State of Alabama Private School Licensure Policy (October 2008): 720.01: Private School Licensure in Alabama

...IV. Minimum School Rules...

B. The Educational Program...
4. All privately licensed degree granting, post-secondary educational institutions must be accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE), the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), be a candidate for accreditation or in process of application for accreditation as determined and monitored by the Department. This requirement becomes effective beginning October 1, 2008 for any degree granting institutions applying for initial or renewal licensure. The Code of Alabama ß 16-46-3 (1975) (a) (7) and (9) lists exemptions to this requirement as follows:
(7) Any private school conducting resident courses whose principal base of operation is within the State of Alabama which has been in continuous operation for 20 years or more as of April 29, 1980, and held accreditation as of that date by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education.

(9) Any proprietary postsecondary institution conducting resident courses that has been in operation within Alabama for at least five years as of July 1, 2004, and that is accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education shall be accorded the following provision: Upon proof of such accreditation, such schools shall be issued a license and representative permits after required fees are paid to the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education.

Any change of accreditation status must be reported to the Department within 30 calendar days of the change...

State of California: International Medical Schools Disapproved by the State of California.

If a medical school is not on this list of disapproved schools, it is either a recognized or an unrecognized medical school. Please check California's Recognized Medical School list to determine if your school is recognized by California. If a school is not on either the recognized or disapproved list, it may be a school that has not requested recognition by the Medical Board of California. Please be aware education obtained at a disapproved school is not acceptable for licensure in California.

Should you have any questions, please contact the Licensing Program at (916) 263-2382.

State of California: Proposed Assembly Bill 48, California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009.

Article 2. Transition provisions

94809...
(b) An institution that did not have a valid approval to operate issued by, and did not have an application for approval to operate pending with, the former Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education on June 30, 2007, that began operations on or after July 1, 2007, may continue to operate, but shall comply with, and is subject to, this chapter, and shall submit an application for an approval to operate to the bureau pursuant to this chapter within six months of that application becoming available. ...

(d) An institution that is permitted to operate pursuant to subdivision (a) or (b) shall not use the terms "approval," "approved," "approval to operate," or "approved to operate" without clearly stating that the institution's application for approval has not been reviewed by the bureau.

Article 3. Definitions

94813. "Accredited" means an institution is recognized or approved by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education.

94814. "Accrediting agency" is an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education.

94830. "Degree" means a recognized educational credential awarded by an institution that signifies satisfactory completion of the requirements of a postsecondary educational program at the associate's level or above.

94831. "Degree title" means the designated subject area of the educational program that appears on the face of the document awarded to a student.

94832. "Diploma" means a recognized educational credential, other than a degree, awarded by an institution that signifies satisfactory completion of the requirements of a postsecondary educational program below the associate's level. A diploma is also known as a certificate.

94869. "To operate" means to establish, keep, or maintain any facility or location in this state where or from which where, or from which, or through which, postsecondary educational programs are provided.

Article 4. Exemptions

94874...
(A) The instruction is limited to the principles of that church, religious denomination, or religious organization, or to courses offered pursuant to Section 2789 of Business and Professions Code.
(B) The diploma or degree is limited to evidence of completion of that education.
(2) An institution operating under this subdivision shall offer degrees and diplomas only in the beliefs and practices of the church, religious denomination, or religious organization.
(3) An institution operating under this subdivision shall not award degrees in any area of physical science.
(4) Any degree or diploma granted under this subdivision shall contain on its face, in the written description of the title of the degree being conferred, a reference to the theological or religious aspect of the degree's subject area.
(5) A degree awarded under this subdivision shall reflect the nature of the degree title, such as "associate of religious studies," "bachelor of religious studies," "master of divinity," or "doctor of divinity."

Article 5. Bureau Powers and Duties

94877. (a) The bureau shall adopt, on or before January 1, 2011, and shall enforce, regulations to implement this chapter pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act in Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

(b) The bureau shall develop and implement an enforcement program, pursuant to Article 18 (commencing with Section 94932) to implement this chapter. The enforcement program shall include a plan for investigating complaints filed with the bureau.

(c) The bureau shall establish a program to proactively identify unlicensed institutions and take all appropriate legal action.

Article 6. Approval to Operate

94885. The bureau shall, by January 1, 2011, adopt by regulation minimum operating standards for an institution that shall reasonably ensure that all of the following occur:
(a) The content of each educational program can achieve its stated objective.
(b) The institution maintains specific written standards for student admissions for each educational program and those standards are related to the particular educational program.
(c) The facilities, instructional equipment, and materials are sufficient to enable students to achieve the educational program's goals.
(d) The institution maintains a withdrawal policy and provides refunds.
(e) The directors, administrators, and faculty are properly qualified.
(f) The institution is financially sound and capable of fulfilling its commitments to students.
(g) That, upon satisfactory completion of an educational program, the institution gives students a document signifying the degree or diploma awarded.
(h) Adequate records and standard transcripts are maintained and are available to students.
(i) The institution is maintained and operated in compliance with this chapter and all other applicable ordinances and laws.

Article 8. Fair Business Practices

94897. An institution shall not do any of the following:
...
(e) Advertise, or indicate in promotional material, that the institution is accredited, unless the institution has been accredited by an accrediting agency.
...
(i) Use a name in any manner improperly implying any of the following:
(1) The institution is affiliated with any government agency, public or private corporation, agency, or association if it is not, in fact, thus affiliated.
(2) The institution is a public institution.
(3) The institution grants degrees, if the institution does not grant degrees.
...
(l) Use the terms "approval," "approved," "approval to operate," or "approved to operate" without stating clearly and conspicuously that approval to operate means compliance with state standards as set forth in this chapter. If the bureau has granted an institution approval to operate, the institution may indicate that the institution is "licensed" or "licensed to operate," but may not state or imply either of the following:
(1) The institution or its educational programs are endorsed or recommended by the state or by the bureau.
(2) The approval to operate indicates that the institution exceeds minimum state standards as set forth in this chapter.

Article 9. Recordkeeping

94900.5...
(b) The names and addresses of the members of the institution's faculty and records of the educational qualifications of each member of the faculty.

Article 18. Compliance, Enforcement, Process, and Penalties

94932.5. As part of its compliance program, the bureau shall perform announced and unannounced inspections of institutions.

94934. (a) As part of the compliance program, an institution shall submit an annual report to the bureau, under penalty of perjury, by July 1 of each year, or another date designated by the bureau, and it shall include the following information for educational programs offered in the reporting period:
(1) The total number of students enrolled by level of degree or for a diploma.
(2) The number of degrees, by level, and diplomas awarded.
(3) The degree levels and diplomas offered...

94936. (a) As a consequence of an investigation, and upon a finding that the institution has committed a violation of this chapter or that the institution has failed to comply with a notice to comply pursuant to Section 94935, the bureau shall issue a citation to an institution for violation of this chapter, or regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter.
(b) The citation may contain either or both of the following:
(1) An order of abatement that may require an institution to demonstrate how future compliance with this chapter or regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter will be accomplished.
(2) Notwithstanding Section 125.9 of the Business and Professions Code, an administrative fine not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each violation...

94943. The following violations of this chapter are public offenses:
(a) Knowingly operating a private postsecondary institution without an approval to operate is an infraction subject to the procedures described in Sections 19.6 and 19.7 of the Penal Code.
(b) Knowingly providing false information to the bureau on an application for an approval to operate is an infraction subject to the procedures described in Sections 19.6 and 19.7 of the Penal Code.

94944. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the bureau shall cite any person, and that person shall be subject to a fine not to exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), for operating an institution without proper approval to operate issued by the bureau pursuant to this chapter.

"Infraction" is a class of violation not punishable by incarceration under the California Penal Code. (The other categories listed in the CPC are felonies and misdemeanors.)

Here are sections 19.6 and 19.7:

19.6. An infraction is not punishable by imprisonment. A person charged with an infraction shall not be entitled to a trial by jury. A person charged with an infraction shall not be entitled to have the public defender or other counsel appointed at public expense to represent him or her unless he or she is arrested and not released on his or her written promise to appear, his or her own recognizance, or a deposit of bail.

19.7. Except as otherwise provided by law, all provisions of law relating to misdemeanors shall apply to infractions including, but not limited to, powers of peace officers, jurisdiction of courts, periods for commencing action and for bringing a case to trial and burden of proof.

