbury Park, with a two-year certification from the New Jersey Department of Health, issued in 2013.

In March 2015, state officials opted to withhold renewal "until she cleared up some outstanding issues that could disqualify her application," according to Lougy's office, which did not elaborate on their nature.

She allegedly created a certification document on her own, submitted it to R.J. Healthcare, and took assignments in the Pine Brook Rehabilitation and Care Center of Manalapan, Bella Terra assisted living complex in Jackson, and the Laurel Bay Health and Rehabilitation Center in Keansburg, until last June.

Lougy's office did not indicate whether she has retained an attorney. The state's case was presented to the grandjury by Deputy Attorney General Melissa M. Simsen.

Tips of possible insurance fraud can be reported anonymously to the New Jersey Insurance Fraud web portal, or to 1-877-55-FRAUD.