list of fake nurses in texas

Woman pleads guilty in fake registered nurse case. The Board has filed Formal Charges against the following nurses for fraudulently obtaining educational credentials. "Prospective nursing students should do their research to make sure they are applying to a legitimate nursing school or program, including members of the National League for Nursing. %PDF-1.6 % It has been reported that the nurses with the fake degrees found employment in various settings, including pediatric home care, assisted living facilities and veterans hospitals in several states, including Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Georgia, Maryland and Texas. The department also noted that it is "actively pursuing additional information from the federal authorities and will take appropriate action regarding the licensure or application status of any individual who is confirmed to have been approved to sit for the examination or obtained their license based on false and misleading information.". Speed. endstream endobj startxref %9)vv ) Those charged include administrators of the involved nursing schools and administrators of several test preparation academies across the country that recruited interested parties to purchase the fake diplomas. Some states have taken action. endstream endobj 46 0 obj <> endobj 47 0 obj <>>>/Rotate 0/Type/Page>> endobj 48 0 obj <>stream Nurses. According to news reports, 37% of the nurses who bought fake documents passed the exam. According to WSB-TV in Georgia, while the state has 22 practicing nurses who have been identified as allegedly fraudulently obtaining their licenses, the nurses are maintaining their innocence, raising the question of whether there may be others who plan to take the same stance. It has been reported that the nurses with the fake degrees found employment in various settings, including pediatric home care, assisted living facilities and veterans hospitals in several. The board further explained that individuals identified by the investigation as possibly having illegitimate credentials have been flagged in the National Council of State Boards of Nursing nationwide data system. A Chronicle investigation finds the Houston Police Department is responding to Priority 1 calls when a life threatening event is in progress at the slowest rate since the 1990s, and responses to all other calls 4 Harris County residents accused of recruiting aspiring nurses for fake diploma, transcript scheme, 'Concerning' Houston police response times the slowest in decades, Pink dolphin caught on camera could be Louisiana's famous 'Pinky', Astros insider: Framber Valdez makes an abrupt exit, Texas is worst state in the U.S. to live in, CNBC ranking says, Texas A&M faculty blames 'outside influence' for McElroy botch, Exclusive: Razor wire along Rio Grande is hindering border agents, H-E-B named America's best grocery store by recent poll, Galveston's cruise industry has returned stronger than ever, Data shows teacher salaries in districts across Houston and Texas, Astros' Jose Altuve hopes to return on road trip, Adults-only waterpark in College Station closes to public. The scheme involved fake diplomas from Florida-based nursing schools. Copyright 2023 by The Associated Press. She has covered the healthcare industry in NYC, life sciences and the business of law, among other areas. Applications from individuals who applied with education from one of the schools but who have not been licensed, will be contacted in the coming weeks. Basanes faces charges of assault causing bodily injury, injury to a disabled person, possession of a controlled substance and two counts of nursing regulation violations. . An Alabama woman has gone missing after telling a 911 dispatcher that she saw a toddler walking alone on the side of an interstate, according to local police. hbbd`b`jbb`gb`\ &?2g0 Pd The allegations reflect a deepening crisis in the health care and education systems that the defendants sought to exploit. Sign up for the WSWS Health Care Workers Newsletter! At the same time, the increasing expense of higher education tempted workers who wanted to better themselves and their career prospects to engage in illegal activities rather than face a mountain of student debt in becoming a nurse. Jennifer Henderson joined MedPage Today as an enterprise and investigative writer in Jan. 2021. For example, the Texas Board of Nursing announced that it has filed formal charges against 23 nurses who allegedly fraudulently obtained credentials. Board orders can be viewed by clicking the link on the Nurse's license number or by sending a request to the Texas Board of Nursing, Enforcement Division, 333 Guadalupe 3-460, Austin, TX 78701-3944. Occ. SAN ANTONIO - The Texas Nurses Association (TNA) told us it is concerned people are not taking the pandemic seriously. Oh Texas has been doing this though. 0 Recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and US Department of Justice concluded a multi-state coordinated law enforcement action to apprehend people who were selling fraudulent nursing diplomas and transcripts. The Texas Board of Nursing (BON) has been made aware of attempted scams directed at nurses where scammers use falsified BON and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) documents to intimidate victims in an effort to have money sent to bank accounts outside of the United States. Between 2016 and 2021, a total of $114 million changed hands in exchange for the fake degrees with students paying between $10,000 and $17,000 for the service and never stepping foot in a classroom or clinical setting. "It is important to mention that, to date, we have not learned of, nor uncovered any patient harm stemming from the potential rendering of services by these individuals," she said. Adrien and Woosvelt pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 