State of Idaho Statutes: Title 33-- Education, Chapter 24-- Proprietary Schools

33-2402. REGISTRATION OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.
(1) Unless exempted as provided herein, each postsecondary educational institution which maintains a presence within the state of Idaho, or which operates or purports to operate from a location within the state of Idaho, shall register annually with and hold a valid certificate of registration issued by the board...
(3) The board may deny the registration of a postsecondary educational institution that does not meet accreditation requirements or other standards and criteria established in rule by the board...

33-2405. PURCHASE STATEMENT.
At the time of depositing any moneys to purchase the product of any proprietary school, the proprietary school shall require the student to execute the following statement on an appropriate form which shall be maintained on record by the proprietary school in the individual student's file:

"I understand that (Name of proprietary school) is registered with the State Board of Education in accordance with Section 33-2403, Idaho Code. I also understand that the State Board of Education has not accredited or endorsed any course of study being offered by (Name of proprietary school), and that these courses will not be accepted for transfer into any Idaho public postsecondary institution."

33-2409. ENFORCEMENT.
Any violation of the provisions of this chapter shall be referred to the attorney general by the board for appropriate action including, but not limited to, injunctive relief.

State of Maine Department of Education: Degree Mills and Accreditation Mills

The web site includes a list of unaccredited degree granting entities and a link to Maine's legal code "False Academic Degrees or Certificates." Maine's law includes definitions of the terms "diploma mill" and "accreditation mill."

State of Michigan list: Non-accredited colleges and universities

State of Mississippi list: NON-APPROVED ENTITIES

State of Nevada statutes: CHAPTER 394 - PRIVATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND ESTABLISHMENTS, RESTRICTIONS ON USE OF TERMS AND GRANTING DEGREES (NRS 394.620 - NRS 394.670) and USE OF FALSE OR MISLEADING DEGREES (NRS 394.700s)

State of New Jersey Commission on Higher Education Statutes & Regulations Regarding Academic Degrees

N.J.S.A. 18A:3-15.1. Deceptive diploma practices
A person shall not with the intent to deceive buy, sell, make or alter, give, issue, obtain or attempt to obtain any diploma or other document purporting to confer any academic degree, or which certifies the completion in whole or in part of any course of study in any institution of higher education.

    L. 1986, c. 87, s. 1, eff. Aug. 14, 1986.

N.J.S.A. 18A:3-15.2. Use of fraudulent degree
A person or other legal entity shall not use, or attempt to use, in connection with any business, trade, profession or occupation any academic degree or certification of degree or degree credit, including but not limited to a transcript of course work, which has been fraudulently issued, obtained, forged or altered. A person shall not, with intent to deceive, falsely represent himself as having received any such degree or credential.

    L. 1986, c. 87, s. 2, eff. Aug. 14, 1986.

N.J.S.A. 18A:3-15.3. Letter designation restricted
A person shall not append to his name any letters in the same form designated by the Commission on Higher Education as entitled to the protection accorded to an academic degree unless the person has received from a duly authorized institution of higher education the degree or certificate for which the letters are registered. For the purposes of this section, a duly authorized institution of higher education means an in-State institution licensed by the Commission on Higher Education or an out-of-State institution licensed by the appropriate state agency and regionally accredited or seeking accreditation by the appropriate accrediting body recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Education or the United States Department of Education.

    L.1986,c.87,s.3; amended 1994,c.48,s.36.

N.J.S.A. 18A:3-15.5. Civil penalty
Any person who violates any provision of this act is liable to a civil penalty of $1,000.00 for each offense, which shall be collected pursuant to the provisions of "the penalty enforcement law," N.J.S. 2A:58-1 et seq.

    L. 1986, c. 87, s. 5, eff. Aug. 14, 1986.

---

Licensure Rules - Subchapter 8
Fraudulent Academic Degrees

N.J.A.C. 9A:1-8.1 Protected degree designations for earned degrees
(a) No person shall use or append to his or her name any academic degree designation, letters, derivatives thereof, or other designations as evidence of having earned an academic degree unless a duly authorized institution of higher education as defined in Section 3 of P.L.1986, c.87 (N.J.S.A. 18A:3-15.3) conferred the degree.

1. In states without a licensing requirement for institutions of higher education, a duly authorized institution of higher education is one that is regionally accredited or accredited by the appropriate accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education or one that is seeking such accreditation.

2. Regarding institutions located outside of the U.S. or its possessions, a duly authorized institution of higher education is one that is recognized by the appropriate body in the particular country provided that the institution's requirements for awarding degrees are generally equivalent to those accepted in the U.S. by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education.

State of Oregon Office of Degree Authorization: An Employer's Guide to College Degrees

"This guide has been developed to provide basic information to Oregon employers regarding the nature of college degrees. It covers Oregon law regarding the use of degrees, how to accurately describe degree needs when advertising for a position, how to evaluate a job applicant's claim of a degree, the growing problem of diploma mill degrees, and related issues..."

Information posted by Oregon from NACES members concerning "Berne University" (since renamed "Bernelli University")

Information about some degree-granting institutions not accredited by CHEA-recognized organizations

State of Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board:

• Fraudulent or Substandard Institutions with a Texas Connection:
  

  All institutions on this list have had some physical presence in Texas or have been affiliated in some way with an institution located in Texas...

  The Texas Penal Code (Section 35.52) prohibits the use of fraudulent or substandard degrees "in a written or oral advertisement or other promotion of a business; or with the intent to: obtain employment; obtain a license or certificate to practice a trade, profession, or occupation; obtain a promotion, a compensation or other benefit, or an increase in compensation or other benefit, in employment or in the practice of a trade, profession, or occupation; obtain admission to an educational program in this state; or gain a position in government with authority over another person, regardless of whether the actor receives compensation for the position." Violation of this law is a Class B misdemeanor.

• Frequently Asked Questions about diploma mills, fraudulent degrees, and accreditation. Among other things:
  

  Accreditation is "voluntary," so doesn't that mean it is optional and not necessary?

  Accreditation is voluntary in that the process of accreditation requires the full cooperation with and complete participation in the process of accreditation by the college or university seeking accreditation. At the heart of the accreditation process is a self-study prepared by the college or university demonstrating its commitment to the standards of accreditation.

  Since accreditation is the primary means of determining the legitimacy and quality of colleges and universities in the United States, to describe the process as "voluntary" is not to describe it as "optional" or "unnecessary."

State of Virginia code: Virginia Chapter 21.1 - Regulation of Certain Private and Out-of-State Institutions of Higher Education

State of Wisconsin Senate Bill 431 banning fraudulent degrees

Toward Effective Practice: Discouraging Degree Mills in Higher Education

Database of Institutions Accredited By Recognized United States Accrediting Organizations

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT ACCREDITATION, DEGREE MILLS AND ACCREDITATION MILLS

Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions

Postsecondary Educational Institutions and Programs Accredited by Accrediting Agencies and State Approval Agencies Recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education

Avoid Fake-Degree Burns By Researching Academic Credentials

Diploma Mills: Degrees of Deception

Guides for Private Vocational and Distance Education Schools, Part 254, as revised August 1998

Fraudulent Medical Degrees. Hearing before the Subcommittee on Health and Long-Term Care of the Select Committee on Aging, House of Representatives, Ninety-Eighth Congress, Second Session; Congress of the U.S., Washington, D.C. House Select Committee on Aging, December 7, 1984. (12.1 MB)

Fraudulent Credentials. Joint Hearing before the Subcommittee on Health and Long-Term Care and the Subcommittee on Housing and Consumer Interests of the Select Committee on Aging, House of Representatives, Ninety-Ninth Congress, First Session; Congress of the U.S., Washington, D.C. House Select Committee on Aging, December 11, 1985. (9.3 MB)

Fraudulent Credentials: Federal Employees. A Report by the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health and Long-Term Care of the Select Committee on Aging, House of Representatives, Ninety-Ninth Congress, Second Session, Congress of the U.S., Washington, D.C. House Select Committee on Aging, April 1986. (720 kB)

Bogus Degrees And Unmet Expectations: Are Taxpayer Dollars Subsidizing Diploma Mills? Hearings Before the Committee On Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Eighth Congress, Second Session, May 11 and 12, 2004, Washington, DC. (8.5 MB)

September 23, 2004 hearing: Are Current Safeguards Protecting Taxpayers Against Diploma Mills? U.S. House Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness.

Witness list and testimony

Press release

Hearing transcript

UNESCO Portal on Higher Education Institutions.

UNESCO Higher Education; Quality Assurance and Recognition; Tools for students. (also available in French.)

