A South Florida woman was sentenced to more than six years in prison in connection with a multi-million dollar scheme based in South Florida that sold fake nursing school degrees to thousands of people.
Gail Russ was sentenced to 78 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and ordered forfeiture of $861,672, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida said Wednesday.
Russ, 72, was the registrar of the Palm Beach School of Nursing in Lake Worth, one of three South Florida schools identified by authorities as participating in the scam that sold more than 7,600 fraudulent nursing diplomas.
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The Palm Beach School of Nursing, along with Sacred Heart Institute in Fort Lauderdale and Sienna College of Health in Lauderhill, are now closed.
Russ was one of three defendants sentenced to federal prison in the scheme following a three-week jury trial in Fort Lauderdale.
Cassandre Jean, owner and operator of Success Nursing Review in Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced to 36 months in prison, while Vilaire Duroseau, owner and operator of the Center for Advance Training and Studies in West Orange, New Jersey, was sentenced to 33 months in prison.
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Russ, Jean and Duroseau had previously been found guilty of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges.
In total, 27 defendants were charged and convicted in 2023 for their participation in the nursing diploma fraud scheme, known as "Operation Nightingale," that created an illegal licensing and employment shortcut for aspiring nurses.
About 7,600 students paid an average of $15,000 for bogus diplomas, according to prosecutors. Around 2,400 of those people then passed a licensing exam to obtain jobs as registered nurses and licensed practical nurses or vocational nurses in multiple states, prosecutors say.
The nurses got jobs across the country, including at a hospital in Georgia, Veterans Affairs medical centers in Maryland and New York, a skilled nursing facility in Ohio, and an assisted living facility in New Jersey, according to court filings.
