A central figure in a massive nurse diploma and licensing scam was sentenced to nearly two years in prison and $3.5 million in fines, most of which she has already paid, authorities said.
Johanah Napoleon, 47, former president of the Palm Beach School of Nursing, was given one year and nine months in prison for her role in the scam that took millions of dollars from people looking to earn nursing degrees. Three schools in Florida gave aspiring RNs, LPNs and vocational nurses a “shortcut” to avoid having to go through two-year programs that require clinicals, exams and certifications.
Five more defendants were scheduled to be sentenced today (July 27) in federal District Court in Fort Lauderdale. Each could face up to 20 years in prison but are expected to receive much less after pleading guilty in May to wire fraud conspiracy counts.
A joint investigation led by the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services found that approximately 7,600 students paid $114 million for fake degrees between 2016 and 2021. Approximately 2,400 students passed licensing exams, with many of them sitting for the New York test, which allows people to retake it multiple times if they fail.
Stephen B. Hanse, president and CEO of the New York State Health Facilities Association, told McKnights Long-Term Care News in March that two facilities in the state were contacted by authorities asking about employees.
“Nursing homes in New York are highly regulated,” Hanse said at the time. “We feel very confident that the hiring policies and procedures that are in place are working.”
The federal investigation was dubbed “Operation Nightingale, and authorities brought charges against 25 nursing school recruiters, owners, and managers in the scheme in which students paid $6,000 to $15,000 each for fraudulent documents.
Napoleon was sentenced July 18 and has paid approximately $2.6 million of her fines through the sale of three real estate properties, according to court documents. Her attorney said that she has been cooperating with the government and is expected to testify for the government in at least one pending trial.