ENIC - NARIC (European National Information Centres - National Academic Recognition Information Centres) site

U.K. Department for Education and Skills

U.K. Home Affairs Committee - Eleventh Report: Bogus colleges

Avoiding bogus degrees, from Direct.Gov.UK

U.K. General Medical Council information about U.K. medical schools

Australian Government Warning to potential investors concerning 'Hutt River Province'

The Australian Government does not legally or otherwise recognise the so-called 'Hutt River Province'.

The Tax Office has identified a situation where non-residents of Australia have been offered the chance to purchase international business companies and other entities purportedly incorporated or registered in the 'Hutt River Province'.

We are concerned that the companies and other entities may be sold as part of a tax avoidance or evasion arrangement.

People should avoid any arrangements involving 'Hutt River Province' international business companies and any other entities as well as any associated international dealings because they have no legal basis and could be illegal.

Fiji Higher Education Commission Recognised Institutions

Below is a list of higher education institutions at different stages of the recognition process with the Higher Education Commission as of 16 April 2015.
Processed -- Recognition Granted

• Academy of Kingdom Ambassadors Training Institute
• Advanced Aviation Training (Fiji) Limited
• Airports Fiji Limited Aviation Academy
• Apostolic College of Theological Studies
• Asia Pacific College Limited
• Australia Pacific Technical College
• Business and Language International College
• Caregivers Training Institute
• Caregivers Services Internationa
• Centre for Appropriate Technology and Development
• Chevalier Training Centre
• College of Theology and Evangelism Fiji
• Cooperative College of Fiji
• Corpus Christi Teachers College
• Darul Uloom and Darul Yataam of The South Pacific
• Dateline Business College
• Davuilevu Theological College
• Delltech Institute of Computer Education
• Department of Forests
• Department of Youth and Sports
• Family Support and Education Group
• Fiji Corrections Academy
• Fiji Electricity Authority Training Centre
• Fiji Muslim League Islamic Education Centre
• Fiji National University
• Fiji Police Academy
• Fishers of Men Training Institute
• Fulton College
• HIM Ministry Training Centre
• Harvest Vernacular Bible School
• Institute of Computer Technology
• Integrated Information Services Limited
• Keshal's Business Education Institute
• Light House Vocational Institute
• Marist Champagnat Institute
• Methodist Deaconess Training Centre
• Methodist Divisional Bible and Vocational Institution
• Methodist Lay Training Centre
• Montfort Boys' Town
• OPS Pacific Limited
• Pacific Eye Institute
• Pacific Flying School
• Pacific Regional Seminary
• Pacific Theological College
• Pacifika Institute of Tourism Studies
• Republic of Fiji Military Forces
• Resource Business Training Centre of the Pacific
• Sangam Institute of Technology
• Service Pro International Tourism & Hospitality Institute
• Small Hospitality Training Institute
• Social Leadership Training Institute
• South Pacific Academy of Beauty Therapy
• South Pacific Bible College
• St John the Baptist Theological College
• St Louise Development Centre
• The Master's Use Baptist Institute
• The Pacific Institute of Technology
• The Style Gallery (Fiji) Institute of Hairdressing, Health & Beauty Therapy
• The University of Fiji
• The University of the South Pacific
• U-Tech Institute
• Universal Network of Infotech
• Vishaninfotech
• Vivekananda Technical Centre
• Western Division Bible Academy
• Workbridge Fiji
• World Harvest Institute
• Youth With A Mission

In Process -- With Recognition Committee

• Academy of Information Technology
• Appin Technology Institute
• Cannan Institute of Technology
• Fiji LDS Teacher Training Institute
• Mission Hill Cisco Network Academy
• Northern Christian Training Centre
• Pacific Educational Institute
• South Pacific Missionary Training Centre

In Process -- With Commission Staff for Preliminary Assessment

• Bear Vally Bible Institution of Oceania
• Fiji Sugar Corporation Limited
• Mantra School of Beauty Therapy and Ayurveda Limited
• South Pacific Missionary Training Centre

Processed -- Recognition Declined

• Charisma University
• City Educational Institute
• Comp Tech Training Institute
• PSC Centre for Training & Workforce Development
• South Pacific Baptist College

Awaiting Processing by Recognition Committee

• Black Meridian Watchers

Applications Withdrawn

• FEMMUS School of Hospitality
• Victory Bible Institute
• Fiji School of Hairdressing
• Global Information Technology education Centre
• International College

French government higher education information (in French)

• Links to various lists
  
• the list of recognized universities
  
• "Validation des Acquis de l'ExpÈrience" (VAE: academic credit for life experience)

  My reading of the VAE material makes me think that only a school that appears on the French government's list of universities is legally empowered to issue French VAE-obtained degrees. This was confirmed by two of my colleagues who are directors of French university units in Marseille. If this is the case, then an unaccredited degree-granting entity that is run from the United States, and that does not appear on the French list, cannot properly award French diplomas through VAE.

Nigerian national Universities Commission

18 August 2008 news letter from NUC. See page 5 for a list of 34 approved universities in Nigeria. See page 7 for a list of "universities" that are operating illegally:

NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES COMMISSION
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

The National Universities Commission (NUC) wishes to announce to the general public, especially parents and prospective undergraduates that the under-listed "Universities" have not been licensed by the Federal Government and are, therefore, operating illegally in violation of Education (National Minimum Standards etc) Act CAP E3 Law of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. The "Universities" are:

1) National University of Nigeria, Keffi, Nassarawa State or any of its other campuses
2) North Central University, Otukpo, Benue State or any of its other campuses
3) Christians of Charity American University of Sci. & Tech, Nkpor, Anambra State or any of its other campuses
4) Leadway University, Ughelli, Delta State or any of its other campuses
5) Saint Clements University, along Ado-Ekiti, Iyin, Ekiti State or any of its other campuses
6) Christ Alive Christian Seminary and University, Enugu or any of its other campuses
7) Atlantic Intercontinental University, Okija, Anambra State or any of its other campuses
8) Metro University, Dutse/Bwari, Abuja or any of its other campuses
9) Southend University, Ngwuro Egeru (Afam) Ndoki, Rivers State or any of its other campuses
10) University of Industry, Yaba, Lagos or any of its other campuses
11) University of Applied Sciences & Management, Port Novo, Republic of Benin or any of its other campuses in Nigeria
12) Rev. D. O. Ockiya College of Theology and Management Sciences, Emeyal II Ogbia, Bayelsa. (The Degree awarding part of their programmes) or any of its other campuses
13) Blacksmith University, Awka or any of its other campuses
14) Volta University College, Ho, Volta Region, Ghana or any of its other campuses in Nigeria
15) Royal University Izhia, P.O. Box 800, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State or any of its other campuses
16) Houdegbe North American University or any of its other campuses in Nigeria
17) Atlanta University, Ayingba, Kogi State or any of its other campuses
18) Sunday Adokpela University, Otada Adoka, Otukpo, Benue State or any of its other campuses
19) United Christian University, Macotis Campus, Imo State or any of its other campuses
20) United Nigeria University College, Okija, Anambra State or any of its other campuses. 21) Richmond Open University, Arochukwu, Anambra State or any of its other campuses
22) Samuel Ahmadu University, Makurdi, Benue State or any of its other campuses
23) UNESCO University, Ndoni, Rivers State or any of its other campuses
24) Strategic Business School, Lagos or any of its other campuses
25) Saint Augustines University of Technology, Jos, Plateau State or any of its other campuses
26) Open International University, Akure or any of its other campuses
27) Lobi Business School, Makurdi, Benue State or any of its other campuses
28) The International University, Missouri, USA operating anywhere in Nigeria
29) Collumbus University, UK operating anywhere in Nigeria
30) Tiu International University, UK operating anywhere in Nigeria
31) Pebbles University, UK operating anywhere in Nigeria
32) Aston University, UK operating anywhere in Nigeria
33) London External Studies UK operating anywhere in Nigeria.

For the avoidance of doubt, anybody who patronises or obtains any certificate from any of these illegal institutions, does so at his or her own risk. Certificates obtained from these sources will not be recognized for the purposes of NYSC, employment, and further studies. The relevant Law enforcement agencies have also been informed for their further necessary action.