27 months in prison after cooperating with the HHS-OIG investigators to identify other defendants. Those applications will be held until the applicant demonstrates that they have met the requirements for acceptable education, examination, and moral character," the update said. Many nurses across social media have taken issue with this, concerned that it is a product of hospitals and nursing regulatory boards seeking to avoid liability. The National League for Nursing encourages all nursing schools and programs to pursue accreditation to ensure they are recognized as reputable, quality programs.". Boards of Nursing achieved this mission by establishing the standards for safe nursing care and issuing licenses to practice nursing. The alleged four "recruiters" from Harris County conspired with Charles Etienne, Sacred Hearts owner, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Opens in a new tab or window, Visit us on Twitter. Medpage Today is among the federally registered trademarks of MedPage Today, LLC and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. Houston residents face federal charges in nursing diploma scheme | khou.com. Jonathan Limehouse is a federal court reporter for the Houston Chronicle. The scandal also calls into question the practices of state nursing boards, which were unable to detect the fraudulent documents for multiple years. Watch the video of workers internationally explain why you should donate to the WSWS. This Week in Texas: What's in store for the 2024 Senate race? Dubbed "OperationNightingale" by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the multi-state crackdown led to 25 people being charged as a part of the alleged scam that led to more than 7,600 bogus nursing diplomas being issued by three South Florida-based nursing schools. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File). The US government says some nurses in Texas have fake degrees. And how will they find them? State nursing boards and hospital systems have been slow to respond, leaving upwards of several hundred or more licensed nurses in health care who are working illegally with no formal training. On Wednesday, in. Out of the 7,600 degrees sold, only about 2,400 people eventually passed the licensing exam and were eligible for employment in health care facilities. Twenty eight hundred of seventy six hundred buyers passed their exams and became eligible to obtain nursing licenses in Texas, among other states. Ludnie Jean, Serge Jean, Simon Itaman and Anna Itaman are accused of recruiting and soliciting individuals from January 2017 to November 2022 who sought nursing credentials to gain employment as licensed practical and vocational nurses, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. One nurse spoke to a WSWS reporter on Reddit, stating, We all know why they arent going after them. The US government says some nurses in Texas have fake degrees. First time Texas RN and LVN license holders, please click HERE for information about your new license, continuing competency requirements, compact privileges, as well as some other helpful tips.. First time APRN, please click HERE. Opens in a new tab or window, Visit us on TikTok. All Rights Reserved. On January 25, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and law enforcement partners launched a multi-state coordinated law enforcement action to apprehend individuals engaged in a scheme to sell false and fraudulent nursing degree diplomas and transcripts. The crown jewel of the . Georgia and Texas releasing names and photos of fake nurses & short biographies of their past criminal wrongdoings. I look forward to it every 3 months , View more replies (39).tiktok-1w2nwdz-StyledChevronDownFill{margin-left:6px;width:14px;height:14px;vertical-align:middle;-webkit-transform:none;-moz-transform:none;-ms-transform:none;transform:none;}. The Arizona State Board of Nursing also issued a statement, noting that it has identified 10 individuals with current licenses who may be involved in the scheme. Meanwhile, the New York State Education Department issued an interim update stating that hundreds of licensees and more than 2,000 applicants graduated from the involved schools. The buyers used them to take the national nursing board exam. Officials say Gallarzo would leave and immediately seek work at a medical facility in another city when her bosses discovered the deception. They put them in the quarterly newsletter. Rhomy Louis of Suffolk County, New York,and Nadege Auguste of Broward County were also charged as recruiters alongside the Jeans and Itamans. There is also no way at present to trace or understand the damage that has already been done by the rogue health care workers. At this time, it is unclear if there are more people involved in this scandal or if other such fraudulent diploma rings remain to be discovered. Code 301.458. OE J iK iEEi There are no court dates set for the 25 defendants currently being charged. On the heels of a federal takedown of a fraudulent nursing diploma scheme -- dubbed Operation Nightingale after Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing -- questions remain as to just how sprawling the fallout may be. According to documents, both states have referred several cases over to the district attorneys office. q Four Harris County residents were charged in federal court last week for theiralleged participation in a wire fraudscheme that resulted in thousands of aspiring nurses buying fake diplomas and transcripts. Georgia and Texas releasing names and photos of fake nurses & short biographies of their past criminal wrongdoings. Four defendants : Simon Itaman, Anna Itaman, Ludnie Jean, and Serge Jean are from Harris County, and investigators believe there could be more people working illegally as nurses.
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