Three people were found guilty for their roles in distributing fake nursing diplomas from two South Florida nursing schools, after a three-week trial where prosecutors accused the defendants of corrupting the healthcare field.
Gail Russ, registrar of the Palm Beach School of Nursing in Lake Worth, Florida; Cassandre Jean, owner and operator of Success Nursing Review in Brooklyn, New York; and Vilaire Duroseau, owner and operator of the Center for Advance Training and Studies in West Orange, New Jersey; were found guilty of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges on December 15.
These defendants were charged, along with eleven co-defendants, for their involvement in a scheme to sell fraudulent nursing degree diplomas and transcripts obtained from two private nursing schools that were once approved by the State of Florida to issue diplomas and transcripts to individuals seeking licenses and jobs as registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPN/VNs).
The bogus diplomas and transcripts qualified purchasers 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.
$10,000+ for fake credentials
The overall scheme involved the distribution of more than 7,600 fake nursing diplomas by Palm Beach School of Nursing and Quisqueya School of Nursing LLC in Palm Beach County.
Prosecutors said that students paid between $10,000 and $20,000 for bogus academic credentials. These schools are now closed due to the excessive failure rates of their students taking the state nursing board exam.
Those nursing applicants who passed the National Nursing Board exam used the fraudulent diplomas to obtain RN or LPN/VN licenses and nursing jobs with unwitting healthcare providers throughout the United States.
An additional eleven defendants entered pleas of guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
In total, 27 defendants were charged and convicted in 2023 for their participation in this nursing diploma fraud scheme, known as Operation Nightingale, that created an illegal licensing and employment shortcut for aspiring nurses.
The trio convicted on Friday will be sentenced on April 2 before U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal.
