Up to 7,600 fraudulent diplomas were sold at $15,000 each, authorities said. In coordination with our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG continues to aggressively investigate bad actors who so brazenly disregard the well-being of others in order to enrich themselves fraudulently.. According to the court documents, the nursing applicants used the fake diplomas and transcripts they purchased from the owner and employees of Palm Beach School of Nursing to obtain RN. Online tracking is available 24/7. Have a question about Government Services? Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida atwww.flsd.uscourts.govor athttp://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, Leading in Turbulent Times: Effective Campus Public Safety Leadership for the 21st Century. But last week, federal authorities arrested 25 people and shut down the Palm Beach School of Nursing and two other colleges after investigators uncovered an elaborate web of money wiring, recruiting, and criminal activity to hand out fake nursing diplomas and transcripts. U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe speaks at a news conference in Miami on Wednesday about a network of nursing school operators, centered in South Florida, who allowed students to buy diplomas without the proper training. The nursing candidates used the fake diplomas and transcripts they purchased from Sacred Heart to obtain LPN/VN licenses in various states and nursing jobs withunwitting health care providers throughout the country. Not only is this a public safety concern, it also tarnishes the reputation of nurses who actually complete the demanding clinical and course work required to obtain their professional licenses and employment, said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe, who added that a fraud scheme like this erodes public trust in our health care system.. Charges Related to Fraudulent Nursing Diplomas and Transcripts from Siena College. The seven nurses used the diplomas to become licensed nurses in Ohio, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. Nurses certified in New York are allowed to practice in Florida and many other states. For more information visit palmbeachstate.edu/international. Not only is this a public safety concern, it also tarnishes the reputation of nurses who actually complete the demanding clinical and course work required to obtain their professional licenses and employment, said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe, who added that a fraud scheme like this erodes public trust in our health care system.. : 23-60007-Cr-Singhal. or both | Get started now. The School of Nursing offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs, features state-of-the-art lab resources and offers students a holistic approach to the nursing profession. Note: Transcripts need to show a graduation date to be considered complete and official. More than 7,600 fake nursing diplomas were issued by the three nursing schools since 2016 at $15,000 each, netting them more than $114 million. Napoleon was previously charged by information and has pled guilty to conspiring to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, as well as wire fraud (case nos. Former student's signature, if 18 or over. There are two categories of defendants. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Clark is prosecuting this case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff is handling asset forfeiture. U.S. v. Witherspoon, et al., case no. The indictment alleges that these defendants solicited and recruited individuals who sought nursing credentials to gain employment as an RN or LPN/VN. USAFLS.News@usdoj.gov, Southern District of Florida (payment by credit card only). We will temporarily accept (due to COVID-19) clear copies of your high school diploma Around 2,400 of those people then passed a licensing exam to obtain jobs as registered nurses and . Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations, Miami Field Office; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs-Office of Inspector General; United States Postal Inspection Service, Miami; and Florida Attorney General-Florida Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Mid-Atlantic Field Office. The charges speak to the purpose of a nursing license which is to protect the public from harm by setting minimum qualifications and competencies. Were it not for the diligence and hard work of the investigators on this case, the extent of this fraud may not have been discovered.. This new webcast will discuss how campus public safety leaders can effectively incorporate Clery Act, Title IX, customer service, helicopter parents, emergency notification, town-gown relationships, brand management, Greek Life, student recruitment, faculty, and more into their roles and develop the necessary skills to successfully lead their departments. The school was licensed with the Florida Board of Nursing but it was terminated in 2017 due to low passing rates on the state certification exam. NOTE:If you exited the District within the past 3 years, contact the last school you attended to process your records/transcript request.Official GED transcripts: visit the Florida Department of EducationRequest GEDPostsecondary Career & Technical Education (CTE) transcriptsfrom the Department of Adult & Community Education: complete aPostsecondary Career & Technical Education (CTE) Transcript Requestform. An official website of the United States government. Investigators said about a third of the people actually are practicing medicine. If they passed, they were able to obtain licenses and jobs in various states,. Florida nursing schools sold 7,600 fake diplomas worth more than $100 Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. Napoleon was previously charged by information and has pled guilty to conspiring to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, as well as wire fraud (case nos. "I like to help people," said Brown, who concealed her face and didn't want to give her real name. NOTE: International students applying for F1 Visa / I-20 are advised to contact the office The Palm Beach County school, which operated on 2695 N. Military Trail in West Palm Beach, offered an Associate in Science degree. Defendants sold fraudulent nursing degree diplomas and transcripts obtained from accredited Florida-based nursing schools to individuals seeking licenses and jobs as registered nurses and licensed practical/vocational nurses, according to three recently unsealed indictments returned by a South Florida federal grand jury on Jan. 12 and information filed by federal prosecutors. Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Recruiters would bring "students" from other states to get the "shortcut" documents from the South Florida school. Carleen Health Institute of South Florida Nursing and Healthcare Programs Plantation Campus 8320 West Sunrise Blvd, Suite #204 Plantation, FL 33322 Get directions West Palm Beach Campus 4645 Gun Club Road, #11 West Palm Beach, FL 33415 (561)656-4720 Get directions Transcript Request - Florida Department of Education Miami, Fl. need The information against Sanon alleges that he and others sold thousands of fake Siena College nursing diplomas and educational transcripts to nursing applicants who used them to obtain RN or LPN/VN licenses in various states and nursing jobs with unwitting health care providers throughout the country. The overall scheme involved the distribution of more than 7,600 fake nursing diplomas issued at a cost of about $114 million. The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers ( AACRAO) can also assist former students in locating information related to offsite storage of transcripts for schools that are no longer standing. Ten people helped recruit people looking to obtain fake degrees. But last week, federal authorities arrested 25 people and shut down the Palm Beach School of Nursing and two other colleges after investigators uncovered an elaborate web of money wiring,. Students applying to a Limited Access Program (Nursing, Fire Science, EMT, Etc.) Prosecutors alleged recruiters arranged with Palm Beach School of Nursings owner, Napoleon, and school employees Gail Russ, Cheryl Stanley, Krystal Lopez and Ricky Riley to create and distribute false and fraudulent diplomas and transcripts. President and Employee of Ft. Lauderdale Business Indicted for Fax Line: (305) 530-7679. Siena College, the Palm Beach School of Nursing and Sacred Heart International Institute allegedly handed out more than 7,600 fake diplomas between 2016 and 2021. U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida, Fraudulent Nursing Diploma Scheme Leads to Federal Charges Against 25 Defendants, South Florida Marketer Sentenced to Prison Term for Buying and Selling Over 2.6 Million Medicare Beneficiary Identification Numbers, South Florida Marketer Pleads Guilty to Role in Scheme Involving Purchase and Sale of Millions of Medicare Beneficiary Identification Numbers, Ardid de Estafa de Diploma de Enfermera Conduce a la Detencin de Ms de Dos Docenas de Acusados. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing. Prosecutors said the scheme also involved transcripts from the nursing schools for people seeking licenses and jobs as registered nurses and licensed practical/vocational nurses. Miami, Florida - Today, a Miami federal grand jury returned an indictment charging two Lauderhill residents for their roles in a fraud conspiracy that sold fake nursing degrees to people who had not completed the required nursing coursework or clinicals. The school was licensed with the Florida Board of Nursing but it was terminated in 2017 due to low passing rates on the state certification exam. After passing the exam, they became eligible to become licensed in several states, where they eventually found jobs as licensednurses. Palm Beach State College (PBSC) requires all incoming students, whether first year RELATED: Considering & Choosing a Nursing School. The fake diplomas and transcripts qualified those who purchased them to sit for the national nursing board exam. The charging documents describe Siena College as a Broward County school licensed by the Florida Commission for Independent Education and the Florida Board of Nursing that offers a Practical Nursing Program and an RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program. the issuing institution. BSO Deputy Hospitalized After Multi-Vehicle Crash in Deerfield Beach, Police Investigate Separate Car Thefts in Miami, Broward, Tornado Touched Down in Palm Beach Gardens Leaving Destruction in Its Wake. AICE, AP, IB, or CLEP Please submit these transcripts electronically to transcriptevaluation@palmbeachstate.edu. The nursing applicants used the fake diplomas and transcripts they purchased from the owner and employees of Palm Beach School of Nursing to obtain RN or LPN/VN licenses in various states and nursing jobs with unwitting health care providers throughout the country. It is alleged that these defendants arranged with Sanon, who managed Siena College and is charged by information with wire fraud conspiracy, to create and distribute false and fraudulent diplomas and transcripts. Adrien offered the undercover employee a degree from the Palm Beach School of Nursing and training for a licensing exam in New York at a cost of $16,000, according to an FBI affidavit. Nurses are frustrated by months-long delays to get licensed in some states, Short-staffed and COVID-battered, U.S. hospitals are hiring more foreign nurses. Now theyve filed complaints with their state attorneys to try and see how they can get their money back. Required fields are marked *. : 23-60005-Cr-Smith, U.S. v. Sanon, case no. : 23-60010-Cr-Smith, U.S. v. Etienne, case no. Closed Palm Beach School of Nursing linked to federal arrests in diploma scheme, Tornado that tore through Palm Beach Gardens had winds of at least 100 mph, Trees toppled, homes damaged, cars overturned in tornado, Tornado tosses boat from cove onto lawn in North Palm Beach, Unofficial Boca Bash to draw thousands of boaters Sunday, Cleanup underway after tornado rips through North Palm Beach neighborhood, Verhaeghe scores in OT as Panthers eliminate Bruins from playoffs, Butler, Heat start semifinals with 108-101 win over Knicks, National Weather Service upgrades tornado to EF2 with peak winds of 130 mph. This discussion will help participants analyze, understand, and assess their own program effectiveness. date. Some of those who purchased degrees were from South Florida's Haitian-American community, including some with legitimate LPN licenses who wanted to become registered nurses, the Miami Herald reported. Stop the bleeding. