Connecticut nurse suspended after obtaining degree from Florida school facing federal investigation

CT Insider – Wednesday, June 4, 2025
By Lisa Backus

The Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing on Tuesday suspended the license of a nurse who received her degree from a Florida school whose owner now is under federal indictment.

Althea Rosemarie Grant McLean obtained her nursing degree from Carleen Health Institute in Florida, one of several nursing schools throughout the country that were investigated and whose owners were indicted by federal authorities as part of “Operation Nightingale,” state Department of Public Health and federal documents said.

Individuals connected with the schools were selling diplomas for nursing degrees without actually providing all of the training required, federal documents said. They were engaging in an “illegal licensing and employment shortcut for aspiring nurses,” federal authorities in Florida said.

Grant McLean sought and obtained a Connecticut license to practice nursing in 2023, DHP documents said.

The school she attended, which now is part of a federal criminal case, provided documents indicating that Grant McLean did not complete the required program hours and clinical training to receive a degree in nursing, DPH attorney Anthony Nanni told the board Tuesday.

Grant McLean is among 58 nurses with Connecticut licenses who voluntarily relinquished their license or had their license revoked by the board due to their connection to “Operation Nightingale,” DPH officials said.

Without the required training, Grant McLean is a “clear and immediate danger to public health and safety,” a statement of charges issued by DPH investigators said. The board voted Tuesday to suspend her license to practice nursing until a hearing could be held. Grant McLean did not attend the meeting, which was held virtually.

Carleen Noreus, owner of Carleen Health Institute, was indicted by federal authorities in February as part of the investigation, federal documents said. She is accused of money laundering and wire fraud, which she committed when she sent fraudulent documents including diplomas and transcripts to potential employers indicating that people had finished the requirements for a degree when they hadn’t, the documents said.

More than two-dozen others also were arrested since 2023 as part of the operation, federal documents show.

It is unclear whether Grant McLean was aware of the scam when she attended the school seeking a nursing diploma.

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