Fl. cops bust owner of bogus medical training facility scamming students who thought they were becoming LPNs
(Grace Med Training, 1456 Old Dixie Highway, Vero Beach, FL, Image credit: Google Maps)
You paid good money to go to nursing school or you enrolled in a program to become a certified medical assistant. Hopefully your school of choice wasn’t Grace Med Training in Vero Beach which turned out to be a bogus facility owned and operated by a fraudulent instructor who is now accused of scamming at least 37 students for about $94,000 of fake medical classes.
On October 19, Florida’s Vero Beach Police Department (VBPD) announced that during the month of July 2022, the agency received complaints from numerous individuals who alleged that they were deceived into enrolling at a fraudulent medical training school. Grace Med Training, located at 1456 Old Dixie Highway in Vero Beach was owned and operated by Michelle Hudson, whose name was recently changed to Michelle Wimes.
Hudson, aka Wimes, also posed as an instructor at the bogus medical training school.
The training facility offered multiple medical training courses including CPR, home health aide, medical assistant, phlebotomy, CNA, and a practical nursing program. The majority of complaints came from students of the practical nursing program, for which Grace Med charged over $5,000. Graduates of Grace Med’s LPN program were ultimately unable to take the NCLEX due to the fact that they did not attend an approved and accredited school. The NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) is a standardized test nurses need to pass to become licensed.
The students attended classes for 10 months, had a graduation party, and even received real-looking RN certifications, but none of it was real. “They took the class, they had to take the state exam to be certified, and they weren’t able to,” Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey said. ~ CBS 12 News
Investigators from The Vero Beach Police Department served a search warrant at Grace Med Training after confirming with the Commission for Independent Education that neither Michelle Hudson of Grace Med Training was ever licensed to provide any type of medical training. Investigators seized numerous documents, which proved more than 30 victims paid for the fraudulent medical training.
The total reported loss for the victims that have been identified so far is approximately $93,895. Hudson, aka Wimes, retained an attorney before VBPD was able to get a formal statement. Investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Hudson for Organized Fraud (Greater than $50,000). She was placed under arrest on October 18 and subsequently released on $30,000 bond.
Chief Currey also reported that Hudson is suspected of also trying to open up another bogus medical training center in Port St. Lucie prior to her arrest. Law enforcement authorities are now working toward restitution to get the victims their money back, according to WPTV.
Investigators with the Vero Beach Police Department encourage anyone who believe they may have been a victim regarding Grace Med Training to contact Detective Kyle Eder at (772) 978-4665 or keder@vbpd.org.
For more on the story, see the video accompanying this article.
(Source and Michelle Hudson Booking Photos. per VBPD)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
