The defendants are charged with wire fraud and conspiracy. But many current Florida schools still have low passage rates. "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," he added. Employed at an assisted living facility in New Jersey. 25 Arrested and Charged in Fraudulent Nursing Diploma Scheme That Use our interactive map to locate an Apria branch near you. 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. Florida nursing scheme: Where are they now? - NewsNation Since graduating from Northern Arizona University with a dual major in journalism and photography, he got his professional start at OUT Magazine, The Advocate and Teen Vogue, and he's since consistently kept his finger on the pulse of the LGBTQ community. It is alleged that these recruiter defendants then arranged with Palm Beach School of Nursings 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. 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. Theory $700.00. Eunide Sanon managed Siena College. All three schools are now closed, but the corrupt behavior by their owners and employees not only abused federal financial aid dollars; it has also endangered the public. "I'm confident that there will be a level of accountability that all of these individuals will face," Aybar said. Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary (714-256-1311) has a campus located at 251 South Randolph Street in Brea. This course is designed for those who already hold a certification as a Nursing Assistant. Expand with Google Search, How you'll get hands-on with your education. "I am so happy I decided to attend Siena College of Health. Contact Us! The fact that people took an easy route to make money, which is ridiculous in my mindset, because Ive made lots of money as a nurse, but I did not go into nursing for that reason. Miami, Fl. The MSCHE is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). They will do all in their power to enhance and honor the profession. "Many scammers see this as a way to earn easy, though illegal, money," Chad Yarbrough, acting special agent in charge with the FBI in Miami, said in a statement. Lock 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.. The College reserves the right to change requirements and regulations as necessary at any time without . 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. Federal law enforcement officials underscored the high stakes of the scheme, saying that it potentially jeopardized patients' health and safety -- and that standards for safe nursing care cannot be purchased -- only learned. HIV/AIDS $15.00. 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.. Among those charged include Stanton Witherspoon and Alfred Sellu of Burlington County, NJ. Investigators allege that Adrien and Predestin assisted individuals in acquiring fake diplomas and transcripts from nursing schools in Broward and Palm Beach counties by falsely documenting that the individuals had completed the necessary courses and/or clinicals. ", "The alleged selling and purchasing of nursing diplomas and transcripts to willing but unqualified individuals is a crime that potentially endangers the health and safety of patients and insults the honorable profession of nursing," said Special Agent in Charge Omar Prez Aybar of Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). Here's what we know: Both candidates stumped in Florida, where Joe Biden has a narrow edge over President Trump in new polls. 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. We cant turn off the sun, so heres some tips to help minimize its effects on your car. : 23-60013-Cr-Moreno. Napoleon has already pled guilty in case, admitting last year to conspiring to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. 33132, Telephone: (305) 961-9001 : 23-60007-Cr-Singhal. Below is the list of 34 notable alumni from Siena College sorted by their wiki pages popularity. Im wondering how they were made to believe that this would be a safe way to get into the nursing field, Warren said. : 23-60005-Cr-Smith, U.S. v. Sanon, case no. Nursing | Siena College Each of the 25 defendants face up to 20 years in prison if convicted in connection with the alleged sale ofmore than 7,600 combined fraudulent nursing school degrees. At present, theres no known racial motivation behind the crime. Siena College of Health is dedicated to prepare students for personal and professional success without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, age, disabilities, sex or gender. From internships to research to service, Saints get real world experience now, not later. The indictment alleges that these defendants solicited and recruited individuals who sought nursing credentials to gain employment as a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse or vocational nurse. 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 complaint, information, or indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. All three schools have since been closed, and the defendants face up to 20 years each in prison if convicted, the Justice Department stated. In the most recent quarterly accounting, released last week, Florida, which had by far the largest number of exam takers with 3,658, had only a 55 percent pass rate worse than every state except Wyoming, where just six people took the exam and three of them passed. 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. Crimes such as these unfortunately continue to spring up, especially in this area. Florida nursing schools sold thousands of fake diplomas totaling $100M Officials said the forged diplomas and transcripts were sold from what had been accredited schools to aspiring nurses, in order to help candidates bypass the qualifying requirements necessary to sit for the national nursing board exam. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. FBI Miami and HHS-OIG Miami investigated these cases. This discussion will help participants analyze, understand, and assess their own program effectiveness. NCLEX-RN pass rate among first-time test-takers: 94.0% Average number of ADN students graduating annually: 320 Data analyzed: Calendar years 2010 through 2019 #7: Polk State College 999 Avenue H NE | Winter Haven, FL 33881 https://www.polk.edu (267-284-5011) www.msche.org. Siena College - Profile, Rankings and Data | US News Best Colleges 5 Plead Guilty in Florida Fraudulent Nursing Diploma Scheme All three of the schools were approved by school accrediting agencies and the state of Florida and therefore were eligible for taxpayer funded federal student grants and loans to enroll and teach aspiring nurses. Officials said they had "not learned of, nor uncovered any evidence of patient harm stemming from these individuals potentially providing services to patients" -- but it was the potential for that harm to patients that was precisely the concern. Etienne is charged by information with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Cybersecurity and Enterprise Risk Management, Environmental Studies and Environmental Science, Health Professions / Pre-Med / Pre-Health, Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), Marketing Communications and Digital Marketing, Not-for-Profit and Governmental Accounting, Not finding what you need? According to three recently unsealed indictments returned by a South Florida federal grand jury and two informations filed by federal prosecutors, defendants engaged in a scheme to sell fraudulent nursing degree diplomas and transcripts obtained from accredited Florida-based nursing schools to individuals seeking licenses and jobs as registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPN/VNs). 