U.S. v. Russ, et al., case no. Telephone or Fax requests will not be honored. These Valuable Pennies Are Worth Thousands. Southern District of Florida 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. 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. 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. 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. What If My Nursing School Isnt Accredited? The Department of Justice along with the Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General carried out the investigation, dubbed Operation Nightingale. 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. all right, chris, thank you. Two co-defendants, Geralda Adrien and Woosvelt Predestin, also completed online courses on behalf of the fake degree purchasers. 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. Students should contact the Department of Education in the state the GED was earned : 23-60007-Cr-Singhal. And when I asked for the transcript, they sent us a fake transcript," she said. : 23-60005-Cr-Smith, U.S. v. Sanon, case no. 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. : 23-60010-Cr-Smith, U.S. v. Etienne, case no. EunideSanon managed Siena College. Charges Related to Fraudulent Nursing Diplomas and Transcripts from Sacred Heart International Institute, U.S. v. Jean, et al., case no. Many of those people may lose their certification but likely won't be criminally charged, federal officials said. Adrien and Predestin are also named as co-conspirators in the Siena College case. Student and Staff Safety: Addressing the Significant Rise in Mental Health Needs and Violence, Beyond Threat Assessment: Managing Threats with Appropriate Follow-up, Monitoring & Training, Mental Health in America: Test Your Awareness with This Quiz, Test Your Hospital Safety and Security Knowledge with These 9 Questions, IS-800 D National Response Framework Exam Questions. All rights reserved. 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. In her spare time she likes to read, travel, write, and spend time with her husband and two children. 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. In fact, the aspiring nurses never completed the necessary courses and clinicals. : 23-60005-Cr-Smith, U.S. v. Sanon, case no. 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. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. In fact, the aspiring nurses never completed the necessary courses and clinicals. Campus District Upcoming Events april27 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.. AICE, AP, IB, or CLEP Please submit these transcripts electronically to, Institutional Research & Effectiveness (IRE), online request for Florida GED Transcript, palmbeachstate.edu/admissions/credit-by-exam, Please request that transcripts be submitted electronically via, Transcripts can be sent via Secure PDF directly from the issuing institution school What To Do When Your School No Longer Physically Exists, Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Programs (AGNP), Womens Health Nurse Practitioner Programs, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), How Nurses Can Promote Vaccines Without Promoting Vaccines, CDC Estimates of Nurse & Healthcare Worker COVID-19 Cases Are Likely Understated, How Nurses Are Keeping Up With Practice Agreement Changes During COVID-19. such as Joseph Silny and Associates, Inc. or World Education Services can be accessed 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. When a school closes, they are required to select a permanent custodian of their records for later retrieval. High School transcripts can be sent via secure PDF from the issuing institution to When it was dissolved in 2020, the address w 1110 Sixth Ave. S. in Lake Worth Beach. Practical Nursing Program Description don@palmbeachintcollege.com Associate Of Science In Nursing Degree Program (ASN) Sacred Heart International Institute. 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 4th Street 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. Prosecutors said the scheme put patient safety at risk as required training programs exist to protect the public from harm by setting minimum qualifications and competencies.. The Palm Beach County school, which operated on 2695 N. Military Trail in West Palm Beach, offered an Associate in Science degree. Florida Public High Schools and Charter schools Please request that transcripts be submitted electronically via FASTER. The fake diplomas and transcripts qualified those who purchased them to sit for the national nursing board exam. Provide a copy of Driver's License, Passport, or State Issued ID Card and a Social Security Card. 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. The U.S. Department of Justice announced . Mailing address to submit official sealed transcripts: Palm Beach State College 4200 Congress Avenue, MS#13Lake Worth, FL 33461, Start of Top Menu - Press Esc key to Close. Attorneys for defendants were not listed in a federal court database Thursday. : 23-60012-Cr-Singhal. If you see that we have records for a school that you attended and would like to see if we have your transcript, please complete the Transcript Request Form Transcript Request Form (PDF). 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. Diplomas are not accepted as proof of high school completion or in place of transcripts. date. 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. To order a high school transcript electronically, visitParchment. Authorities said students paid between $6,000 and $18,000 for fake transcripts and certificates. "I see it as rewarding.". The overall scheme involved the distribution of more than 7,600 fake nursing diplomas issued by three South Florida-based nursing schools, Miami, Florida 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. We will temporarily accept (due to COVID-19) clear copies of your high school diploma What Happens When a Nurse Has a Substance Abuse Problem? "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. Postsecondary Career & Technical Education (CTE) Transcript Request, Blackboard Web Community Manager Privacy Policy (Updated). 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,. Fourteen of those charged are linked to the Palm Beach County school. 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. Transcripts should be complete showing all final grades and final graduation date. : 23-60007-Cr-Singhal. Napoleon already pleaded guilty to wire and health care fraud charges, the DOJ said. 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. official to Admissions at. : 23-60007-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. 