SPECIAL REPORT

Dr. Orien Tulp, the founder and president of the University of Science, Arts and Technology in Montserrat, has big plans for the Virgin Islands. He and his team are in the midst of opening a new offshore medical school on Tortola, a hefty undertaking that Dr. Tulp says will involve outfitting a physical campus and dormitories in East End and eventually enrolling thousands of students worldwide. But after those students at the nascent VI medical school graduate, there's no guarantee they will be able to become licensed physicians in the United States. In fact, although the newest branch of the university is opening its doors in this territory, Dr. Tulp described USAT as "effectively closed" in December court documents after the US-based Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates took disciplinary action against the school last year. ECFMG, which evaluates the qualifications of international medical graduates, alleged that Dr. Tulp had provided false information about unauthorised campuses that USAT was operating in the US. The commission determined that USAT students with a graduation year of 2019 or later are no longer eligible to apply for ECFMG certification, which also means they will not be able to apply to ECFMG to take the US Medical Licensing Examinations. Without taking those exams and completing a residency training programme, graduates can't obtain an unrestricted US medical licence. The new VI school, which was recently named the University of Health and Humanities Virgin Islands, is not yet accredited or listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools. Last year, ECFMG barred Dr. Tulp personally from submitting any documents on behalf of USAT, or any other medical school, to the commission for at least five years. "This ban effectively precludes Dr. Tulp from operating, or being involved with, any medical school, in any capacity, for an indefinite period of time, subject to the unfettered discretion of ECFMG," states a lawsuit filed by Dr. Tulp last December in response to ECFMG's decision. "This ban effectively closes USAT, as an institution for medical students, for an indefinite period of time, if not permanently." In spite of the challenges facing USAT, Dr. Tulp said the VI medical school is on track to offer classes by September, and he strongly disputed ECFMG's allegations. Though a judge sided with ECFMG and closed his first lawsuit last month, Dr. Tulp quickly filed another, which is pending. The University of Science, Arts and Technology was described by Dr. Tulp as "effectively closed" in court documents. The school's Montserrat campus is pictured above. (Photo: PROVIDED)

The VI medical school

Since VI government officials announced last fall that a medical school would soon be opening here, the university's name and branding have changed significantly. At first, a September press release -- which was deleted from government's website a few hours after it was sent to the media -- stated that the University of Science, Arts and Technology itself would be opening in the VI. Now, the VI school is being called the University of Health and Humanities Virgin Islands, and its website doesn't mention USAT. Dr. Tulp said in April that while "technically" UHHVI is a branch of USAT, it has its own licence, which is not linked to USAT's licence in Montserrat. Dr. Marcia Potter, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education and Culture, said in March that USAT had been issued a licence, but she did not refer to UHHVI. She later clarified that while originally USAT had been issued the licence, the university later asked to have the name changed to the "University of Health and Humanities (Virgin Islands)." Neither USAT nor UHHVI is listed on a VI trade licence, according to an official at the Department of Trade, Investment Promotion and Consumer Affairs, and neither is registered at the Registry of Corporate Affairs.

Probe into USAT

Even as the groundwork was being laid for the VI medical school last year, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates in the US was conducting a review of USAT. "ECFMG suspected in mid-2017 (and confirmed in 2018) that USAT, a medical school with its primary campus and main operations supposedly in Montserrat, was in fact operating a campus and providing medical education in Miami, Florida without authorisation from the US Department of Education and/or the Florida Department of Education," the commission wrote in court documents. In August 2018, ECFMG alleged, it received more information indicating that USAT was operating satellite campuses not only in Miami, but also in Tampa, Florida and Dallas, Texas. "USAT never provided documentation for those locations either," the commission wrote. During that time, ECFMG also discovered that the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (or CAAM-HP) had declined to accredit USAT in 2012 because the university "had not provided sufficient evidence to indicate that teaching activities were actually taking place in Montserrat," according to court records. USAT is still listed as "not accredited" on CAAM-HP's website.

Student affidavits ECFMG soon began reaching out directly to students and graduates of USAT, hoping to find out more about their attendance at the school. "Ultimately, more than 300 students submitted affidavits to ECFMG indicating that they took classes in the United States, and not a single student indicated that he or she took all of his or her basic science courses in Montserrat," the commission wrote. A copy of the 2018 USAT lecture conference schedule showed lectures taking place in Florida and Texas, but no lectures were scheduled for Montserrat, ECFMG reported. The commission wrote in court documents that videos on USAT's YouTube channel "not only show USAT students dissecting human cadavers ‘in Miami,' but also feature Dr. Tulp referring to USAT's ‘Miami campus,' USAT's ‘other campuses,' and USAT's ‘satellite campuses.'" Despite findings about the school from ECFMG and CAAM-HP, Dr. Tulp has long maintained that USAT has a fully functioning campus in Montserrat. "And we're only one of about seven schools in the Caribbean that has a campus, that owns a campus," he claimed in an April interview with the Beacon. Dr. Tulp said the Montserrat campus was purchased in 2003 and later renovated, and now features residence halls, an on-site generator and a satellite dish, among other amenities. In past years, typically about 50 students would live on campus at a time and complete a semester of classes there, he said. "But when we first started, the volcano would continue to erupt about once a month," Dr. Tulp said of the Soufrière Hills volcano, which remains active on Montserrat. "And that wasn't good for business. That's why we established an online element for those first three semesters of courses." Dr. Tulp claimed that "well over" 1,000 doctors have graduated from USAT since 2003 and that this year 90 percent of graduates were selected to do residency post-graduate training in the US. Though some buildings on USAT's Montserrat campus appear to be in use, the one above appears shuttered. (Photo: PROVIDED)

USAT crackdown

In December 2018, ECFMG officially concluded that Dr. Tulp had provided false information about USAT, according to court documents. "Specifically, you provided false information to ECFMG when you (1) notified ECFMG that USAT does not operate a branch campus in Miami, FL, and (2) certified to the attendance dates of several USAT students and graduates when ECFMG has information that these students were not attending USAT during some of these time periods to which you certified," the commission alleged in a letter to Dr. Tulp. In light of those findings, the commission warned, a sponsor note would be added for USAT on the World Directory of Medical Schools that reads, "In 2018, ECFMG determined that a certain official of the University of Science, Arts and Technology engaged in irregular behaviour in connection with providing false information to ECFMG." The commission said the note will remain in the World Directory for five years, regardless of whether USAT changes its name, ownership or location. ECFMG also announced that USAT students with a graduation year of 2019 and later are not able to apply for ECFMG certification, which is required for students to obtain an unrestricted US medical licence, according to court documents. A warning about that decision is now included in bright red text under USAT's sponsor notes in the World Directory.

Tulp's response

In December, Dr. Tulp sued ECFMG and Dr. William W. Pinsky, the president and CEO of the commission. Dr. Tulp requested that the court order ECFMG to immediately resume processing the medical exams of USAT students and remove the damaging advisory from the World Directory. "We served them the suit on Christmas Eve and we blessed [Dr. Pinsky] with a federal subpoena on New Year's Eve," Dr. Tulp told the Beacon. "Not that I wanted to destroy his holiday or anything. It just happened to work out that way." Despite his attempt to fight back in court, the impact of ECFMG's actions against USAT has been crippling, Dr. Tulp admitted. "We were getting between 200 and 300 applications per month up until they put that [World Directory] warning up. Once they put that up, it shuts it off immediately," he said in April. Dr. Tulp also described ECFMG as an "unregulated monopoly." "If they get mad at someone, at a school, they can just shut them off overnight and that school is gone," he said. "[ECFMG] cannot open a school, they cannot legally close a school, but once they put a warning on the [World Directory] website, that school cannot operate because no one will take the graduates." Asked what he believes prompted ECFMG's initial review of USAT, Dr. Tulp said a disgruntled former faculty member had sent the commission an anonymous letter making "all kinds of allegations." That instructor, Dr. Tulp alleged, had been fired in December 2017 after falsifying USAT student grades and selling fake research credits from Harvard University. Dr. Tulp said the professor, whom he would not name, had falsified grades or credits for at least 30 USAT students. "All I had to do was pull up the student roster and type in the word ‘Harvard,'" Dr. Tulp said. "And of those that I could find there were over 30 that he has sold fake credits to. And I contacted Harvard to try to verify them and Harvard said they were all bogus." The professor was therefore dismissed "with prejudice," Dr. Tulp said. "And he tried to extort money from the school. A large amount of money. And when I discovered that, we fired him on the spot," he said. In a June phone interview, Lisa Cover, ECFMG's senior vice president for business development and operations, outlined the commission's standard process for investigating certain medical schools. Ms. Cover emphasised that ECFMG's first priority is to serve the public. "At the same time, we also want to be fair for students [graduating from international medical schools]," she said. "When we launch an investigation, again our primary focus is on the public interest and those individuals who are providing care to patients." ECFMG's investigative process typically involves communicating with government officials in the country where the school is located, reviewing information obtained from school officials, or seeking information from US government officials, Ms. Cover said. If necessary, ECFMG might employ a private investigator. One of the most critical components of an investigation, she said, is getting information directly from the medical school students themselves. "And as I mentioned, we want to be fair to them, so seeking information from them is a very important part of ECFMG's investigative process," Ms. Cover said. Because of the ongoing litigation, ECFMG general counsel Francine Katz added that the commission cannot comment on any specific facts relating to USAT. Dr. Tulp mounted a lawsuit last year, complaining that USAT was forced to close after disciplinary action from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. (Photo: COURT DOCUMENTS)

