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TALLAHASSEE- The Florida Attorney General's office has filed a lawsuit against Broward County resident Evales Cena for allegedly operating a bogus nursing school that bilked unsuspecting students out of thousands of dollars.
Cena was charged with deceptive and unfair trade practices for operating the Eval Nursing and Training Center (formerly known as the Eval School of Nursing) in a strip mall in Oakland Park. He attracted students by posting flyers and by advertising in Creole on Haitian radio stations. Cena advertised that students could become licensed practical nurses by attending 12 hours of class per week for approximately one year. He charged each student up to $5,000 for tuition, plus additional fees for books, uniforms and other incidentals. The vast majority of the students were Haitian women, many of whom traveled for hours to attend the class.
Cena advised students that when they completed the nursing program they would receive a diploma and graduate, could take and pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), and would then become a licensed practical nurse or a registered nurse. Students filled out applications to take the NCLEX examination and paid Cena an additional $200, which he falsely claimed was needed for the application fee and fingerprint processing required for the exam.
Prosecutors say that Venite Clairmond of Port St. Lucie was typical of those who were burned by the scam who enrolled in Cena's "nursing school" and traveled three days a week to attend class. Clairmond paid $4,500 for the bogus nursing classes and wasted hours attending classes at the school, only to learn she was not eligible to sit for the NCLEX examination because the school was not accredited.
Some of the students confronted Cena about the school's accreditation, but instead of providing an explanation, he called the Sheriff's Office and had the students removed from the premises by claiming that they were trespassing.
The students then contacted the Economic Crimes Unit of the Attorney General's Office, which began investigating the allegations into the bogus nursing school. The school shut down after the Attorney General's Office started investigating.
"Instead of receiving what they were promised, these students were treated as though they were criminals," said AG CharlieCrist.
The lawsuit was filed in Broward County Circuit Court under Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. Cena faces penalties of $10,000 per violation, and the Attorney General's Office is seeking restitution for the victims. Investigators have received seven affidavits from former students, although the Attorney General's Office believes there were more than 25 students enrolled in the program.
Anyone who believes he or she has been a victim should call the Attorney General's Fraud Hotline toll free at 1-866-9-NO-SCAM (866-966-7226). 10-20-05
A copy of the civil complaint is available at: http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/MRAY-6H5HCT/$file/Eval_Complaint.pdf
© 2005 North
Country Gazette
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