Fake Nursing Diploma Scheme in Florida; 25 arrested
MIAMI – Florida federal authorities charged 25 people with participating in a wire fraud scheme that created an illegal path for aspiring nurses to obtain a license and find a job.
Newly released federal grand jury indictments allege defendants participated in a fraud that sold more than 7,600 fake nursing diplomas from three nursing schools in Florida, federal officials said at a news conference in Miami Wednesday afternoon. Prosecutors said the scheme also included transcripts from nursing schools for people seeking licenses and jobs as registered nurses and licensed practical/professional nurses. The defendants face up to 20 years in prison each.
“This not only raises public safety concerns, but also casts a shadow on the reputation of nurses who actually do the complex clinical and coursework required to obtain professional licenses and employment,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Marchenzie Lapointe.
Lapointe added that “a fraud scheme like this undermines public confidence in our healthcare system.”
Fake diplomas and transcripts allowed those who bought them to sit for the National Council of Nursing exams. Prosecutors said if they passed, they could get licenses and work in various states.
Schools involved – Siena College, Palm Beach School of Nursing and Sacred Heart International Institute – are currently closed.
Some of those who acquired diplomas were from the Haitian-American community of South Florida, including those with legal LPN licenses who wanted to become registered nurses, according to the Miami Herald.
“Healthcare fraud is nothing new in South Florida, as many scammers see it as a way to make easy, albeit illegal, money,” Acting Special Agent Chad Yarbrough said Wednesday.
He said it was particularly troubling that more than 7,600 people across the country had received fake credentials and were potentially holding important health positions while treating patients.
Selling and buying nursing diplomas and certificates to “desiring but unqualified persons” is a crime that “potentially endangers the health and safety of patients and offends the honorary profession of nursing,” said Special Agent Omar Perez Aybar. However, it has not been established that any of the nurses harmed the patients.
Between 2016 and 2021, students paid a total of $114 million for fake diplomas, the newspaper reported. Some 2,400 of the 7,600 students ended up taking the licensing exams, mostly in New York, according to federal officials. Nurses certified in New York are allowed to practice in Florida and many other states.
Many of these people could lose their certification, but most likely won’t be prosecuted, federal officials said.
Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed without permission.
Dallas Press News – Latest News:
Dallas Local News || Fort Worth Local News | Texas State News || Crime and Safety News || National news || Business News || Health News
texasstandard.news contributed to this report.
