A New Jersey nurse agreed to revoke her professional license on Wednesday after being convicted of luring two women into the United States and forcing them into domestic labor.
Bolaji Bolarinwa, 51, of Moorestown, lost both her registered nurse and advanced practice licenses after prosecutors said she lured the victims to the country between 2015 and 2016 with false promises, took their passports, and forced them to work around the clock doing domestic chores and childcare.
Bolarinwa, who is from Nigeria but is a U.S. citizen, subjected the women to physical harm, isolation and psychological abuse for several months until one of the victims, in the country on a student visa, notified a professor, at her college who told the FBI, according to the Department of Justice.
In revoking her license, the Superior New Jersey Board of Nursing cited Bolarinwa’s criminal acts as fundamentally incompatible with her professional obligation to protect public health and safety.
A federal jury in April 2024 found Bolarinwa guilty of multiple charges, including forced labor, domestic servitude, and alien harboring for financial gain. Her husband was also convicted, though his conviction was later overturned on appeal.
In May, Bolarinwa was sentenced to 45 months in federal prison, ordered to pay a $35,000 fine, and required to make restitution of about $87,518.72 to her victims.
Bolarinwa did not disclose her pending criminal charges when she sought to renew her nursing license in 2023, officials said. She is barred from reapplying for a new license for the next 10 years.
Attorney General Platkin said in a statement: “The criminal acts this licensee perpetrated against her victims demonstrate an utter disregard for the safety of others and an appalling lack of compassion that has no place in the nursing profession. The revocation announced today protects the public from the very serious risk she posed as a practicing nurse.”
“Bolaji Bolarinwa’s physical and mental abuse of two vulnerable women flies in the face of the fundamental principles of nursing,” Elizabeth M. Harris, Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, said.
“Her conduct and the unimaginable harm it caused to her victims more than warrants her removal from the nursing profession,” she added.
Bolarinwa has appealed her conviction, and a decision in that appeal remains pending.
