A total of 43 nurses of Nigerian descent have been charged before a United States Court over a massive scandal bordering on forgery of certificate.
This was made known in a high-end investigation conducted by the Texas Board of Nursing, US.
The investigation was launched on January 25, 2023, with the sole aim of identifying and arresting individuals engaged in a scheme to sell false and fraudulent nursing degree diplomas and transcripts.
As of February, 18 Nigerian nurses have been charged with certificate forgery. An update issued by the Texas Board of Nursing revealed that a total of 75 nurses have been charged to court as of March.
On the list posted on the website of the board, 43 of the names were identified as nurses of Nigerian origin.
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.
It would be recalled that the Texas Board of Nursing had also charged the health workers at the District Court for the Southern District of Florida, saying the nurses allegedly participated in a wire fraud scheme that created an illegal licensing and employment shortcut for aspiring nurses.
According to the charge documents, the scheme fraudulently sells nursing degree diplomas and transcripts obtained from accredited Florida-based nursing schools to individuals seeking licences and jobs as registered nurses and licensed practical/vocational nurses.
