By Sharon Aron Baron
Twenty-five individuals have been charged for their alleged participation in a wire fraud scheme that created an illegal licensing and employment shortcut for aspiring nurses.
The 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 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.
The overall scheme involved the distribution of more than 7,600 fake nursing diplomas issued by three South Florida-based nursing schools: Siena College, Palm Beach School of Nursing, and Sacred Heart International Institute, which are now closed.
Each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison.
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