MIAMI — The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that 20 defendants have pleaded guilty or been convicted in U.S. District Court in South Florida for their participation in a wire fraud scheme that created an illegal licensing and employment shortcut for aspiring nurses.
Known as Operation Nightingale, prosecutors said Florida residents, along with individuals from other states, were charged 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 and licensed practical/vocational nurses.
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.
State
5 plead guilty to federal charges in fake nursing diploma scheme
The overall scheme involved the distribution of more than 7,600 fake nursing diplomas issued by three South Florida-based nursing schools: Palm Beach School of Nursing in Palm Beach County, Siena College in Broward County and Sacred Heart International Institute in Broward County.
All of these schools are now closed following the investigation.
The Department of Justice said nursing applicants used fraudulent diplomas to obtain RN or LPN/VN licenses in various states and nursing jobs while health care providers were unaware of the scheme.
The following defendants have pleaded guilty or were convicted at trial for their involvement in the fraudulent nursing diploma scheme:
Defendants associated with fraudulent nursing diplomas and transcripts from Palm Beach School of Nursing:
- Krystal Lopez of Palm Beach County pleaded guilty May 10 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Krystal Lopez is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 14
- Damian Lopez of Palm Beach County pleaded guilty May 10 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Damian Lopez is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 14
- Francois Legagneur, of Nassau County, New York, pleaded guilty May 10 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Legagneur is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 13
- Reynoso Seide of Union County, New Jersey, pleaded guilty May 10 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Seide was sentenced Sept. 19 to 24 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
- Yelva Saint Preux of Suffolk County, New York, pleaded guilty May 10 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Preux is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 14.
- Palm Beach School of Nursing's owner Johanah Napoleon pleaded guilty Nov. 21, 2022, to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Napoleon was sentenced on July 18 to 21 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and was ordered to forfeit $3.2 million
Defendants associated with fraudulent nursing diplomas and transcripts from Siena College:
- Stanton Witherspoon of Burlington County, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on Aug. 24 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Witherspoon is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 2
- Alfred Sellu of Burlington County, New Jersey, pleaded guilty Aug. 18 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Sellu is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 2.
- Rene Bernadel of Westchester County, New York, pleaded guilty on Aug. 24 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Bernadel is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 2.
- Eunide Sanon of Fort Lauderdale pleaded guilty March 14 to an information charging her with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Sanon was sentenced May 23 to 27 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $1,287,633.
Defendants Associated with fraudulent nursing diplomas and transcripts from Sacred Heart International Institute:
- Rhomy Louis of Suffolk County, New York, pleaded guilty Sept. 15, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Louis is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 28
- Simon Itaman of Harris County, Texas, pleaded guilty Sept. 15 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Simon Itaman is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 28
- Anna Itaman of Harris County, Texas, pleaded guilty Sept. 15 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Anna Itaman is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 28
- Serge Jean of Harris County, Texas, pleaded guilty Sept. 15 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Serge Jean is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 28
- Ludnie Jean of Harris County, Texas, pleaded guilty Sept. 15 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Ludnie Jean is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 28
- Cimoyne Alves of Lincoln, Rhode Island, pleaded guilty Aug. 18 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Alves is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 30, 2023.
- Charles Etienne of Lake Worth pleaded guilty April 11 to an information charging him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Etienne is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 2, 2023.
- Nadege Auguste of Coral Springs, Florida, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud on Sept. 28. Auguste is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 3, 2024.
Defendants associated with fraudulent nursing diplomas and transcripts through PowerfulU Healthcare Services LLC:
- Geralda Adrien of Fort Lauderdale pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud and was sentenced on Aug. 10, 2022, to 27 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release and was ordered to forfeit $3,309,000.
- Woosevelt Predestin of Fort Lauderdale pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud and was sentenced on Aug. 10, 2022, to 27 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release and was ordered to forfeit $3,309,000.
