Five Maryland, Virginia and Florida residents have been hit with federal charges related to the production and sale of fraudulent nursing transcripts and diplomas, the De | In two cases announced . These schools are now closed. 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.". The indictment alleges that Witherspoon, Sellu, and Bernadel solicited and recruited individuals who sought nursing credentials to gain employment as an RN or LPN/VN. Latest posts by Amanda Bucceri Androus, RN, BSN. Brown, along with several students, left the program when they realized it was a scam. 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. Nurses certified in New York are allowed to practice in Florida and many other states. Johanah Napoleon, the school's president, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, as well as wire fraud in 2022. 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. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters. EunideSanon managed Siena College. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. According to authorities, the . According to the charging documents, Palm Beach School of Nursings objective was to prepare students to meet Floridas licensing and nursing board requirements and become eligible to take the national licensing exam in order to work as registered nurses. A copy of your driver license, state ID, or other form of photo identification showing your name, date of birth and signature is required. Each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison. 22-60111-Cr-Smith and 22-60118-Cr-Smith). All rights reserved. Former student's signature, if 18 or over. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Clark is prosecuting this case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff is handling asset forfeiture. She was not named in the indictment. How Do I Get Transcripts from a Nursing School That Has Closed? There are additional handling fees for paper transcripts. attended. 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. Required fields are marked *. Palm Beach State College prefers that transcripts be submitted electronically from 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. High School transcripts can be sent via secure PDF from the issuing institution to According to charging documents, Sacred Heart International Institute was a Broward County School licensed by the Florida Board of Nursing that offered a nursing program designed to prepare students for employment as practical nurses. Predestin worked at Docu-Flex and PowerfulU to help Adrien provide fake nursing diplomas and transcripts to students from the two schools in Broward and Palm Beach counties, the affidavit. 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. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. For example, the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE), which provides oversight of California's private postsecondary education institutions, is a depository for many closed schools and former students can request official transcripts from the archives. The Palm Beach County school, which operated on 2695 N. Military Trail in West Palm Beach, offered an Associate in Science degree. 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. Ten people helped recruit people looking to obtain fake degrees. Siena College. 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. FBI Miami and HHS-OIG Miami investigated these cases. at admissions@palmbeachstate.edu. Two co-defendants, Geralda Adrien and Woosvelt Predestin, also completed online courses on behalf of the fake degree purchasers. Practical Nursing Program Description don@palmbeachintcollege.com Associate Of Science In Nursing Degree Program (ASN) Upon request, Admissions staff will When Lucy Brown signed up for the Palm Beach School of Nursing, she thought she made the right choice. The philosophy of the School of Nursing at Palm Beach Atlantic University is one that is Christ-centered and focused on the success of the students . The School District of Palm Beach County Records Management 3300 Forest Hill Blvd., Suite B-201 West Palm Beach, FL 33406-5870 Email: recordsmanagement@palmbeachschools.org Phone: (561) 434-8550 Fax: (561) 434-8660 Qualified purchasers were allowed to sit for the national nursing board exam and, after passing it, to obtain licenses and jobs in various states as RNs and LPN/VNs. need Investigators said about a third of the people actually are practicing medicine. 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. The Palm Beach County school, which operated on 2695 N. Military Trail in West Palm Beach, offered an Associate in Science degree. Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. PLEASE NOTE: The contents of this website are for informational purposes only. 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.. It is alleged that these defendants solicited and recruited individuals who sought nursing credentials to gain employment as an LPN/VN. For more information visit palmbeachstate.edu/international. The college was run byEunide Sanon, who allegedly worked with three people, who are also charged, in New York and New Jersey who recruited aspiring nurses. When it was dissolved in 2020, the address w 1110 Sixth Ave. S. in Lake Worth Beach. These schools are now closed. Please note that Palm Beach State College will only accept original educational records In 2021, an undercover FBI employee met with Fort Lauderdale businessman Geralda Adrien at her Fort Lauderdale office. High School Graduate GED Student Home Education Graduate Out of Country Credentials College/University Transfer Student Group ranks health care industry's lowlights in 2022, FDA vaccine panel to consider annual COVID shots, Florida doc sentenced to 20 years in prison, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy, The DOJ is prosecuting participants in the alleged scheme in five separate cases. These fake documents represented that the aspiring RN and LPN/VN candidates had attended Siena Colleges nursing program in Broward County and completed the necessary courses and clinicals to obtain RN or LPN/VN diplomas. Varela/Miami Herald via AP minutes, too. MIAMI More than two dozen individuals have been charged in the Southern District of Florida for their alleged participation in a wire fraud scheme that created an illegal licensing and employment shortcut for aspiring nurses. official to Admissions at. MIAMI Federal authorities in Florida have charged 25 people with participating in a wire fraud scheme that created an illegal shortcut for aspiring nurses to get licensed and find employment. NOTICE: Under Florida law, email addresses are public record. *Diplomas are not accepted as proof of high school completion or in place of transcripts. 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. What You Need to Know About Angel's Trumpet, 40 Years Later, Adam Walsh's Abduction and Murder Not Forgotten in South Florida, Check Your Change! The diploma and transcripts arrived less than two weeks later from Palm Beach School of Nursing, showing a 3.4 grade point average. In her spare time she likes to read, travel, write, and spend time with her husband and two children. also accept certified copies of the documents. Can You Be Referred to as a Doctor If You Earn a DNP? Attorneys for defendants were not listed in a federal court database Thursday. It is alleged that these defendants solicited and recruited individuals who sought nursing credentials to gain employment as an LPN/VN. Palm Beach State College (PBSC) requires all incoming students, whether first year Students shouldcomplete anonline request for Florida GED Transcript. : 23-60007-Cr-Singhal. No students were named in the indictments. There is a $25.00 non-refundable fee for each duplicate diploma requested. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. U.S. v. Witherspoon, et al., case no. She was not named in the indictment. Many of those people may lose their certification but likely won't be criminally charged, federal officials said. Charges Related to Fraudulent Nursing Diplomas and Transcripts from Sacred Heart International Institute, U.S. v. Jean, et al., case no. Official websites use .gov This discussion will help participants analyze, understand, and assess their own program effectiveness. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Clark is prosecuting this case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff is handling asset forfeiture. The other group included owners, operators and employees of nursing schools to fake diplomas and transcripts. 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. Your email address will not be published. Individuals with prior criminal circumstances on their background check may not be eligible for licensure or employment. 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. directly). Napoleon already pleaded guilty to wire and health care fraud charges, the DOJ said. Copyright 2002-2023 Blackboard, Inc. All rights reserved. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, Public Affairs Unit 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. submitted as .pdf attachments.
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