A woman has admitted guilt to selling almost 3,000 fake nursing diplomas through schools she ran in South Florida. Carleen Noreus, aged 52, accepted a plea deal following a two-week trial where prosecutors presented numerous pieces of evidence, including fake diplomas and transcripts provided to individuals lacking the necessary training to qualify as registered nurses.
“Nursing licenses should be earned through education, training, and demonstrated skill—not bought through deceit,” stated Jason A. Reding Quiñones, U.S. attorney for Florida’s southern district. “By distributing thousands of fraudulent diplomas and transcripts, the defendant compromised the integrity of the nursing field and jeopardized our healthcare system. The Southern District of Florida is dedicated to holding accountable those who exploit professional licensing processes for profit, putting the public in danger,” Quiñones added.
Noreus, a registered nurse since 2002, sold these falsified diplomas from April 2018 until October 2025. The documents allowed recipients to appear for the national nursing board exams without attending nursing school. Court reports indicate that around 2,300 individuals who procured diplomas from Noreus obtained licenses by passing the board exams and then worked as nurses nationwide.
The schools set up by Noreus, both named after her, were eventually closed by state authorities. She served as the president of Carleen Home Health School, Inc., in Plantation and as vice president of Carleen Home Health School II, Inc., in West Palm Beach. These institutions were used as platforms to sell the fraudulent diplomas.
Prosecutors detailed how Noreus collaborated with others in this extensive scheme over several years. In a statement she signed, Noreus disclosed that Stanton Witherspoon, president of Carleen Home Health School II, paid her to create fake diplomas for entry-level nurses, registered nurses, and those with bachelor’s degrees. Noreus also admitted to backdating transcripts to falsely show that students had received their degrees before state authorities shut down her schools.
Noreus pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to money laundering, facing a potential maximum sentence of 20 years for each charge. She was among 13 people charged in the second part of Operation Nightingale, a nationwide probe targeting fake nursing diploma operations. The first phase, completed in 2023, resulted in charges and convictions for 30 defendants.
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