Local nurses lost in ‘outrageous scheme’ | Morning Newsletter
And a corruption investigation in Camden.
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The Morning Newsletter
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Philly’s weather has certainly taken a turn for the wetter this summer. Today’s forecast calls for some storms again, so grab your umbrella before you head out the door.
Our lead read highlights nurses who say they were targeted and deceived by a multimillion-dollar degree scheme. Now, they are bringing their cases before state nursing boards to give their side of the story.
— Paola Pérez (@pdesiperez, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
“We did everything we were supposed to do. I went to school. I did the work.”
That’s Ramatu Ali. Led by the promise of a program to become a higher-skill, better-paid registered nurse, she took trips to Florida and back, spent hours doing online learning and hands-on clinical training, and spent up to $14,000 on her education.
It turned out to be too good to be true. Late last year, her nursing license was voided by authorities in Delaware, along with at least 34 nurses who graduated from sham schools.
Catch up quick: Pennsylvania’s Board of Nursing and others across the U.S. have been taking steps to revoke the licenses of people in connection with a nationwide scam involving the owner of four Florida-based schools that sold fake college degrees and transcripts. Those students used the fake credentials to get nursing licenses all over the country.
Dubbed “Operation Nightingale,” the ongoing federal investigation has resulted in criminal indictments of 27 school operators and recruiters, including two from South Jersey.
The larger impact: Ali is among more than 7,600 students who received degrees from schools in Florida that operated as nursing diploma mills. To date, there have been no reports of patient harm.
Nearly 100 of those nurses who claim to have been wrongly accused of buying fake degrees are now represented by Philly-area lawyer Joseph Lento, and are bringing the fight to state nursing boards to keep their licenses.
Continue reading on why Ali and others believe they were targeted by operators and recruiters.
South Jersey Democratic power broker George E. Norcross III has faced scrutiny from state and federal authorities repeatedly in the last two decades. Criminal charges have never been filed. But the feds have:
☎️ tapped his phones
✍️ had an informant record his conversations
📄 reviewed scores of documents.
What’s happening now: Prosecutors appear to be trying to file charges again — this time with a wide-ranging probe by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and the FBI, according to more than a dozen people familiar with their efforts.
The focus: Whether Norcross, an investor in several properties, and his brother Philip, a prominent New Jersey lawyer and lobbyist, used their political influence to corruptly acquire several real estate deals along the Delaware River waterfront in Camden by muscling out rival developers.
Names to watch: The deals under scrutiny involve some of the biggest names in real estate and business in the Philadelphia region, including Carl Dranoff (Symphony House and the Arthaus condo) and William P. Hankowsky (Comcast towers and the Navy Yard redevelopment).
Continue reading about the scope of the unfolding corruption investigation.
What you should know today
A Philly-based catalytic converter theft ring that bought more than $8 million worth of the car parts was taken down in an interstate bust.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner says his office should be able to reveal new details within three months about how two men were able to escape from a city jail earlier this spring.
The parent company of a child behavioral services provider in Delco will lay off 94 employees and close its two offices.
Two former security guards are asking a Pennsylvania court to block enforcement of a state law that bans people who were convicted of certain crimes from working as security guards.
At restaurants and bars near the I-95 collapse site, traffic is flowing and customers are returning again thanks to the lightning-fast reopening of the highway.
Comcast is now charging Xfinity customers for Peacock. The transition hasn’t gone well for some.
The weekslong Wawa Welcome America festival continues. Here’s what to know about all other events leading up to the big Fourth of July concert.
🧠 Trivia time 🧠
During the pandemic, the number of people looking for a pet outnumbered the amount of pets in shelters. How many households nationwide welcomed a pet in 2020?
A) over 5 million
B) over 10 million
C) over 23 million
D) over 64 million
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🏆 Flagging: The winner of our Philly Flag Contest. Congrats!
🥪 Craving: A turkey Shorti on this 31st Wawa Hoagie Day.
🏒 Browsing: The Flyers’ “new era of orange” on the NHL’s 2023-24 schedule.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram 🧩
Hint: Wheel... of... fortune!
ARNEY ACTRESS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Elizabeth Burdett, who correctly guessed Tuesday’s answer: Blinded By the Light.
Photo of the day
☕ Cafecito calls. Thanks for starting your morning with The Inquirer.