Maryland man sentenced to 2 years for selling fake nursing licenses, diplomas
A Maryland man was sentenced to nearly two years in federal prison for selling fake nursing licenses, diplomas and transcripts, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office of Maryland.
Patrick Nwaokwu, 55, of Laurel, was sentenced to 21 months, to be followed by two years of probation for the wire fraud scheme, court officials said.
Under a plea agreement, Nwaokwu admitted to conspiring with others to sell fake nursing diplomas and educational transcripts. He also helped the buyers fraudulently obtain nursing licensures that they needed to get jobs in the healthcare field, according to court documents.
Nwaokwu engaged in the scheme through multiple schools, including a Virginia nursing school and Palm Beach School of Nursing in Florida, court documents show. As a result, Nwaokwu and his partners caused more than $1.5 million in damages.
Fake nursing license scheme
According to court documents, Nwaokwu started conspiring with Musa Bangura, 67, of Manassas, Virginia, in 2018 to recruit potential buyers who were looking to obtain nursing degrees.
He sold the buyers fake documents, which falsely claimed that the buyer had completed the necessary courses and clinical training at nursing school to obtain a degree, court documents said. The nursing schools named on the documents were no longer licensed.
Nwaokwu, Bangura and other co-conspirators backdated the fake documents to make it appear that the buyer attended the school before it lost licensure, according to court documents.
Court documents show that between 2018 and July 2021, Nwaokwu also conspired with Jhanah Napolean, 50, of West Palm Beach County, Florida, and Geralda Adrien, 56, of Broward County, Florida, to sell fake RN and LPN degrees from the Palm Beach School of Nursing to people in Maryland.
Nwaokwu charged about $17,000 for the RN degrees and between $6,000 and $10,000 for LPN degrees, court documents claim.
He allegedly told the buyers to list Palm Beach Nursing School on their National Council Licensure Examination but to leave their graduation date blank so it could be backdated. This would make it seem as though the student graduated from the school before it lost its licensure.
By providing the fake documents, Nwaokwu and his co-conspirators helped buyers obtain fake licenses from state-licensed agencies, including the Maryland Board of Nursing, ultimately helping them gain employment in the field, according to court documents.
The scheme allowed unqualified candidates to apply and practice nursing, exposing patients across the state to potential risk of death, injury or serious harm, court officials said.
Bangura was previously sentenced to 13 months in federal prison for his role in the scheme, according to court officials.
