• About Us
    • Join CAPPS Email List
    • What is Private Postsecondary Education
    • About ICEPAC
  • News
    • Legislation / Advocacy
  • Events
    • Allied Member Vendor Showcase ~ Presenter Contact Information
    • CAPPS Legislative Policy Conference April 22-23, 2021
    • 2021 CAPPS Sponsorship Opportunities
    • 37th Annual Conference
    • Educational Advisors ~ Event Calendar
  • Resources
    • Classifieds
    • Professional Online Training Center
    • State and Federal Resources
    • Accreditors
    • Boards
    • Associations
  • CAPPS Member Portal & Archives
    • CAPPS Membership Directory
    • Conference Archives
    • Member Only Webinar
    • Webinar Archives
    • Workshop Archives
    • CAPPS Member Portal
      • CAPPS Legislative Watch
      • BPPE Sunset Report
    • Featured Members
    • Select Allied or School Benefits – Why be a CAPPS Member?
      • School Membership Application & Renewal Form
      • Allied Membership Application & Renewal Form
  • Awards
    • CAPPS Memorial Scholarships
    • Excellence in Community Service Awards
    • CAPPS Hall of Fame STAR Awards
    • Norma Ford Financial Aid Professional of the Year
    • School of the Year
    • Allied Member of the Year
California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools                        
916-447-5500
Email
        Login
CAPPS
  • About Us
    • Join CAPPS Email List
    • What is Private Postsecondary Education
    • About ICEPAC
  • News
    • Legislation / Advocacy
  • Events
    • Allied Member Vendor Showcase ~ Presenter Contact Information
    • CAPPS Legislative Policy Conference April 22-23, 2021
    • 2021 CAPPS Sponsorship Opportunities
    • 37th Annual Conference
    • Educational Advisors ~ Event Calendar
  • Resources
    • Classifieds
    • Professional Online Training Center
    • State and Federal Resources
    • Accreditors
    • Boards
    • Associations
  • CAPPS Member Portal & Archives
    • CAPPS Membership Directory
    • Conference Archives
    • Member Only Webinar
    • Webinar Archives
    • Workshop Archives
    • CAPPS Member Portal
      • CAPPS Legislative Watch
      • BPPE Sunset Report
    • Featured Members
    • Select Allied or School Benefits – Why be a CAPPS Member?
      • School Membership Application & Renewal Form
      • Allied Membership Application & Renewal Form
  • Awards
    • CAPPS Memorial Scholarships
    • Excellence in Community Service Awards
    • CAPPS Hall of Fame STAR Awards
    • Norma Ford Financial Aid Professional of the Year
    • School of the Year
    • Allied Member of the Year

News

  • Home
  • News
  • 3 women accused of stealing $1 million in financial aid from California college

3 women accused of stealing $1 million in financial aid from California college

  • Posted by CAPPS
  • Date

MercuryNews.com

Three San Bernardino County women were arrested Thursday, June 27, and accused of stealing more than $1 million in federal student financial aid through Fullerton College in a scheme in which authorities say they enrolled hundreds of mostly non-existent students, successfully applied for grants and loans and then pocketed the money.

Sparkle Shorale Nelson, 32, of Highland; Shykeena Monique “Shy” Johnson, 31, of Apple Valley; and Jerrika Eldrena Lashay “Muffin” Johnson, 37, of Apple Valley, were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, four counts of mail fraud and 11 counts of wire fraud, the U.S. Department of Justice said. They also face charges of aggravated identity theft and financial aid fraud.

The women, who were indicted by a federal grand jury, pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in Riverside on Thursday, Department of Justice spokesman Ciaran McEvoy said. They posted bond and were released. A tentative trial date was set for Aug. 20. Federal court records did not list the attorneys representing them.

The defendants filed online requests for financial aid using used the names, among others, of people whose identities were stolen and at least two inmates in California state prisons, the indictment said. The document also said inmates are ineligible for student financial aid. The “vast majority” of the people enrolled at the college never attended classes, a Department of Justice news release said.

Fullerton College spokeswoman Lisa McPheron said she was unaware of this case but that the college had dealt with similar scams before.

“Fullerton College does not want to impede the judicial process, so we defer all comments of the case to the Department of Justice,” McPheron added in an emailed statement Friday. “Generally speaking, when apparent or suspected fraud is identified, our financial aid staff report that information to the Long Beach location of the Office of Inspector General and we fully comply with the investigation.”

The fraud worked like this, according to the indictment:

The defendants would obtain names and Social Security numbers of “straw students” and use that information to enroll them at Fullerton and other colleges. The defendants then would apply online to the federal government for financial aid. The government would calculate the amount of assistance the fake students were eligible for and send that money to the college.

The college would then deduct tuition and fees from that amount and send the balance to the fake students in the form of a debit card or a paper check. Only in this case, the indictment said, the debit cards were sent to… (continue reading)

  • Share:
author avatar
CAPPS

Previous post

Attacking the For-profit Sector Helps Neither Students Nor Taxpayers

Next post

Court rules student loan companies are subject to state consumer laws, contrary to Trump administration’s stance

You may also like

Forbes
For-Profit Higher Ed’s Renaissance: The Case Of Coursera
21 April, 2021
Inside Higher Ed
McCann to Office of the Under Secretary
20 April, 2021
POLITICO
How Biden’s infrastructure plan may fracture the nation’s colleges
20 April, 2021

Search

Memorial Scholarship Information
Donate to ICEPAC
Become an Allied Member
Become a School Member
CAPPS Events

ABOUT US

  • What is Private Postsecondary Education
  • CAPPS Memorial Scholarships
  • Upcoming Conferences

MAILING ADDRESS:
California Association of
Private Postsecondary Schools
2520 Venture Oaks, Suite 170
Sacramento, CA  95833
info@cappsonline.org
www.cappsonline.org    

CappsOnlineMorpho Web Design.

2020 All Rights Reserved CappsOnline.org