A South Florida woman has admitted to selling nearly 3,000 fraudulent nursing diplomas through schools she owned and operated, according to court records reviewed by News Agency.
Carleen Noreus, 52, entered a guilty plea this week after a two-week trial had already begun. During the proceedings, prosecutors presented the jury with dozens of exhibits, including fake diplomas and transcripts that were issued to individuals who had not completed the required training to become registered nurses.
Federal prosecutors said Noreus, herself a registered nurse since 2002, ran the scheme from April 2018 through October 2025. The fraudulent documents allowed buyers to qualify for the national nursing board examinations without attending nursing school, prosecutors said.
“Nursing licenses must be earned through education, training, and demonstrated competence, not purchased through fraud,” Jason A. Reding Quiñones, the U.S. attorney for Florida’s Southern District, said in a statement.
He added that the sale of thousands of fake diplomas and transcripts damaged both the nursing profession and the broader healthcare system. “The Southern District of Florida remains committed to holding accountable those who profit by corrupting professional licensing processes and placing the public at risk,” Quiñones said.
