Two nursing faculty professionals in Florida have pleaded responsible to promoting hundreds of fraudulent diplomas to college students, The Miami Herald reported.
Charles Etienne, 60, president of Sacred Coronary heart Worldwide Institute in Fort Lauderdale, and Eunide Sanon, 60, proprietor of Siena School of Well being in Lauderhill, engaged in what prosecutors say was a multimillion-dollar scheme that spanned from South Florida to New York.
In accordance with court docket paperwork, the system supplied college students an “employment shortcut” by permitting them to bypass essential necessities akin to hours of medical work and passing nationwide exams.
Etienne and Sanon are simply two of 25 defendants dealing with federal fees in South Florida for the fraudulent diploma scheme.
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“Well being care fraud is nothing new to South Florida, as many scammers see this as a solution to earn simple, although unlawful, cash,” stated particular agent Chad Yarbrough, FBI Miami, in a assertion. “What’s disturbing about this investigation is that there are over 7,600 folks across the nation with fraudulent nursing credentials who’re doubtlessly in vital well being care roles treating sufferers. Have been it not for the diligence and onerous work of the investigators on this case, the extent of this fraud could not have been found.”
The community of nursing operators dealing with authorized ramifications allegedly charged college students between $10,000 and $17,000 for a registered nursing (RN) diploma.
Each Etienne and Sanon withstand 20 years in jail and $150,000 and $1.2 million, respectively, in fines as a part of their sentencing.
In accordance with court docket paperwork, between 2016 and 2021, about 7,600 college students paid a complete of $114 million in false levels. College students who obtained levels illegally could lose their certification, however won’t be criminally charged, in line with authorities, per The Miami Herald.
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