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. / CBS Miami. Crimes such as these unfortunately continue to spring up, especially in this area. Thank you. Siena College Broward County X X 02/22/2023 Suncoast College of Health Bradenton X X 02/22/2023 Techni-Pro Institute, LLC Boca Raton X X 02/22/2023 ***The Excelsior College Program*** Albany, NY X 7/25/2006 Virginia School of Nursing and Medical Institute Practical Nursing Program Springfield, VA X 11/18/2020 . Now federal authorities have charged 25 people accused of participating in the scheme. 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. All rights reserved. The upper division nursing coursework is . i3. In addition, Rhomy Louis of Suffolk County, N.Y., and Nadege Auguste of Broward County are also charged with conspiring to and committing wire fraud. Rather, they did fast-track them to take the national nursing exam, which is required to become a registered nurse. These schools are now closed. It was a tribute to former Stanford teammate Katie Meyer, who died by suicide last year. As to Sacred Heart, prosecutors allege that that schools owner, Charles Etienne, worked with recruiters in Florida, Texas, and New York to sell fake degrees. Siena College policy prohibits discrimination against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status, and acts in conformity with all applicable state and federal laws. Caring for elderly patients in New York and Texas. Mr. Trump abruptly canceled his North Carolina rally, citing bad . "These people didn't go through that. 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. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Defendants in the alleged scheme, if convicted, face a statutory maximum of 20 years in jail for the charges of wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy, the DOJ said. Specifically when we talk about a nurse's education, and credentials - shortcut is not a word we want to use," said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe. We investigate and uncover the buying and selling of politicians and of institutions entrusted with upholding the public interest. "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, Palm Beach. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. "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," Yarbrough said. We expose how big money distorts major policy decisions harming our economy and our people. 2023 Emerald X, LLC. As FBI Miami acting Special Agent in Charge Chad Yarbrough said in a Justice Department press release, 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.. Investigators havent learned of any patient harm resulting from the scheme, according to a federal investigator who spoke to NewsNation. 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. "This is probably one of the most brazen schemes that I've seen. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Siena College of Health - Nursing School and Allied Health Training Leading in Turbulent Times: Effective Campus Public Safety Leadership for the 21st Century. All three schools have since closed, according to officials. The ABC report said officials told them that nursing candidates who allegedly participated in the scheme would pay as much as $15,000 for the fraudulent diplomas. Broward College "I encourage those of you -- if you're in a setting and you happen to have someone that may not be practicing up to the standards as you understand it, maybe if you see something, say something.". These recruiters then arranged with Charles Etienne, Sacred Hearts 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. The bogus diplomas and transcripts qualified purchasers to sit for the national nursing board exam, authorities said. The MSCHE is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). About 30% of those students passed the national exam and went on to work for a health care provider, Perez Aybar said. Main Campus 7491 W Oakland Park Blvd. The defendants include "owners, operators and employees" of the schools who "prepared and sold fake nursing school diplomas and transcripts to nursing candidates, knowing that the candidates would use those false documents to one, sit for nursing board examinations, secure nursing licenses, and three ultimately obtain nursing jobs in medical facilities -- not only in Florida, but elsewhere across the country," Lapointe said. The school offers classrooms and simulation/laboratory facilities. Whether you're interested in concerts, speakers or an event at Casey's student lounge, Siena has something for you. Trump Tires of Economic Message and Returns to Attacks Amid Florida Six of the schools Carleen Health Institute of South Florida, Med-Life Institute, Myrielle School of Nursing, Nursing Bridges Institute, Palm Beach International College, and Techni-Pro Institute did not appear at the hearing to contest the action, but the seventh, Suncoast College of Health in Bradenton, did appear and said the current owner was not implicated. The videos below provide an overview of each standard: Siena College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. ) In fact, the aspiring nurses never completed the necessary courses and clinical," federal officials said. 2023 Cloud Security Technology Deep Dive Report, How Mobile Access Control Credentials Improve Security & Convenience. A report from ABC News said officials reported the scheme involved peddling more than $100 million worth of bogus nursing diplomas and transcripts over the course of several years -- fake credentials that were sold to help "thousands of people" take "shortcuts" toward becoming licensed, practicing nurses. In fact, the aspiring nurses never completed the necessary courses and clinicals. 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. "Not only is this a public safety issue, but it also tarnishes the reputation of nurses who actually did the hard clinical and coursework required to get licenses and jobs," Lapointe said. 25 charged in fraudulent nursing diploma scheme centered in South Florida.