When it comes to fraudulent credentials, no ground is sacred and even the noblest of professions are not impervious to fraud.
On January 25, 2023, the US Department of Justice announced the arrest of 25 individuals, charged with creating and distributing fraudulent transcripts and diplomas to those who aspired to become licensed nursing professionals and subsequently employed in healthcare settings as a Registered Nurse (RN) or a Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse (LPN/VN). The individuals under investigation include college heads, administrators and recruiters affiliated with three South Florida schools.
The multi-state law enforcement effort, dubbed “Operation Nightingale” after Florence Nightingale, a legendary British nurse who laid the foundations of nursing, uncovered that the nationwide scam was in operation from 2016 till 2021. More than 7600 fake certificates and diplomas were sold by three accredited nursing schools, forced to shutter, in Florida: Siena College of Health, Lauderhill; Palm Beach School of Nursing, West Palm Beach; and Sacred Heart International Institute, Fort Lauderdale. The five states involved in Operation Nightingale are Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, New York and Texas. However, the recipients of the fraudulent credentials are not limited to these five states; individuals with fraudulent nursing credentials have been employed in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Texas.
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Image Credit: NBC News South Florida
The approximate cost of the forged credentials ranged from $10,000 (LPN) to $17,000 (RN) and brought in $114 million. The fake diplomas and transcripts would qualify those who purchased them to apply for the National Council Licensure Examination, also known as the NCLEX, administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) without having completed classwork or clinicals. Successful passing of the examination allowed them to become licensed in several states and secure employment. 2800 individuals or 37 percent of those who purchased fraudulent records were successful in passing the NCLEX. According to the New York Times, a “significant number” among these gained employment in various healthcare facilities, including “Veterans Affairs hospitals in Maryland and New York, a hospital in Georgia, a skilled nursing facility in Ohio, a rehabilitation center in New York and an assisted-living facility in New Jersey.” “Unfortunately, fake degrees, diploma mills, fraudulent credentials are timeless problems for credential evaluators, admissions officers, HR and anyone involved in hiring individuals whose education and experience play an important part in the decision-making process. They undermine the credibility of the education system and devalue the hard work of legitimate students and professionals,” says Jasmin Saidi-Kuehnert, the President and CEO of Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, Inc. (ACEI) and President of the Association of International Credential Evaluators.
The 25 perpetrators involved in the scam are facing up to 20 years of imprisonment if convicted; 23 of those charged in the scheme are identified at https://nurse.org/articles/fake-nursing-degrees-sold-florida/. Those who purchased fake degrees will not be criminally charged; however, they could face the loss of their licenses as each state determines appropriate measures to mitigate the consequences of the scam. Omar Pérez-Aybar, Special Agent in Charge, Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Miami Region, stated in an interview with the New York Times that no evidence of “patient harm at the hands of these individuals” has been found.
Public and private higher education institutions in Florida are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), a regional accreditation body. As an alternative to SACS accreditation, independent postsecondary institutions in Florida can seek recognition from the Commission for Independent Education (CIE), an agency under the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE). According to CIE’s 2020-2021 annual report, “the activities of the Commission primarily revolve around consumer protection and involve ensuring that institutions comply with fair consumer practices and meet minimum educational standards.” The commission oversees a variety of degree-granting, non-degree granting, and vocational institutions. Its main goal is to ensure adherence to fair consumer practices and standards as outlined in Chapter 6E of the Florida Administrative Code.
At present, 1000 independent institutions are licensed by CIE. At last check, Siena College of Health still appears as provisionally licensed by CIE, and Sacred Heart International Institute, Inc. as fully licensed. The Palm Beach School of Nursing no longer appears in the online registry.
This alert to an on-going investigation into fraudulent nursing credentials is presented by Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, Inc. (ACEI), SDR Educational Consultants, Inc. (SDR), and Ucredo, all three are endorsed members of the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE). We suggest that you forward the above information to your departments of enrollment services and colleges of nursing to examine whether any fraudulent credentials from Siena College of Health, Palm Beach School of Nursing, and Sacred Heart International Institute have been submitted to your institutions.
Contributed by:
Zina Rumleanscaia
Senior International Credential Evaluator
Barbara Glave
Senior International Credential Evaluator
Alex Popovski
President
ACEI, SDR and Ucredo are Endorsed Members of:
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