A 55-year-old Nigerian man, Patrick Nwaokwu, was sentenced in connection with a nursing credentials scam in the United States.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Kelly O. Hayes, made the announcement in a press release issued by the Department of Justice on Friday.
The Honorable Deborah L. Boardman sentenced Nwaokwu , to 21 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for committing wire fraud.
Hayes announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).
According to his plea agreement, Nwaokwu conspired with others to sell fraudulent nursing diplomas and educational transcripts to individuals.
He also assisted the purchasers with fraudulently obtaining nursing licensures they needed to attain employment in the health care field.
Nwaokwu engaged in the scheme through multiple entities, including Nursing School 1, located in Virginia, and Palm Beach School of Nursing, located in Florida.
As a result of the scheme, Nwaokwu and his co-conspirators caused more than $1.5 million in actual losses.
Beginning in 2018, Nwaokwu conspired with Musa Bangura, 67, of Manassas, Virginia, to recruit potential purchasers in Maryland and elsewhere who were looking to obtain nursing degrees.
Nwaokwu sold purchasers fraudulent Nursing School 1 documents. These documents falsely confirmed that the purchasers completed the necessary courses and clinical training at Nursing School 1 to obtain nursing degrees.
Nursing School 1 is no longer licensed, so Nwaokwu, Bangura, and others backdated the false documents that they sold to purchasers to make it appear that they attended Nursing School 1 before it lost its licensure.
Additionally, beginning in 2018, and continuing through at least July 2021, Nwaokwu conspired with Johanah Napoleon, 50, of West Palm Beach County, Florida, and Geralda Adrien, 56, of Broward County, Florida, to sell false and fraudulent RN and LPN degrees from Palm Beach School of Nursing to individuals in Maryland.
Nwaokwu generally charged $17,000 for RN degrees and $6,000-$10,000 for LPN degrees.
He instructed purchasers to list Palm Beach School of Nursing on their National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) applications but to leave their graduation date blank, so the date could be backdated. This would make it appear that the student graduated before Palm Beach School of Nursing lost its licensure.
By providing these fraudulent documents, Nwaokwu and his co-conspirators assisted the purchasers with obtaining fraudulent nursing licenses from state licensing agencies, including the Maryland Board of Nursing, and ultimately employment in the health care field.
The scheme enabled these unqualified individuals to apply for licensure and practice as nurses.
As a result, Nwaokwu and his co-conspirators consciously and recklessly exposed Maryland patients to potential harm, risk of d3ath, and serious bodily injury.
Bangura previously received a 13-month federal-prison sentence for his role in the scheme.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and HHS-OIG for their work in the investigation.
Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan S. McKoy who prosecuted the federal case.
