A Nigerian man has been jailed for his part in an international scam that sold fraudulent nursing qualifications to unqualified individuals, enabling them to work in healthcare and putting patients at risk.
Patrick Nwaokwu, 55, originally from Nigeria, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release on Friday 24 April 2026 by US District Judge Deborah L. Boardman in Greenbelt, Maryland. He had pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
The US Attorney for the District of Maryland, Kelly O. Hayes, announced the sentence alongside the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).
According to court documents, Nwaokwu conspired with others to produce and sell fake nursing diplomas, transcripts and other documents. Buyers used the forged paperwork to obtain nursing licences from state boards, including Maryland’s, and secure jobs in the healthcare sector.
The scheme, which ran from at least 2018 until mid-2021, involved two now-defunct nursing schools: Nursing School 1 in Virginia and the Palm Beach School of Nursing in Florida. Because both institutions had lost their licences, the conspirators backdated the fraudulent documents to make it appear that students had graduated while the schools were still accredited.
Nwaokwu and his co-conspirators targeted potential buyers in Maryland and elsewhere. Court papers state that he sold fake Nursing School 1 qualifications in partnership with Musa Bangura, 67, of Manassas, Virginia. Separately, he worked with Johanah Napoleon, 50, of West Palm Beach County, Florida, and Geralda Adrien, 56, of Broward County, Florida, to supply false RN and LPN degrees from the Palm Beach school.
Prices typically ranged from $17,000 (£13,000) for a registered nurse (RN) qualification to between $6,000 and $10,000 (£4,700–£7,800) for a licensed practical nurse (LPN) diploma. Purchasers were instructed to leave the graduation date blank on their National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) applications so the date could later be falsified.
The scam generated more than $1.5 million (£1.17 million) in actual losses. By helping unqualified people enter the nursing profession, Nwaokwu and his associates “consciously and recklessly exposed Maryland patients to potential harm, risk of death, and serious bodily injury”, prosecutors said.
Bangura was previously sentenced to 13 months in federal prison for his role in the conspiracy.
US Attorney Hayes praised the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office and HHS-OIG for their investigation. She also thanked Assistant US Attorney Megan S. McKoy, who prosecuted the case.
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