22 Georgia nurses are among thousands of people who allegedly obtained their nursing degrees illegally.
On Jan. 17, the Georgia Board of Nursing mailed out letters asking the nurses to surrender their licenses within 30 days. So far, none of the nurses have complied.
Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Justin Gray spoke with an attorney who is representing five of the nurses.
Hahnah Williams, a nurse herself, said her clients will not surrender their licenses. She said they obtained their licenses legitimately.
State licensing boards around the country scoured their records to find nurses who attended three Florida-based accredited nursing schools that are now shuttered.
RELATED: 22 Georgia Nurses Who Obtained Diplomas Illegally Lose Their Licenses
The FBI alleges the schools conspired with a New Jersey man to sell 7,600 bogus nursing degrees for $15,000 each. The scheme raked in over $114 million.
The feds arrested 25 people involved in the scheme. They each face up to 20 years in prison.
Williams says that not everyone who attended those schools purchased their degrees.
“Look, nobody wants a fraudulent nurse taking care of them or their loved ones. However, in this case what we have are allegations and an investigation. We have to allow that process to play out before we rush to judgment,” Williams said.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told Gray that state investigators are working to obtain evidence from the FBI to revoke the licenses of nurses who refuse to surrender their licenses voluntarily.
However, Williams said her clients are eager to prove their licenses are legit.
“There’s been no determination of wrongdoing by any type of judicial body. So to rush to judgment and start firing nurses just because they went to an accredited school that’s been implicated in criminal activity is just wrong,” Williams told Gray.
