The sentencing of Stanton A. Witherspoon, a Liberian-born American citizen, originally scheduled for July 2024, has been postponed to October 25, 2024.
Witherspoon is at the center of a high-profile case involving the sale of fraudulent nursing degrees valued at over $100 million.
A notice issued on July 11, 2024, by U.S. Florida District Court Judge Rodney Smith stated that Witherspoon’s request to extend his sentencing date has been approved, rescheduling it to October 25, 2024 at 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.
This is the third time Stanton’s sentencing has been postponed after he admitted to obtaining $3.5 million United States dollars from a fake nursing degree scheme that was worth $114 million United States dollars in 2023. He has since paid the full amount during his trial in 2023.
Prosecutors argue that Witherspoon and 25 others have compromised the integrity of the nursing profession, potentially putting patients at risk and eroding trust in healthcare services.
Over a span of three years, more than 7,500 fraudulent nursing degrees were sold before the FBI launched an investigation in 2019.
Witherspoon faces up to 41 months in jail for his crime.
As the new sentencing date approaches, the public and stakeholders in the healthcare sector remain eagerly interested in the outcome.
The case highlights the importance of rigorous credential verification processes and the need for ongoing vigilance against fraudulent activities within the education and healthcare industries.
The court’s decision to extend the sentencing timeline allows Stanton to properly adjust before serving his sentence.