Claims dismissed

In March, all of Dr. Tulp's claims against the ECFMG were dismissed except one: common law due process. "[Dr. Tulp's] complaint contains sufficient factual allegations to support a claim that ECFMG violated a common law duty of due process owed to plaintiff," District Judge Wendy Beetlestone wrote in a memorandum on March 26. "However, plaintiff 's claims for common law fraud, negligent misrepresentation, abuse of process, and tortious interference with contract will be dismissed." Dr. Tulp had argued in his initial complaint that he wasn't given a fair chance to refute the claims against him during an ECFMG hearing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Nov. 28, 2018. "The complaint alleges that ECFMG allotted 20 minutes to the disciplinary hearing, but that ‘[a]fter a few minutes,' ECFMG's counsel unilaterally terminated the hearing before plaintiff could present testimony or evidence," the March memorandum states. "The complaint contains sufficient factual allegations to make out a viable claim that ECFMG did not provide plaintiff an opportunity to be heard before taking disciplinary action against him." Although most of his claims were dismissed, Dr. Tulp said in April that he would continue to rally against ECFMG's actions from last year. "We'll spend a lot of money on [litigation]," he said. "I can't predict how much it's gonna cost. But I will take it all the way to the highest court if I have to." And while Dr. Tulp's complaint mentions several times that USAT is "effectively closed" after ECFMG's action, in April he told the Beacon the opposite. USAT has to remain open for a minimum of seven years in order to provide transcripts and other documents for past graduates, he said. "We have to maintain operations at our cost, even," he said, adding, "USAT is still operating and it will not close. That's one thing you can put in the article."

New lawsuit

Late last month, Dr. Tulp's lawsuit ground to a halt. ECFMG filed a motion for summary judgment in May on Dr. Tulp's last remaining claim. The court granted the motion on June 25 and the case was marked closed. District Judge Beetlestone concluded, "The record demonstrates that ECFMG provided plaintiff all the process he was due." Asked for comment about the June court decision, Dr. Tulp reiterated his previous criticisms of ECFMG, including his claim that the commission lacks "proper internal oversight." While Dr. Tulp's first lawsuit against ECFMG has come to a close, a second one is just beginning -- this time with Dr. Tulp's wife, Carla Konyk, as another plaintiff. The additional lawsuit -- which was filed on June 25, the same day that summary judgment was granted in the previous suit -- includes many of Dr. Tulp's original grievances. But now, Ms. Konyk, the vice president of USAT, also argues that she will suffer direct monetary damages "resulting from the closing of USAT." A June complaint alleges that Ms. Konyk was not included in ECFMG's November hearing as a party or a witness, even though she was an equal owner of USAT alongside Dr. Tulp. "The ECFMG violated the due process rights of Carla Konyk without giving her notice and opportunity to be heard," the complaint states. Elizabeth Ingraham, ECFMG's assistant vice president of communications and external affairs, said the commission "intends to defend against this suit vigorously as well." Dr. Tulp, seated at right, listens to a presentation during the April "grand opening" of the University of Health and Humanities Virgin Islands. (Photo: FACEBOOK)

UHHVI students

Litigation aside, the future is unclear for prospective students at the University of Health and Humanities Virgin Islands. Currently, UHHVI is not listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools and is not accredited. The World Directory's aim is to list all medical schools in the world and provide up-to-date information about each one. In order for international medical graduates to be eligible for ECFMG certification, their school must also meet requirements established by ECFMG -- not merely be listed in the World Directory. The World Directory was developed through a partnership between the World Federation for Medical Education and the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research, and ECFMG is one of the directory's sponsors. The World Directory and ECFMG do not, however, accredit medical schools. A university must go through a separate organisation, like the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and Other Health Professions, to become accredited. Dr. Tulp said last week that he plans to submit an application for accreditation to CAAM-HP this month. Asked if UHHVI graduates would be able to take the US medical exams despite the inability of USAT graduates to do so, Dr. Tulp outlined one potential option. "What we will likely do, and this probably shouldn't be in your article necessarily, but we have agreements with other schools that [UHHVI students] can take their exams under cooperative agreements with other schools that have that listing until this is settled," he said. After this reporter asked if he was requesting to keep that statement off the record, Dr. Tulp did not say he was. "Well, I don't want to give the ECFMG information, because everything that's being recorded on the internet they'll pick up and try and use against us right now," he said. Dr. Tulp added that the VI government submitted documents to the World Directory on behalf of UHHVI last year, but the organisation responded several months later and said the school must prove it is operational before being listed. Once the World Directory posting is completed, he claimed, students will be able to take the US medical exams and complete a residency programme. "The government has already started that process," he added. Information from ECFMG's website, however, contradicts Dr. Tulp's account. The site states that medical schools must go through a separate process to demonstrate they meet eligibility requirements for their students and graduates to apply for ECFMG certification. "Not all schools in the World Directory are acceptable for certification," Ms. Cover explained. Dr. Tulp, though, remains confident about career prospects for UHHVI graduates. "So the students that are enrolled now, if things go according to history, they will be able to take the exams on time," Dr. Tulp said. "We know from our reputation that once they're graduated, they have a very strong case of getting a residency." Dr. Tulp estimated this week that about 30 or 40 students are already enrolled at the new school. Accreditation, he also argued, is an "institutional privilege" rather than a legal requirement. "Medical schools do not have to be accredited. They have to be licensed. That's a mistake that many people make," he said. But starting in 2023, all individuals applying for ECFMG certification must be a student or graduate of a school that is accredited by an accrediting agency officially recognised by the World Federation for Medical Education, a non-governmental organisation based in Europe. That means that if UHHVI is not properly accredited by that time, its graduates will not be eligible for ECFMG certification or medical licensure in the US. ECFMG's decision to prohibit Dr. Tulp specifically from submitting any documents on behalf of USAT, or any other medical school, also poses challenges for his involvement with UHHVI. Dr. Tulp said that he was "present" for the VI school's organising committee, but he doesn't yet know if he will have an active position at the new university. "I have to earn my ranks there," he said. "Until the ECFMG gets their head straight, until they settle this issue, I will not become president of anything because if I do they will earmark me and try to further destroy my career." In his stead, Dr. George Einstein will serve as the dean of the UHHVI College of Graduate Studies, Dr. Tulp said. According to UHHVI's website, Dr. Einstein holds doctor of science and doctor of philosophy degrees. Dr. Einstein's LinkedIn profile states that he received his PhD from the University of Warsaw in 1979, and has worked as a professor and director of the Einstein Institute at USAT for the past eight years.

VI campus

In April, Dr. Tulp promised that UHHVI will be much more than a medical school. The university, he said, will also offer programmes including veterinary medicine, veterinary assistance and nursing. "BVI has a race track," Dr.Tulp said, referring to the Ellis Thomas Downs Horse Racing Arena in Sea Cows Bay. "They don't have very many veterinarians here, but what an ideal place to have a veterinary school because of the local uniqueness of BVI." The university's new website lists a wide range of possible degrees for students, including: Master of Science, Master of Public Health, "Masters in Education," Master of Arts, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Science, PhD in Medicine, Doctor of Education, Doctor of Pharmacy, Doctor of Physical or Occupational Therapy, Doctor of Public Health, Doctor of Nursing Practice and Doctor of Psychology. UHHVI plans to operate in a room on the top floor of the James Young Harbour View Marina. The space is not yet fitted out. (Photo: FREEMAN ROGERS)

The facilities

Dr. Tulp said in May that a lease was being prepared for the university's campus to be located in the James Young Harbour View Marina in East End. In June, he said that renovations for the space -- "a large open area used for receptions" -- were under way, adding that the space would be ready for occupancy within two weeks. Last Thursday, however, no visible work was ongoing in the large room that an employee at the marina said the school plans to use. The room was mostly empty except for a long table covered with a jumble of serving trays. The employee said that work is expected to begin soon and to be complete around the end of this month. Dr. Tulp said that classes will be held there by September at the latest. "There are multiple dorm rooms in the upstairs of the complex that will become available as well," Dr. Tulp wrote in an email. "Space in BVI is scarce at the moment, due to the hurricane damages of 2017." Dr. Tulp estimated that more than 2,000 students will be enrolled at the university within five years, but that only a few hundred will actually live on the VI's physical campus. Instead, the medical school will operate by allowing students to complete some basic classes online through a "special programme" called a SPOC, or small private online courses, Dr. Tulp explained. "That is the most effective way statistically to teach high-performing students," he said. Typically, offshore medical students would complete clinical training in the US, but Dr. Tulp said UHHVI students will likely be able to complete that training on island, too. The VI has a "much more robust medical system" than many other Caribbean islands, with "government hospitals" and "private hospitals" and "the other things," Dr. Tulp said. "So they see just about everything that a student ever needs to see and they can receive really excellent training," he said of potential VI clinical training.

