Over the last few years, there has been an ongoing nationwide FBI investigation of bogus nurses without the real credentials necessary for the job. The investigation has uncovered thousands of people who purchased nursing credentials from unaccredited schools without attending any classes, and this has led to indictments of 25 people, so far, on wire fraud charges. It is presumed that these people purchased the fraudulent credentials in order to find better jobs in the health care industry; however, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing assures that there have not been any reports of harm to patients due to unqualified nurses. As of now, nurses who purchased the fake diplomas have not been charged, but those involved in the recruitment network used to lead people to the unaccredited schools and pay for the fake credentials are facing criminal charges.
See "Nationwide investigation uncovers thousands of unqualified health workers who purchased fake credentials ", Lenny Bernstein, The Washington Post, May 18, 2023