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. After passing the exam, they became eligible to become licensed in several states, where they eventually found jobs as licensednurses. There are two categories of defendants. Students applying to a Limited Access Program (Nursing, Fire Science, EMT, Etc.) "Tuition, I paid $16,000, not to mention I had to pay $99 to sit the exam," Brown said. The overall scheme involved the distribution of more than 7,600 fake nursing diplomas issued at a cost of about $114 million. U.S. v. Russ, et al., case no. This case is being prosecuted in conjunction with a related criminal matter in the District of Maryland. Fourteen of those charged are linked to the Palm Beach County school. Charges Related to Fraudulent Nursing Diplomas and Transcripts from Palm Beach School of Nursing. 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. 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. The other group included owners, operators and employees of nursing schools to fake diplomas and transcripts. 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 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. Recruiters would bring "students" from other states to get the "shortcut" documents from the South Florida school. Transcripts can be sent via secure PDF directly from the issuing institution to Admissions (payment by credit card only). 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. 2023 Emerald X, LLC. Submit & Share. Out of State Public Universities and Colleges. If you attended a school that was destroyed in a natural disaster or by other unexpected means and credentials were not digitally stored outside of the institution, speak with the Registrar at your prospective school for guidance. 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. Palm Beach State College (PBSC) requires all incoming students, whether first year Investigators said about a third of the people actually are practicing medicine. Request for Student Records. U.S. v. Witherspoon, et al., case no. Some schools will accept notarized copies of your own documents along with "proof" of the school's destruction. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Clark is prosecuting this case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff is handling asset forfeiture. 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. Attend class in person, virtually They were charged with conspiring to and committing wire fraud, prosecutors said. at transcriptevaluation@palmbeachstate.edu. The fake diplomas and transcripts qualified those who purchased them to sit for the national nursing board exam. This school offers training in 4 qualifications, with the most reviewed qualifications being Registered Nurse , C.N.A. They were charged with conspiring to and committing wire fraud, prosecutors said. : 23-60007-Cr-Singhal. Nurse Suicides: Unveiling the Shrouds of Silence. 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. 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.". I would say that based on the rapid proliferation of online training programs that started well before COVID-19 but have definitely increased since COVID-19 just because of the difficulties we've had with being able to have in-person training, we know that there's going to be a higher chance that some of these people are going to slip through the cracks," Bernard said. Copy of pictured ID of adult student or parent guardian. 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.. 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. Health care fraud is nothing new to South Florida, as many scammers see this as a way to earn easy, though illegal, money, said acting Special Agent in Charge Chad Yarbrough, FBI Miami. From about Nov. 2018 to Oct. 2021, Sanon allegedly sold 2,016 fake diplomas and transcripts that falsely purported that recipients had completed the necessary courses and training at Siena College to obtain such degrees when they never had, according to the criminal complaint. 2023 Registered Nursing.org All Rights Reserved | About | Privacy | Terms | Contact Us. Miami, Fl. 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 First, create an account, then place the order. The School District of Palm Beach County serves more than 189,000 students who speak 150 languages and dialects. No students were named in the indictments. 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. Lock Email Us. In 2021, an undercover FBI employee met with Fort Lauderdale businessman Geralda Adrien at her Fort Lauderdale office. Upon request, Admissions staff will Tags Health News Florida nurse nursing school fraud arrest Broward County need Related: HHS: Insiders Pose Significant Cybersecurity Threat to Healthcare. : 23-60012-Cr-Singhal. NOTICE: Under Florida law, email addresses are public record. Etienne is charged by information with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Palm Beach State College (PBSC) requires all incoming students, whether first year or transfer students, to submit all official academic transcripts from every high school or college/university attended. When it was dissolved in 2020, the address w 1110 Sixth Ave. S. in Lake Worth Beach. The school was licensed with the Florida Board of. Photo: google. Charges Related to Fraudulent Nursing Diplomas and Transcripts from Palm Beach School of Nursing. The Florida Board of Nursing requires a criminal background check for all applicants seeking licensure. About 7,600 students paid an average of $15,000 for bogus diplomas, according to prosecutors. Parent signatures for minors. Your email address will not be published. She currently works as a charge nurse in a busy outpatient primary care department. She said a normal nursing school program lasts 22 months and can equate to four years at a large university. Siena College was a school in Broward County, Florida that was licensed by the states board of nursing and its independent education commission to offer practical nursing and Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs. 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 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. Fax Line: (305) 530-7679. Online tracking is available 24/7. The defendants each face up to 20 years in prison. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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 received largepayments for providing the fake diplomas, in one case taking in a $30,000 wire transfer from a co-defendant in 2021. Exams were taken in Florida, New York, New Jersey and Texas. The other 10 charged were listed as recruiters, including seven from New Jersey or New York. 'Operation Nightingale' also targeted 2 schools in Broward County. THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PALM BEACH COUNTY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) / RECORDS MANAGEMENT. 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. hashima island virtual tour,

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