US charges 25 more Nigerian nurses for forgery

The Texas Board of Nursing, in the United States, has reported that it has taken no less than 75 nurses to court on charges related to certificate fabrication as a result of thorough investigations.

43 of the individuals on the list were recognized as nurses with Nigerian ancestry on the board's website.

18 Nigerian nurses were accused of forging certificates in the US, according to a February story from The PUNCH.

The list would be regularly updated whenever the board obtained new information about "the bogus diploma/transcript scheme," according to US authorities.

When our correspondent checked, he found that there were now 43 Nigerians on the list, up from the previous 18 people.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General was involved in the multi-state coordinated law enforcement operation known as "Operation Nightingale," which was launched on January 25, 2023, to apprehend those involved in a scheme to sell fake and fraudulent nursing degree diplomas and transcripts.

Commenting on the matter, the board said, “The board has filed formal charges against the following nurses for fraudulently obtaining educational credentials. The board is authorised to file formal charges against a nurse if probable cause exists that the nurse has committed an act listed in Tex. Occ. Code §301.452(b) or that violates other laws. See Tex. Occ. Code §301.458. Further, formal charges are publicly available. See Tex. Occ. Code §301.466(b).

“Please note that formal charges are not a final disciplinary action, and a nurse is permitted to work, as a nurse, while formal charges are pending.

According to The PUNCH, the Texas Board of Nursing filed charges against the healthcare providers in the District Court for the Southern District of Florida, alleging that the nurses took part in a wire fraud operation that provided aspiring nurses with a legitimate pathway to employment and certification.

The charge documents state that the conspiracy defrauds people looking to gain licenses and employment as registered nurses and licensed practical/vocational nurses by selling nursing degree certificates and transcripts obtained from accredited Florida-based nursing schools.

Omar Aybar, a special agent in charge of the investigations, claimed that the alleged sale and buying of nursing certificates and transcripts to willing but unfit people is a felony that might jeopardize patients' health and safety as well as dishonor the prestigious nursing profession.

Three South Florida-based nursing schools—Siena College in Broward County, FL; Palm Beach School of Nursing in Palm Beach County, FL; and Sacred Heart International Institute in Broward County—issued more than 7,600 phony nursing diplomas as part of the broader conspiracy.