Professors in villas

As for the UHHVI faculty, Dr. Tulp said the school will find a villa close to campus to house professors during two or four-week modules in specific subjects. Those professors will receive a salary and stipend for living expenses while in the VI, he added. When faculty members are off island, he explained, they will hold lectures via broadcast. Dr. Tulp described all UHHVI professors -- many of whom he said also taught at USAT -- as "credentialed." Asked to name them, Dr. Tulp listed himself, his wife, Dr. John DiRuzzo, Dr. H. Dennis Harrison and Dr. Bruce Robinson. Some new professors will hail from "the local islands," including Tortola, he added. Despite USAT's troubles in the US, UHHVI appears to be pushing ahead in the territory undeterred. Its website, at least, makes no mention of the lawsuits, ECFMG's disciplinary action against USAT, or its connection to the Montserrat school. "As a relatively new university, founded in 2018, we are designing graduate level programmes that we believe will be most beneficial in creating a better tomorrow," the about page of UHHVI's site reads. "Although our university is relatively young, we are rapidly expanding and have great hopes for the future of this exceptional university."

Freeman Rogers contributed to this report.

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT, No. 19-2706, DR. ORIEN L. TULP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE, ARTS, AND TECHNOLOGY, Appellant v. EDUCATIONAL COMMISSION FOR FOREIGN MEDICAL GRADUATES; DR. WILLIAM W. PINSKY, PRESIDENT AND CEO, EDUCATIONAL COMMISSION FOR FOREIGN MEDICAL GRADUATES, On Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, filed August 17, 2020.

Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that UMAIR HAMID was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for his role in an international diploma mill scheme operated through the Pakistani company Axact. HAMID pled guilty on April 6, 2017, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. HAMID entered the guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams, who imposed today's sentence.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said: "Umair Hamid and Axact operated a massive diploma mill that preyed on consumers who thought their tuition would pay for a college education. Instead, Hamid provided victims with worthless fake diplomas. Defendants like Hamid who profit from fake schools face very real penalties, including prison time."

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in related court proceedings:

HAMID helped run a massive diploma mill through his employer, Axact, which has held itself out as one of the world's leading information technology providers. HAMID and his co-conspirators deceived individuals across the world, including throughout the United States, into enrolling in supposed high schools, colleges, and universities. Consumers paid upfront fees, believing that in return they would be enrolled in real educational courses and, eventually, receive legitimate degrees. Instead, consumers received no instruction and worthless diplomas.

HAMID, who served most recently as Axact's Assistant Vice President of International Relations, helped Axact conduct the fraud in the United States, among other locations. On Axact's behalf, he served as the primary contact during negotiations with a former competitor for Axact's acquisition of websites for fake educational institutions. Under Axact's control, those websites then continued to deceive consumers into paying upfront enrollment fees for non-existent educational programs.

In May 2015, Pakistani authorities shut down Axact and arrested multiple individuals associated with the company for participating in the diploma mill operation. But HAMID, who was not arrested at that time, continued to work in furtherance of the fraudulent business, even personally traveling to the United States in 2016 to open a bank account used to collect money from defrauded consumers.

* * *

In addition to the prison term, HAMID, 31, of Karachi, Pakistan, was ordered to forfeit $5,303,020.

Mr. Kim praised and thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their outstanding investigative work.

If you believe you were a victim of this crime, including a victim entitled to restitution, and you wish to provide information to law enforcement and/or receive notice of future developments in the case or additional information, please contact the Victim/Witness Unit at the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, at (866) 874-8900. For additional information, go to http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nys/victimwitness.html.

The case is being prosecuted by the Office's Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Edward A. Imperatore, Noah D. Solowiejczyk, Katherine Reilly, Patrick Egan, and David Abramowicz are in charge of the prosecution.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday dismissed the petition of a suspended judge who had asked the court to quash a show cause notice issued to him for acquitting the owners and directors of software company Axact.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Pervaizul Qadir Memon is facing an inquiry for acquitting Axact owner Shoaib A. Shaikh and others in multi-billion dollar fake degree scam case after accepting a bribe.

The judge's counsel, Hafiz Arafat Chaudhry, had challenged the show cause notice issued to him by the IHC registrar.

On Monday, IHC Justice Aamer Farooq dismissed the petition, observing that the petitioner could not challenge the show cause notice at this stage. The bench, however, was of the view that if the judge felt aggrieved by an administrative order, there was an appropriate forum he could approach to file a formal representation.

The court then declared ADSJ Memon's petition non-maintainable and dismissed it.

According to the petition, two members of the departmental promotion committee (DPC) had passed him over for a promotion he was expecting and had, instead, recommended his removal from service citing his judgement in the State Vs Shoaib Ahmad Shaikh case and others involving land grabbers.

The judge had argued that he had acquitted the owner of Axact as "the evidence brought on record by the prosecution could not have been made basis for the conviction of the accused persons involved in the case". He added that during the trial, no one from the prosecution had cast aspersions on his conduct as presiding officer of the court.

The Axact scandal surfaced in May 2015 when The New York Times published a report claiming that the Axact had sold fake diplomas and degrees online through hundreds of fictitious schools, making "tens of millions of dollars annually". ADSJ Memon, who was presiding over the trial of Axact owner Shoaib Shaikh, had acquitted him of the charge.

However, the federal government challenged the acquittal in the IHC, where the deputy attorney general informed the court that a senior executive of Axact had pleaded guilty before a US court.

He told the court that Umair Hamid, 30, had admitted to the charges before District Judge Ronnie Abrams, as reported on the website of the US Department of Justice. "Operating from Pakistan, Umair Hamid helped fraudulently rake in millions of dollars from unwitting American consumers who paid to enroll in, and get degrees from high schools and colleges that did not exist," the report says.

A sitting judge has allegedly admitted to receiving Rs5 million in bribe to acquit Shoaib Ahmad Shaikh in the Axact fake degree scandal case.

In the latest development it has emerged that Additional District and Sessions Judge Pervaizul Qadir Memon has allegedly admitted before the Islamabad High Court that he received Rs5 million to acquit Bol TV's CEO Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh in the Axact case.

IHC's show-cause notice issued to the judge read that he "committed an act of corruption by receiving illegal gratification to the tune of Rs5 million for acquittal of accused [Shoaib Ahmed Sheikh] through judgment dated 31.10.2016".

"You admitted the above stated act of corruption before the Departmental Promotion Committee comprising Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani," read an office order of the IHC issued on June 9.

Efforts under way to ensure independent media: NAB chief

Although the committee has recommended "removal from service being not fit for the position of the additional district and sessions judge", chief justice IHC has issued a show-cause notice to the judge seeking written reply within 14 days explaining why a 'major penalty' was not imposed on him.

In case no reply is received within the specified period, the notice read, it would be presumed that the judge has no defence to offer or he declined to offer the same and accept the charges. In addition, action against him will be taken ex-parte.

The case had surfaced in May 2015 when The New York Times published a report which claimed that the company sold fake diplomas and degrees online through hundreds of fictitious schools.

A senior Axact employee, Umair Hamid, who was arrested in US last year, has recently pleaded guilty to charges brought against him for his role in the multi-million dollar fake diploma scheme being run by the Karachi-based IT company.

