By Peter Yankowski & Lisa Backus

In January 2023, federal authorities in southern Florida announced charges against more than two dozen people accused of running a nursing fraud scheme.

Prosecutors allege the group sold more than 7,600 “bogus” diplomas to nursing students through three Florida schools. All three institutions have since closed, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

In Connecticut, the state Board of Examiners for Nursing on Wednesday suspended the license of a nurse who obtained her degree from a school whose owner was indicted in the diploma scheme in February.

The nurse was among 58 people in Connecticut whose licenses were either revoked or voluntarily surrendered as a result of the federal case, which authorities dubbed “Operation Nightingale,” according to the state Department of Public Health. The state Department of Public Health is also investigating 69 more incidents in which an individual was able to receive a Connecticut nursing license based on fraudulent degrees.

Here’s what we know about the case and its ties to Connecticut:

What we know

Florida schools that were involved

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida initially identified the three schools involved as Siena College in Broward County, Palm Beach School of Nursing in Palm Beach County and Sacred Heart International Institute in Broward County.

Since then, Operation Nightingale has investigated close to two-dozen nursing schools in Florida and other states that allegedly were providing fraudulent diplomas and transcripts, federal and state documents in Washington, Maryland and other states show. The investigation resulted in the indictment of at least two-dozen people, federal papers show.

he nurse whose license was suspended Wednesday, Althea Rosemarie Grant McLean, obtained her degree from Carleen Health Institute in Florida. The school’s owner, Carleen Noreus, was indicted by federal authorities in February on money laundering and wire fraud charges.

Court records allege Noreus sent fraudulent documents, including diplomas and transcripts to potential employers. The fraudulent documents indicated people had completed the requirements for a degree when they hadn’t, the court documents said.

Officials say students' learning fell short

These schools were not always providing the required classroom or clinical training hours to some of their students, according to federal court documents. The fraudulent degrees allowed students to take the National Council Licensure Examination, known as NCLEX, for registered nurses, federal authorities said.

Carleen Health Institute provided documents indicating that Grant McLean did not complete the required program hours and clinical training to receive a degree in nursing, Connecticut Department of Public Health attorney Anthony Nanni told the state nursing board this week.

Without that training, Grant McLean is a “clear and immediate danger to public health and safety,” a statement of charges issued by DPH investigators said.

Thousands of health care workers affected by fraud

The number of health care workers given bogus degrees numbers is in the thousands and spans at least six states and Washington, D.C., according to officials.

“What is disturbing about this investigation is that there are over 7,600 people around the country with fraudulent nursing credentials who are potentially in critical health care roles treating patients,” Chad Yarbrough, acting special agent in charge of the FBI in Miami, said at the time.

The state Board of Examiners was notified by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing in November 2022 and has since been working to identify people who obtained Connecticut nursing licenses by citing the fraudulent degrees, a spokesperson for the DPH said Friday.

People who obtained their license through one of the Florida schools are provided due process and a hearing, according to Dawn Kappel, director of marketing and communications for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

In some cases, people who went to the Florida schools had been provided with the required number of classroom and clinical hours and they did not face discipline, Kappel said.

Kappel also noted that it appeared no patients were harmed as a result of being cared for by a nurse who received their degree at one of the indicted schools.

Fraud investigation comes amid nursing shortages

The fraud investigation and criminal charges come as the U.S. is experiencing shortages among nursing staff.

The problem is expected to intensify as Baby Boomers continue to age, creating additional demand for care, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

A report last year from the Veterans Administration’s Office of Inspector General found that 80% of its facilities — where nurses care for American military veterans — are experiencing severe nursing staff shortages.

Some students were aware of the scam, while others were not

Some people who went to one of the Florida schools may have been deceived because they had a language barrier or they didn’t understand what was needed to legally obtain a nursing license, according to Kappel.

However, others were disciplined with their licenses revoked after an investigation found that they likely knew their degrees were fraudulent and should have taken more classes or clinical hours, Kappel said.

Many of the people who received fake degrees already were working as licensed practical nurses so they had enough knowledge to pass the NCLEX, but didn’t actually take the full number of courses or clinical hours to receive a nursing diploma. That’s how many people were able to skirt the requirements, pass the national test and receive licenses, Kappel said.

In Connecticut, individuals who are being investigated by the DPH for fraudulent schooling tied to the federal investigation will have their license to practice in the state suspended until a hearing on the case can be held.

When DPH finds out that a nurse with a Connecticut license potentially received a fraudulent diploma from an Operation Nightingale school, the agency will offer the person a chance to voluntarily surrender their license within two months of notification or seek a temporary suspension of their license while investigating, according to Dana Dalton, a DPH supervising nurse consultant who works in the Healthcare Quality and Safety and Licensing and Investigations units.

What we don’t know

Who the nurses are

The Connecticut Department of Public Health has not yet responded to a request for the names of the nurses whose cases have been adjudicated by the Board of Examiners. It is also unclear how many of the nurses who obtained fraudulent degrees were working in Connecticut.