One nurse is headed to federal prison and another faces a similar fate for participating in a pair of prison contraband schemes.
Former contract nurse Joseph Nwancha, RN, 41, of Baltimore, Maryland, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for his role in a scheme to smuggle narcotics, tobacco, cell phones, and other contraband into a state prison.
In his plea deal, Mr. Nwancha said that he was regularly the on-duty nurse during evenings and nights at Maryland Correctional Institute Jessup, which housed approximately 1,100 male inmates. This made it possible for him to have private contact with inmates without prison employees or other inmates observing the interactions.
According to court documents, beginning in September 2017, Corey Alston, an inmate at the medium-security prison, began bribing Mr. Nwancha to bring contraband into the prison. The inmate’s sister, Ashley Alston, discussed the bribe payments with Mr. Nwancha via text messages and later met with Mr. Nwancha to give him money. In his plea deal, Mr. Nwancha also admitted to having similar arrangements with other inmates.
On Nov. 28, 2017, Mr. Nwancha was stopped at MCIJ and was found to be in possession of approximately 230 g of K2, a synthetic cannabinoid, intended for Mr. Alston and other inmates, according to the court documents. A cell phone recovered from Mr. Nwancha contained text-message conversations discussing bribe payments and other details related to the smuggling operation. The next day, Mr. Nwancha fled to Dublin where he remained until his arrest and extradition, the document says.
According to the Maryland Board of Nursing, Mr. Nwancha earned his license to practice in 2013, and it expired in 2019.
The Washington Post reported that Mr. Nwancha was part of a smuggling ring involving at least 25 people, including corrections officers, in which conspirators would receive “bribes, kickbacks, and sexual favors” in exchange for smuggling contraband into the facility.
Jeane Arnette, RN, of Leavenworth, Kan., pleaded guilty to a scheme in which she used her role as a nurse to smuggle contraband, including cell phones, into the Leavenworth Detention Center.
Ms. Arnette, 61, pleaded guilty on Mach 10 to conspiracy to provide contraband to federal prison inmates. The Kansas City Star says Ms. Arnette worked at the prison from August 2020 through September 2021 and allegedly attempted to smuggle contraband on at least 15 occasions to one inmate. Investigators alleged she was paid through Cash App for the transactions.
She is scheduled to be sentenced June 9 and faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison.
New York nurse indicted in COVID-19 vaccine card scam
A New York licensed practical nurse faces charges of conspiring to defraud the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and conspiring to commit forgery in a scheme to distribute and sell false COVID-19 vaccination cards.
According to the indictment, Steven Rodriguez, of Long Beach, N.Y., 27, a nurse at a Hempstead, N.Y.–based clinic, conspired with Jia Liu, 26, of New York, who is a member of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, to provide the fake vaccination cards. The cards were sold to unvaccinated Marine Corps reservists who did not want to comply with U.S. Department of Defense vaccination regulations.
In the scheme, Mr. Liu purchased stolen, blank COVID-19 vaccination cards from Mr. Rodriguez, then forged and distributed them for profit. Mr. Liu also directed buyers to meet Mr. Rodriguez in person at the health care clinic where, rather than administer the vaccination, Mr. Rodriguez would destroy the vial of vaccine intended for that patient, then provide a forged vaccination card. Mr. Rodriguez then made false entries in immunization databases indicating that the buyer had been vaccinated. Mr. Liu was also charged with one count of conspiring to defraud the Department of Defense, according to prosecutors.
Using code words such as “gift cards,” “Pokemon cards,” and “Cardi Bs,” the men sent messages on encrypted messaging apps and on social media to inform potential buyers of the opportunity to buy the fake cards, prosecutors said.
Overall, according to the indictment, Mr. Rodriguez and Mr. Liu distributed at least 300 stolen or false COVID-19 vaccination cards, created more than 70 false entries in immunization databases, and destroyed multiple doses of COVID-19 vaccine. “The defendants put military and other communities at risk of contracting a virus that has already claimed nearly one million lives in this country,” Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said when announcing the charges.
Mr. Rodriguez’s lawyer said in an email to The New York Times that the charges are “disturbing” but added, “This young man has no prior record and has a good family, which is why he was released on an unsecured signature bond with the consent of the government.”
Mr. Rodriguez acquired his LPN license in 2018, and it was valid as of press time, according to the New York Office of the Professions database.
Mr. Liu, who also faces charges in connection with the January 6 riot on Capitol Hill, was released on a $250,000 bond to home detention with GPS monitoring, according to the same report.
If convicted, the men could each face up to 10 years in prison.