Three former operators of South Florida nursing schools pleaded guilty this week to selling fake diplomas for millions of dollars to students looking for a shortcut to become licensed nurses in hospitals across the country.
Their pleas on Monday in Fort Lauderdale federal court to wire-fraud conspiracies mark the latest developments in a three-year federal crackdown on about 50 private nursing school owners and associates in South Florida, with only two remaining as defendants facing trial in 2026.
The three defendants are: Victor Escalante Zerpa, former manager of Academus University in Coral Gables, who pocketed $9.5 million in illicit payments; Lemuel Pierre, ex-owner of Med-Life Institute in Lauderdale Lakes, Kissimmee and Naples, who raked in $9.1 million; and Irene Matthews, former manager of Agape Academy of Sciences in Delray Beach, who collected $1.5 million in illegal profits.
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