DISTURBING

Nursing Diploma Scheme Provided Thousands of Fake Diplomas: DOJ

More than 7,600 people paid as much as $15,000 to obtain one of the fake degrees, according to the DOJ.

The federal government has shut down a more than $100 million scheme to sell fake nursing degree credentials, the Justice Department announced Thursday. More than 7,600 fraudulent nursing diplomas were provided across five states—Delaware, Florida, New York, New Jersey and Texas—with people paying as much as $15,000 to obtain one, according to officials. More than two dozen people have been charged with criminal wire fraud, while 25 have been charged with wire fraud conspiracy. We “expect our health care professionals to be who they claim they are. Specifically when we talk about a nurse’s education, and credentials, shortcut is not a word we want to use," Markenzy Lapointe, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, said. Defendants in the alleged scheme could spend up to 20 years in jail, the DOJ said.