Axact executive pleads guilty to fraud charges in American court

During the trial, the prosecution had argued before Judge Memon that the investigation agency had recovered bogus degrees from Axact offices and that the company had fraudulently sold these degrees to clients in various countries and brought a bad name to Pakistan.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had stated that enquiry was registered against Axact for preparing and selling degrees of fake online educational institutions with fake accreditation bodies, enticing innocent people through impersonation as student councilors, within Pakistan and abroad, to pay extra for their fraudulent legalisation/attestation through various governmental institutions and officials.

Consequently, several raids were conducted across Pakistan, including a raid at the office of Axact located in DHA Islamabad on May 19, 2015.

During the on-spot interviews, the FIA maintained, the regional head and other officials could not provide justifiable explanation regarding their online fast track Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) education operation.

Nisar to formulate prosecution committee to probe Axact scandal

The FIA had further added that statements of some of the employees clearly showed that their sale agents were impersonating as highly qualified councilors of the fraudulent, non-existent, fictitious educational institutes, pretending being in US as they used U.A.N numbers of USA.

The statements added that they persuaded students to deposit large amount of money in the offshore accounts operated by M/S Axact Islamabad Region in lieu of online degrees/certificates/diplomas and the attestation/legalization/accreditations from different government bodies.

The counsel for the Axact CEO had maintained before the trial court that the FIA could not produce substantial evidence against the suspects.

While concluding the trial, Judge Memon had acquitted the Axact officials from the charges of selling fake degrees for want of evidence in October 2016.

The H-1B visa program that brings tens of thousands of temporary workers to the U.S. each year is under scrutiny by the Trump administration, which wants to limit the number of foreigners coming into the country. Drawing less attention is how people might use bogus visas, as well as fake academic degrees, to enter the U.S.

There's precedent for such concerns. The Nigerian man who pleaded guilty to trying to blow up a U.S.-bound plane on Christmas Day of 2009 had previously tried to return to London to study "life coaching" at what British officials determined was a bogus college, while one of the September 11 hijackers came to the U.S. on a student visa to attend an English-language school in California. but instead took flight lessons in Arizona.

The General Accounting Office in 2011 recommended that the departments of Homeland Security and Labor take steps to improve their monitoring of the H-1B program, saying that it was unknown just how many H-1B workers were in the U.S. at any one time and how long they had been in the country.

The watchdog agency the following year found that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, had not implemented fraud-prevention practices to verify the legitimacy and eligibility of schools giving out student visas, both during their initial certification and after these schools began accepting foreign students. A number of schools certified to issue visas to international students were not licensed by the state in which they operated.

In a 2012 congressional hearing, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, spoke of "the illegal use of student visas by foreign nationals to attend sham schools." As an example, he pointed to Tri-Valley University in Pleasanton, California, where more than 1,500 students from foreign countries obtained visas to enroll in an unaccredited school "that failed to provide education."

The corruption of the visa process is one of the large-scale dangers the degree industry is posing," said George Gollin, a physics professor at the University of Illinois-Champaign who began tracking diploma mills after getting spam from one, and who wound up helping bust a multimillion-dollar diploma mill.

While Gollin and other experts estimate there are thousands of doctors across the U.S. practicing medicine with fake credentials, the dangers posed by fraudsters selling phony certificates needed to enter the country is possibly more frightening.

"It's not the same threat of a [phony] doctor, who might kill one person at a time, but the potential of allowing mass murderers to come into the United States," Gollin said.

Several years after the September 11 attacks, he aided federal and state authorities in shutting down a diploma mill that also ran a related business purporting to review credentials for H-1B visas.

In Operation Gold Seal, a Secret Service agent posed as Mohammed Syed, purporting to be a former Syrian Army chemical engineer, who in 2005 emailed a diploma mill called James Monroe University for information on which degrees would help him obtain an H-1B visa to stay in the U.S. Syed paid $1,277 for three degrees from the school's website, one of some two dozen degree-granting entities run by Washington state residents Dixie and Steve Randock. The couple netted an estimated $7 million in sales of fake credentials to about 9,600 people in 131 countries.

"The Randocks sold a lot of degrees into countries we have difficult relationships with," said Gollin, who listed Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Dubai as among them. "They were also running a couple of sites intended to help people with the [H-1B] visa program."

In interviews with investigators, some of the Randocks' employees were "concerned about the large number of degrees being sold into the Middle East so soon after 9-11," recalled Gollin. "The takeaway point is, people who sell fake academic degrees can't be relied upon to have the scruples to not sell to terrorists."

An affidavit filed in the case details how Daisy Randock paid for the assistance of Sheila Danzig, owner and operator of Career Consultants International, or CCI, a foreign credential evaluator.

"I did evaluations for St. Regis and it ended up being a big fraud," Danzig said in an interview in describing St. Regis University, which claimed to be based in war-torn Liberia and was run by the Randocks. Danzig said she made calls to Liberian officials for assurances that St. Regis was legitimate, and was shocked to learn that she'd been duped.

Danzig previously owned a web domain Degree.com, which Texas officials in 2001 linked to an online distance-learning school fined $213,000 in 2001 for lacking state authority to grant degrees or call itself an institution. She acknowledged that an attorney had made a mistake in not registering the school in Texas, and said a settlement had been worked out.

CCI in 2004 came under fire again in Georgia after evaluating the credentials of a dozen educators in the state who'd earned advanced degrees from St. Regis. The situation in Georgia was "unfortunate, because everyone was misled," Danzig said.

The Randocks pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and in 2008 both were sentenced to three years in prison. Danzig, described by Golllin as "a person of interest in the investigation of St. Regis," and someone who was "working with Dixie to help people apply for visas in the U.S." was not charged.

Danzig, who denies being involved with any visa-related work with Dixie Randock, now offers evaluations for immigration, university admissions and employment through a website, thedegreepeople.com, run by CCI in Fort Lauderdale, Florida The site includes a Feb. 22 post entitled "H-1B Case Study: Approved with NO College Credit!"

Dixie Randock, who was released from a federal prison in 2011, one year later was working as an online psychic, advertising herself as being able to bring back former lovers or helping customers lose weight, according to The Spokesman-Review.

High school journalists in Pittsburg, Kansas, recently uncovered a troubling and at times dangerous trend that's far more prevalent than realized. They garnered national attention for their discovery about the credentials of their school's new principal.

"We stumbled on some things that most might not consider legitimate credentials," Trina Paul, a senior and an editor of the Pittsburgh High School newspaper, told the Kansas City Star. Within days of the students publishing their story, principal Amy Robertson had resigned from her $93,000-a-year position. She said she obtained both master's and doctorate degrees from a Corllins University, whose existence the U.S. Department of Education has no evidence of, and reportedly swiped a commencement photo Wake Forest University in North Carolina used for its own marketing,

Robertson is far from alone in touting a pedigree that includes a degree from Corllins, described in multiple news stories as a diploma mill. A recent search of LinkedIn found 745 people, including public-safety workers, lawyers, engineers, educators and federal government employees, holding degrees from Corllins.

The career-oriented social network's listings of Corllins grads include a computer scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, a personal assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State in Washington, D.C., an executive director of consumer and community banking at JPMorgan Chase (JPM) in Texas and a flight nurse with an air evacuation team in the Lone Star State.

Given Corllins is just one of many "schools" engaged in the booming business of offering bogus degrees for payment, there's every reason to believe physicians, lawyers and engineers are among those currently employed in positions obtained through bogus degrees. And unlike decades past, the internet has only made an unscrupulous industry that much more accessible to people looking to purchase, rather than earn, credentials. And it has lowered the overhead costs for those offering the illegal service.

"Diploma mills have been around for more than 700 years, and things are worse now than they've ever been," said John Bear, co-author of "Degree Mills: The Billion-Dollar Industry That Has Sold Over a Million Fake Diplomas." He added: "Just two of the sellers -- Axact from Pakistan and University Degree Program (UDP) run by an American in Romania -- have accounted for many hundreds of thousands of sales to Americans, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. More than half of all new PhDs in the U.S. each year are fake."

Doctored degrees

There's little reason to doubt that sales of degrees have only become even more prevalent since a federal probe executed from 1989 to 1991. It was dubbed "DIPSCAM" for "Diploma Scam," and resulted in the dismantling of 40 phony schools, 19 federal grand jury indictments, 20 convictions and the purchase of 40 diplomas and transcripts.

"Our best guestimate is there are 5,000 diploma mills at any one time, and probably the same number of fake accrediting agencies," said Allen Ezell, a 31-year FBI veteran who helped run DIPSCAM. "I'm not paranoid, but it's everywhere," he added.

