$6 million nursing-school scandal

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced a state takedown last week of an elaborate criminal scheme involving bogus nursing schools in New York City and Long Island that have robbed students of more than $6 million. One of those schools, Hope-VTEC, was until February operating at 1057-1059 Hempstead Turnpike in Franklin Square.

According to Schneiderman, 11 people were behind the scam, eight of whom were arrested in New York in a series of raids on July 21 and three of whom were apprehended out of state.

Among those indicted was Jocelyn Allrich, 52, of Elmont, owner and operator of Franklin Square’s Hope-VTEC — also known as J. Allrich Productions Inc., Hope Nursing Tutorial Services and Tutorial Nursing Prep. Allrich has no prior record in Nassau County.

Lauren Passalacqua, a spokeswoman for Schneiderman, said that Hope-VTEC collaborated with the National Academy nursing program in Jamaica to provide fraudulent certifications, along with three other schools — the International Language and Professional Network Inc. in Brooklyn; the Helping Angels Foundation of America, which operated in Brooklyn and in Floral Park; and Life-VTEC in Queens Village.

“These conspirators intentionally targeted people in pursuit of new opportunities, lining their pockets with others’ hard-earned money,” Schneiderman said. “This case sends a clear message to anyone looking to profit off exploitation and fraud: You will be caught. My office has zero tolerance for such criminal conduct and will continue to hold those who commit it accountable.”

Hope-VTEC in Franklin Square closed in February, and the other schools also recently closed, Passalacqua said. The only school that is still in operation is Envision Review Center in Brooklyn, which is in the process of being shut down by the state, she added.

All of the schools have been linked to the same scheme, Passalacqua said, since they shared instructors and paperwork. Students were told that the programs would qualify them to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses and the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses. However, she said, the certifications and transcripts the schools provided were fraudulent, and the state estimates that hundreds of individuals were victims of the scheme.

According to Schneiderman’s office, people who enrolled in the bogus schools paid between $7,000 and $20,000 for tuition, and spent between 10 months and two years completing the program.

His office, in cooperation with the state Department of Education, conducted the investigation — which began in 2006, after the office was notified by the Education Department about several student complaints. Beginning in 2007, the attorney general’s office assigned undercover investigators to pose as students enrolled in the phony programs, and search warrants were executed.

According to the indictment and prosecutors’ statements at the defendants’ arraignments, they conspired to create and operate entities that claimed to be nursing schools, and falsely stated that completing the programs would make students eligible for the New York State Nursing Board Exam, after which they would become licensed practical or registered nurses.

The 11 indicted individuals face multiple counts of third-degree grand larceny, scheme to defraud and other charges.

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