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe; acting Special Agent in Charge Chad Yarbrough, FBI, Miami Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Omar Perez Aybar, HHS-OIG, made the announcement. Southern District of Florida | Fraudulent Nursing Diploma Scheme Leads The phony credentials were sold by three South Florida-based nursing schools: Palm Beach School of Nursing in Palm Beach County, FL, Sacred Heart International Institute in Broward County, FL, and . "Not only is this a public safety concern, it also tarnishes the reputation of nurses who actually complete the demanding clinical and course work required to obtain their professional licenses and employment," said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe. Defendants in each case face wire fraud-related charges. Transcripts should be complete showing all final grades and if applicable graduation In fact, the aspiring nurses never completed the necessary courses and clinicals. attended. The School District of Palm Beach County serves more than 189,000 students who speak 150 languages and dialects. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, South Florida Sports Headlines Newsletter. About 7,600 students paid an average of $15,000 for bogus diplomas, according to prosecutors. all right, chris, thank you. 2018 School Referendum (Expiring 6/30/2023), African, African American, Latino, Holocaust, and Gender Studies, Elementary, Middle and High School Subject Areas, ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), Implementation Plan for Required Instruction, Instructional Materials (Textbook) Adoption, International Baccalaureate (IB) Programs, McKinney-Vento Program (MVP) - Homelessness, Physical Education and Health (Elementary Schools), Physical Education, Health and Drivers Ed (Middle and High Schools), Reproductive Health and Disease Education, School Environmental Safety Incident Reporting (SESIR), Student Internship and Volunteer Opportunities, 2021-2022 School Grades and School Improvement Ratings, Certification - Military Veterans Pathway, Fingerprint/ Background Check/ Drug Testing, Compensation and Employee Information Services, Deputy Superintendent and Chief of Schools, Multicultural Education and Migrant Education Programs (MEP), (Diversity) Small, Minority and Women-Owned - Vendors/Suppliers, Coordinated Planning Agencies - Vendors / Suppliers, Link to Student Transcript / Records Request, Student Transcript / Records Request PBSD 1457. Pay a non-refundable application fee of $150.00. MIAMI Twenty-five people have been charged in a wire fraud scheme that created an illegal licensing and employment shortcut for aspiring nurses at three now-closed schools, including the Palm Beach School of Nursing, federal prosecutors said Wednesday afternoon. Florida Public High Schools and Charter schools Please request that transcripts be submitted electronically via FASTER. * Diplomas are not accepted as proof of high school completion or in place of transcripts. Practical Nursing Program Description don@palmbeachintcollege.com Associate Of Science In Nursing Degree Program (ASN) Individuals with prior criminal circumstances on their background check may not be eligible for licensure or employment. 'Operation Nightingale' also targeted 2 schools in Broward County. submitted as .pdf attachments. Additionally, companies such as Parchment provide services for transcript recovery for a nominal fee and can even provide official digital copies to the school directly. Fourteen of those charged are linked to the Palm Beach County school. The other 10 charged were listed as recruiters, including seven from New Jersey or New York. Siena College, Palm Beach School of Nursing and Sacred Heart International Institute all based in south Florida combined to distribute more than 7,600 fraudulent diplomas worth over $100 million or roughly $15,000 per diploma, federal prosecutors said. What is disturbing about this investigation is that there are over 7,600 people around the country with fraudulent nursing credentials who are potentially in critical health care roles treating patients. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. An affidavit said about 175 graduates of the Virginia nursing school applied to the Maryland Board of Nursing, with 62 licensed practical nurses actively working in Maryland. Main Office: "The most important thing for us was to make sure, to the extent were talking about health care, is that we stop the bleeding," Lapointe said. a course-by-course commercial evaluation completed by an approved agency. The overall scheme involved the distribution of more than 7,600 fake nursing diplomas issued by three South Florida-based nursing schools: Siena College in Broward County, Fla., Palm Beach School of Nursing in Palm Beach County, Fla., and Sacred Heart International Institute in Broward County. Can You Be Referred to as a Doctor If You Earn a DNP? In 2021, an undercover FBI employee met with Fort Lauderdale businessman Geralda Adrien at her Fort Lauderdale office. The school was licensed with the Florida Board of. : 23-60010-Cr-Smith, U.S. v. Etienne, case no. "What do we learn when somebody gets injured? Palm Beach International College | Admissions

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