Operation Nightingale Continues to Target Nursing Licenses Nationwide

For more than 3 years now, the FBI has been conducting Operation Nightingale to target Florida-based nursing schools that sold more than 7,600 fraudulent nursing diplomas between 2016 and 2021. This law enforcement operation is two-fold: prosecuting the individuals and schools behind the fraud and identifying nurses nationwide who received their licenses using illegitimate credentials.

In September 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice intensified its crackdown by launching Phase II of Operation Nightingale, filing charges against additional defendants who operated schools involved in the scheme. As part of this crackdown, many nurses have been facing arrest for their efforts to hold onto their credentials, including stealing social security numbers, using aliases, and using other people’s valid nursing credentials.

Many nurses who earned their licenses through the fraudulent programs never even knew they were paying for illegitimate credentials. If you’re a nurse caught up in this scheme—whether you knew it at the time or not—you need a legal team that knows how to protect your rights and defend your license. Before taking drastic measures that will only get you in more trouble, contact the Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm. We’re fighting for nurses who are suffering the consequences of the criminal activity of corrupt nursing programs. Call us at 888-535-3686 or complete our confidential contact form to learn more.

Phase II Targets Nurses at the State Level

Much of Phase II of Operation Nightingale is happening in the Florida legal system, including trials and sentencing for administrators of the Florida schools involved in the scheme. But because nurses get their licenses through individual state boards, the federal crackdown is affecting nurses nationwide.

Since the start of Phase II in 2025, multiple states are continuing to try to weed out nurses who earned their licenses through the Florida scam. States including Connecticut, New York, and North Dakota are pursuing disciplinary action and seeking out nurses who earned their diplomas from any of the corrupt Florida nursing schools.

States are taking a variety of actions to stop these nurses from practicing in healthcare facilities. Some state nursing boards are using their administrative authority to bypass lengthy disciplinary processes and immediately nullify nursing licenses. Additionally, nursing boards are reporting all disciplinary actions and voluntary license surrenders related to the scheme to national nursing databases so that affected nurses can’t reclaim their licenses in a different state. And boards are freezing nursing applications that list one of the corrupt schools until the applicant can prove their training was legitimate.

The LLF National Law Firm Can Help

For nurses whose licenses are at risk because of the fraudulent Florida schools, you want to do all you can to protect your license. You likely believed you were legitimately completing all the education and training you needed for your license, and now your career is in jeopardy through no fault of your own.

The Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm has years of experience working with state nursing boards to defend nursing licenses. States are using aggressive strategies to target nurses involved in this debacle, and the LLF National Law Firm can help you prove the legitimacy of your license so that you can move forward in your career. Call us at 888-535-3686 or complete our confidential contact form to schedule a consultation and get started.