Home / Crime and Justice / Florida Woman Admits Selling Fake RN Degrees
Florida Woman Admits Selling Fake RN Degrees
21 Jun
Summary
- Woman pleaded guilty to selling nearly 3,000 fraudulent nursing diplomas.
- Nearly 2,300 individuals used fake diplomas to become practicing nurses.
- She faces up to 20 years in prison for fraud and money laundering.
Carleen Noreus, 52, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in a scheme involving the sale of nearly 3,000 fraudulent nursing diplomas. The diplomas were issued through two schools she founded and operated in South Florida, Carleen Home Health School, Inc., and Carleen Home Health School II, Inc. These fake credentials allowed individuals to bypass required nursing education and sit for national board examinations.
Prosecutors stated that approximately 2,300 people who obtained diplomas or transcripts from Noreus successfully passed the board exams and subsequently worked as nurses nationwide. Noreus, a registered nurse since 2002, admitted to falsifying diplomas and backdating transcripts to conceal the fraudulent activity. She faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for each count.
Noreus was one of 13 defendants charged in the second phase of Operation Nightingale, a federal investigation targeting fraudulent nursing diploma mills. This operation has led to multiple convictions, with the first phase concluding in 2023 with 30 defendants charged and convicted. The scheme is alleged to have operated from April 2018 to October 2025, undermining the healthcare system.
