According to authorities, the . Nurse Suicides: Unveiling the Shrouds of Silence. How Do Nurses Protect Themselves from Highly Infectious Patients? We will temporarily accept (due to COVID-19) clear copies of your high school diploma West Palm Beach, FL 33417. Can You Be Referred to as a Doctor If You Earn a DNP? Carleen Health Institute of South Florida Nursing and Healthcare Programs Plantation Campus 8320 West Sunrise Blvd, Suite #204 Plantation, FL 33322 Get directions West Palm Beach Campus 4645 Gun Club Road, #11 West Palm Beach, FL 33415 (561)656-4720 Get directions Charges Related to Fraudulent Nursing Diplomas and Transcripts fromSacred Heart International Institute, U.S. v. Jean, et al., case no. President and Employee of Ft. Lauderdale Business Indicted for Closed Palm Beach School of Nursing linked to federal arrests in They were charged with conspiring to and committing wire fraud, prosecutors said. Sacred Heart International Institute. 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. : 23-60010-Cr-Smith, U.S. v. Etienne, case no. Home / Nursing Articles / How Do I Get Transcripts from a Nursing School That Has Closed? "The most important thing for us was to make sure, to the extent were talking about health care, is that we stop the bleeding," Lapointe said. "What do we learn when somebody gets injured? The U.S. Department of Justice announced . Recently unsealed federal grand jury indictments allege the defendants took part in a scam that sold more than 7,600 fraudulent nursing degree diplomas from three Florida-based nursing schools, federal officials said during a news conference in Miami on Wednesday afternoon. 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. To order a high school transcript electronically, visitParchment. Palm Beach State College (PBSC) requires all incoming students, whether first year 2023 Registered Nursing.org All Rights Reserved | About | Privacy | Terms | Contact Us. Prosecutors said the scheme also involved transcripts from the nursing schools for people seeking licenses and jobs as registered nurses and licensed practical/vocational nurses. The diploma and transcripts arrived less than two weeks later from Palm Beach School of Nursing, showing a 3.4 grade point average. 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. The fake diplomas and transcripts qualified those who purchased them to sit for the national nursing board exam. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. 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 Countywith conspiring to and committing wire fraud. Related: HHS: Insiders Pose Significant Cybersecurity Threat to Healthcare. A locked padlock 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. The schools involved Siena College, Palm Beach School of Nursing and Sacred Heart International Institute are now closed. According to the OIG, the scheme general worked in three parts: 'Producing the poison & selling the cure':Group ranks health care industry's lowlights in 2022, COVID vaccination:FDA vaccine panel to consider annual COVID shots, Sober home fraud:Florida doc sentenced to 20 years in prison. Each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison. With the help of the fake degrees the nurses found jobs at nursing homes that took in Medicare and Medicaid-eligible patients. 25 Arrested and Charged in Fraudulent Nursing Diploma Scheme - People 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. In fact, the aspiring nurses never completed the necessary courses and clinicals. These schools are now closed. palm beach school of nursing is located in West Palm Beach, FL, but also offers classes online. "I like to help people," said Brown, who concealed her face and didn't want to give her real name. Out of State Public Universities and Colleges. 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. 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.. : 23-60007-Cr-Singhal. 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. 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 . Transcripts must be ordered online through services provided by Credentials Solutions 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. Florida nursing schools are caught selling 7,600 fake diplomas Exams were taken in Florida, New York, New Jersey and Texas. 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. * Diplomas are not accepted as proof of high school completion or in place of transcripts. 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. 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 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. 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. If you do not want your email addresses released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. South Florida Sports Headlines Newsletter. 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. MIAMI Twenty-five people have been charged in a wire fraud scheme that created an illegal licensing and employment shortcut for aspiring nurses at three now-closed schools, including the Palm Beach School of Nursing, federal prosecutors said Wednesday afternoon. Fourteen of those charged are linked to the Palm Beach County school. Documentation of successful completion of post-secondary. Transcripts should be complete showing all final grades and if applicable graduation Multiple state officials yanked dozens of nursing licenses | Miami Herald 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. NBC 6's Xochitl Hernandez has more on what the student had to say in an interview you'll see Only on 6. to ensure that transcripts are submitted a minimum of two weeks prior to the specific 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 $100 million or roughly $15,000 per diploma, federal prosecutors said. States is optional. 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. 4th Street She was not named in the indictment. 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. "I see it as rewarding.". 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Latest posts by Amanda Bucceri Androus, RN, BSN. All schools are now defunct. No students were named in the indictments. 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). When a school closes, they are required to select a permanent custodian of their records for later retrieval. Recruiters would bring "students" from other states to get the "shortcut" documents from the South Florida school. 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. 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. Take a Look, Police Reunite Parents With Toddler Found Wandering in Miramar, A Toxic Plant Was Removed From a Miami Park. at transcriptevaluation@palmbeachstate.edu. USAFLS.News@usdoj.gov, Southern District of Florida 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.