IPNEWS-MIAMI: Three now-shuttered South Florida nursing schools sold more than $100 million worth of fake nursing diplomas, leading authorities to charge more than two dozen people, federal prosecutors said Wednesday afternoon.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe and representatives from FBI Miami and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General spoke at a news conference in Miami Wednesday.
Authorities charged 25 people across multiple states in the scheme, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors have made 21 arrests, with two more suspects expected to surrender in the coming days. Those charged were from Florida, New York, New Jersey, Texas and Delaware.
“Individuals have been charged across multiple states with wire fraud crimes, including conspiracy,” Lapointe said.
They dubbed the crackdown “Operation Nightingale,” after legendary nurse Florence Nightingale.
Lapointe said in the scheme, owners, operators and employees of three formerly-accredited South Florida nursing schools would sell fake diplomas and transcripts for an average of $15,000.
That group made up the first category of those charged.
“The nursing candidates had done no work for these diplomas,” he said.
The three schools were the Sacred Heart International Institute in Fort Lauderdale, Siena College of Health in Lauderhill and the Palm Beach School of Nursing in West Palm Beach.
The second category of defendants included recruiters who would bring “students” from other states to get the “shortcut” documents from the South Florida schools, Lapointe said.
“This was truly large-scale,” he said.
Over 7,600 fake nursing diplomas were sold by the South Florida schools, according to prosecutors.
“We’re looking at around $114 million paid for these documents,” Lapointe said.
Nearly a third of the fake diploma-holders could be practicing, officials said. Those diploma-holders were able to pass a written nursing exam.
“The last thing we want to learn is that the nurses administering the medications, the ones charged with carrying out a doctor’s orders took shortcuts on their clinical training and used fake nursing diplomas to get their licenses and jobs,” Lapointe said. “Unfortunately, thousands of people have taken these shortcuts.”
Many of those who bought the phony degrees had health care experience, Lapointe said, including licensed practical nurses.
“Whether or not you passed the licensing test, to me, that’s beside the point,” he said. “To me, if you pass the test, but you haven’t done (required clinical modules), that’s no redemption in any way whatsoever.”
Lapointe said agents have alerted nursing boards across the country about the fraud.
An FBI special agent said South Florida “lead(s) the nation in health care fraud” and said state nursing boards may be taking action against the accused fraudulent nurses.
Officials said they have not learned of any harm to patients linked to those who received fraudulent diplomas, but did say they are working with state licensing boards to ensure anyone who received a fraudulent diploma no longer provides care.
“We know who they are,” Lapointe said.
The following people were charged in the case:
Gail Russ
Cheryl Stanley
Krystal Lopez
Ricky Riley
Norberto Lopez
Francois Legangeur
Reynoso Seide
Cassandre Jean
Yelva Saint Preux
Evangeline Naissant
Rony Michel
Vilaire Duroseau
Yvrose Thermitus, aka “Yvrose Thompson”
Ludnie Jean
Serge Jean
Simon Itaman
Anna Itaman
Rhomy Louis
Nadege Auguste
Stanton Witherspoon
Alfred Sellu
Rene Bernadel
Eunide Sanon
Charges Related to Fraudulent Nursing Diplomas and Transcripts from Siena College.
U.S. v. Witherspoon, et al., case no.: 23-60005-Cr-Smith
U.S. v. Sanon, case no.: 23-60013-Cr-Moreno
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. Eugene Sanon managed Siena College.
The indictment charges defendants Stanton Witherspoon of Burlington County N.J.; Alfred Sellu of Burlington County N.J.; and Rene Bernadel of Westchester County, N.Y. with conspiring to commit and committing wire fraud. 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. 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. These fake documents represented that the aspiring RN and LPN/VN candidates had attended Siena College’s nursing program in Broward County and completed the necessary courses and clinicals to obtain RN or LPN/VN diplomas. In fact, the aspiring nurses never completed the necessary courses and clinicals.
The information against Stanton 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 healthcare providers throughout the country.
Charges Related to Fraudulent Nursing Diplomas and Transcripts from Palm Beach School of Nursing.
U.S. v. Russ, et al., case no.: 23-60007-Cr-Singhal
According to the charging documents, Palm Beach School of Nursing’s objective was to prepare students to meet Florida’s licensing and nursing board requirements and become eligible to take the national licensing exam in order to work as registered nurses.
The indictment charges Gail Russ of Broward County; Cheryl Stanley of Collier County, Fla.; Krystal Lopez of Palm Beach County; Ricky Riley of Broward County; Norberto Lopez of Palm Beach County; Damian Lopez of Palm Beach County; Francois Legagneur of Nassau County, N.Y.; Reynoso Seide of Union County, N.J.; Cassandre Jean of Palm Beach County; Yelva Saint Preux of Suffolk County, N.Y.; Evangeline Naissant of Nassau County, N.Y.; Rony Michel of Monmouth County, N.J.; Vilaire Duroseau of Essex County, N.J.; and Yvrose Thermitus, a/k/a “Yvrose Thompson,” of Union County, N.J., with conspiring to commit, and committing, wire fraud. The indictment alleges that these defendants solicited and recruited individuals who sought nursing credentials to gain employment as an RN or LPN/VN.
It is alleged that these recruiter defendants then arranged with Palm Beach School of Nursing’s owner Johanah Napoleon and school employees Gail Russ, Cheryl Stanley, Krystal Lopez, and Ricky Riley to create and distribute false and fraudulent diplomas and transcripts representing that the aspiring RN and LPN/VN candidates had attended Palm Beach School of Nursing and completed the necessary courses and clinicals to obtain RN or LPN/VN diplomas. In fact, the aspiring nurses never completed the necessary courses and clinicals.
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. 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. 22-60111-Cr-Smith and 22-60118-Cr-Smith).
Charges Related to Fraudulent Nursing Diplomas and Transcripts from Sacred Heart International Institute
U.S. v. Jean, et al., case no.: 23-60010-Cr-Smith
U.S. v. Etienne, case no.: 23-60012-Cr-Singhal
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.
The indictment charges Ludnie Jean of Harris County, Texas; Serge Jean of Harris County, Texas; Simon Itaman of Harris County, Texas; Anna Itaman of Harris County, Texas; Rhomy Louis of Suffolk County, N.Y.; and Nadege Auguste of Broward County with conspiring to and committing wire fraud. It is alleged that these defendants solicited and recruited individuals who sought nursing credentials to gain employment as an LPN/VN. These recruiters then arranged with Charles Etienne, Sacred Heart’s owner, to create and distribute false and fraudulent transcripts and diplomas representing that the aspiring candidates had attended Sacred Heart and completed the necessary courses and clinicals to obtain LPN/VN diplomas. In fact, the aspiring nurses never completed the necessary courses and clinicals. Etienne is charged by information with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
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 with unwitting health care providers throughout the country.
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.
FBI Miami and HHS-OIG Miami investigated these cases. 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. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Clark is prosecuting this case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff is handling asset forfeiture. This case is being prosecuted in conjunction with a related criminal matter in the Eastern District of Maryland.
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
