Three defendants sentenced in fraudulent nursing diploma scheme

MIAMI – On April 2, three defendants were sentenced to federal prison after having previously been found guilty of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges following a three-week jury trial in Fort Lauderdale in relation to a fraudulent nursing diploma scheme. 

U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal sentenced Gail Russ, registrar of the Palm Beach School of Nursing in Lake Worth, Florida, to 78 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and ordered forfeiture of $861,672.

Judge Singhal sentenced Cassandre Jean, owner and operator of Success Nursing Review in Brooklyn, New York, to 36 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, a $20,000 fine and ordered forfeiture of $4,698,828.

The court ordered Russ and Jean to be remanded to the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to begin serving their sentences.

Judge Singhal sentenced Vilaire Duroseau, owner and operator of the Center for Advance Training and Studies in West Orange, New Jersey, to 33 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and ordered forfeiture of $1,381,913.40.

The court ordered Duroseau to surrender in Newark, New Jersey on April 5. 

These defendants were charged along with 11 co-defendants for their involvement in a scheme to sell fraudulent nursing degree diplomas and transcripts obtained from two private nursing schools that at one time were approved by the State of Florida to issue diplomas and transcripts 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 by Palm Beach School of Nursing and Quisqueya School of Nursing LLC in Palm Beach County, Florida. These schools are now closed due to the excessive failure rates of its students taking the state nursing board exam.

Those nursing applicants who passed the national nursing board exam used the fraudulent diplomas to obtain RN or LPN/VN licenses and nursing jobs with unwitting health care providers throughout the United States.

An additional 11 defendants entered pleas of guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in Case No. 23-60007-Cr-Singhal. In total, 27 defendants were charged and convicted in 2023 for their participation in this nursing diploma fraud scheme, known as Operation Nightingale, that created an illegal licensing and employment shortcut for aspiring nurses. 

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Stephen Mahmood of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Miami Region announced the sentences.

FBI Miami and HHS-OIG Miami investigated these cases. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs-Office of Inspector General; and Florida Attorney General-Florida Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Mid-Atlantic Field Office provided valuable assistance. Senior Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Clark and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon M. Juenger prosecuted these cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff handled asset forfeiture.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-60007.

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