A woman admitted guilt this week to selling approximately 3,000 fake nursing diplomas through schools she owned in South Florida. Carleen Noreus, aged 52, accepted a plea deal following a two-week trial. Prosecutors presented various exhibits, including fake diplomas and transcripts provided to people who had not completed the necessary training to become registered nurses, as noted in court records reviewed by Fox News Digital.
“Nursing licenses require education, training, and demonstrated expertise, not fraudulent purchases,” stated Jason A. Reding Quiñones, U.S. attorney in Florida’s southern district. “By distributing thousands of fake diplomas and transcripts, the defendant compromised the nursing profession’s integrity and our healthcare system,” he continued. “Our district will continue to hold accountable those who profit by undermining professional licensing processes and endangering the public.”
Carleen Noreus, a registered nurse since 2002, engaged in selling these fake diplomas from April 2018 to October 2025. Prosecutors highlighted that these documents allowed individuals to take national nursing board exams without attending nursing school. Around 2,300 individuals who acquired diplomas or transcripts from Noreus succeeded in obtaining licenses by passing the board exams and began working as nurses nationwide, according to court documents.
Two schools founded by Noreus, which served as platforms for selling the diplomas, carried her name and were subsequently closed by state authorities. She held the position of president at Carleen Home Health School, Inc., in Plantation, and was vice president at Carleen Home Health School II, Inc., in West Palm Beach.
Prosecutors reported that Noreus conspired with others in this extensive scheme. In a factual statement signed, Noreus admitted receiving payments from Stanton Witherspoon, president of Carleen Home Health School II, to produce falsified diplomas for various levels of nurses. She also acknowledged backdating transcripts to suggest degrees were awarded before state shutdowns of her institutions.
Noreus pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to money laundering. She could face a maximum sentence of 20 years for each charge. Noreus was among 13 defendants charged during the second phase of Operation Nightingale, a national initiative aimed at uncovering fraudulent diploma operations. The first phase, completed in 2023, resulted in charges and convictions for 30 defendants.