Federal agents identified 12,500 graduates of the 40 fake schools, and those who had purchased bogus degrees included "federal, state and county employees," Ezell (Bear's co-author) told CBS MoneyWatch. "Graduates were employed in business, education, law enforcement, military and in the medical field."

A 2006 paper published in the Hofstra Labor and Employment Law Journal cited congressional testimony for some startling data, including an estimate from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education that one of six education doctorates are fraudulent.

"Even more disturbing, an extrapolation of the percentage of people holding fake diplomas in the medical field revealed potentially 2 million 'bogus practitioners' in the United States," wrote Creola Johnson, a law professor at Ohio State University. "The testimonial evidence concluded that at least 500,000 Americans hold fake degrees."

Many of those holding fake MDs are "small-town doctors that have military field medic training and can do stitches or an injection," said Bear, who like Ezell, works as a consultant. "Many are smart enough to know if they can't handle a case, they pass it on."

But unfortunately, that doesn't always happen. Bear, who started tracking bogus institutions while writing a guide to earning a degree through distance learning, was an expert witness in a manslaughter case in North Carolina against two men who had purchased doctors' IDs for $100 purporting to be from the University of London.

"They had cure-all substances they sold online," Bear said of the pair. "They took a young girl off insulin, put her on their potion, and she died."

Ezell noted that when he needed an operation four or five years ago, he checked the credentials of both his surgeon and the anesthesiologist, and he advises others do the same. "It's serious. Don't assume they are what they say they are."

Sky's the limit

The largest gross revenue of any fraudulent school Ezell visited as an FBI agent was $2 million, netted during a roughly three-year period from three schools run in Ohio and Arizona. But that was pre-internet, so the schools generated business by advertising through the mail, flyers or matchbook covers. "It was worldwide then, but in a different vein. Now it's astronomical," said Ezell, who left the FBI in 1991 but continues to track bogus degrees as a consultant. "It's a big business, and $2 million is nothing."

Graduates from UDP, the biggest diploma mill of its time, "are still flushing up today," said Ezell of the operation, which grossed $435 million from the sales of more than 200,000 bogus degrees, including medical, from 1998 to 2003, when the U.S. Federal Trade Commission shut it down. The FTC imposed a $180,000 civil fine on those running UDP, he said, but they were not criminally prosecuted and eventually resumed business under new names and web addresses.

"White-collar crime has always taken the back seat of the bus," said Ezell, who recently used a stored-value international Visa card to purchase an MBA from a school run by Axact, now the target of a criminal probe by Pakistan officials. "I told them the date I wanted to graduate, the major I wanted and the GDP I wanted. It was a cheapie: $500 for an MBA," he said. "They took my money and sent me a package with a diploma, transcript and letters of recommendation three to four weeks ago."

Ezell's work was conducted on behalf of a corporate client in a civil case against an executive, who settled with the company after being confronted with the evidence that his diploma came from an entity that sold bogus credentials.

Bogus degrees, real risks

"The U.S. continues to hold the dubious title of most popular location for diploma mill providers; 1,008 are known to have operated or currently operate from the country, an increase of 198, or 20 percent," from the year earlier, found Verifile, a London-based screening company in a 2011 report. "The sheer number in existence indicates that selling degree certificates is big business for diploma mill operators, and that bogus degrees present real risk for prospective employers, educators and the general public.

Verifile's report was released not long after a skyscraper built with input of a man with a phony engineering degree collapsed during an earthquake in New Zealand, killing 155 people. "For every high-profile case, there are many, many more bogus degrees used by ordinary people," noted Verifile in its report.

The city of Baltimore offers a recent example. A 32-year veteran of the city's police department now faces theft charges of "unlawfully presenting as genuine a false diploma." The ex-detective, Staccato Butler, also lost his adjunct faculty position in the University of Baltimore's high-technology program.

"As long as we and other countries are in a credential-conscious society, credentials are going to matter," said Ezell, who noted that employers unwittingly motivate workers to purchase bogus credentials by offering higher salaries for advanced degrees. In Seattle, a sheriff's detective got a phony online college degree to get a 2 percent raise, an issue that came up when he ran for sheriff.

"People lie about degrees they haven't earned -- or purchase spurious degrees from diploma mills -- because it works. The gatekeeper in almost all of this is the HR department," said Rich Douglas, who studied the issue for 15 years as part of doctoral dissertation. "They don't know what they're looking at, and they don't seem to care. This allows a deputy secretary for IT of the Department of Homeland Security and the chief nurse of a huge hospital system to claim unaccredited degrees in plain sight."

The professional organizations for HR do not require people to know the differences between accreditation and state licensing, said Douglas, who holds certifications from both the Society for Human Resource Management and the HR Certification Institute. "Given that hiring managers usually, but not always, rely on their HR departments to screen applicants, I'd say a little knowledge would go a very long way," said Douglas, who's an advocate of additional training for HR pros.

"I don't think there's the political will, but it's an easy thing to eliminate," said George Gollin, a professor of physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He started looking into diploma mills when he began getting a lot of spam from one. "I called, expecting to scream at them, and instead I got a sales pitch that I could get any degree I wanted for $4,000."

When Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated, a third to half of U.S. currency was counterfeit, with each state generating its own script and banks printing it. The problem was largely solved by the nationalized production of U.S. currency, said Gollin, who believes the federal government, rather than individual states, should determine the legal definition of a degree provider.

The U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization could keep a list of legitimate universities, with consumers getting alerts when they visit websites of entities not on the list. That would be "the same kind of security that turns on when there's contact by web browsers to a trusted source," Gollin said.

Ezell's suggestion for curbing the problem? Assign one or two FBI agents to work academic fraud. "The word will get out, I promise you there's a grapevine for the industry. They will know," he said. Ezell added that it should also be made clear to would-be buyers of the phony degrees that they risk job loss and prosecution if they do so.

As per the statement issued by the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Joon H. Kim, the culprit Umair Hamid, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams. Umair Hamid, a.k.a the "Shah," was committed to wire fraud in Axact Diploma Mill scam. The scam collected millions of dollars from thousands of investors. As proven in the case and the concerned criminal complaint, Hamid and his team tricked the customers to get enrolled in fake high schools and colleges, on websites and over the phone. Furthermore, they provided fake diplomas to their customers, upon receiving open fees from them.

Joon H. Kim, US Attorney stated:

"Operating from Pakistan, Umair Hamid helped fraudulently rake in millions of dollars from unwitting American consumers who paid to enroll in, and get degrees from, high schools and colleges that did not exist. As a result of his fraud, people who thought they were investing in an education received nothing more than worthless diplomas and a harsh lesson in the worldwide reach of deceit. Together with our partners at the FBI and the Postal Service, we will continue to work to protect consumers from scams that victimize our citizens"

The Axact Diploma Mill Scam

Umair Hamid, along with his partners in crime, ran a huge education diploma mill under the Pakistani company 'Axact', which was advertised as the world's leading IT Company. Working under Axact, the culprits deceived individuals around the world, tricking them into enrolling in fake educational institutions. Hoping to get enrolled in real educational centers to receive valid degrees, people paid heavy money to the schemers. Later, in return of this upfront fee, consumers were tricked and given invalid and useless diplomas instead of a real one.

Axact claimed that it was affiliated with almost 350 fictional high schools and colleges, which it promoted as authorized schools. Over the period since 2014, Axact received almost 5,000 calls a day for enrollment in these fake educational institutions. Many of the consumers thought that they were calling at the respective school. When the sales representatives were asked about the schools location, they instructed false addresses.

Once the consumer paid their school fee, the sales agents used their sales technique to further persuade their clients into buying additional certification to make the process look real. The degrees affiliated with the fake colleges and other institutions arranged fake diplomas and affixed them stamps probably containing the seal and signature of higher authorities, like the US Secretary of the State and other state officials.

Role of Umair Hamid

Hailing from Karachi, Umair Hamid, aged 31, has been the "Assistant Vice President of International Relations" at Axact. He was charged with one count of plot to commit wire fraud and selling fake diplomas. Hamid supervised websites of fake schools that:

• Fraudulently spoke to those individuals who enlisted with the schools by paying educational charges would get online direction and coursework
• Sold fake certificates in return of additional fees
• Lied that the schools had been authorized by various educational authorities
• Provided fake representations that the degrees were legal and verified by authorities of the United States

Furthermore, Hamid and his companions

• Opened bank accounts in the United States in the names of shell entities, controlled by Hamid, that managed the finances submitted in return for fake certificates
• Exchanged assets from those financial balances bank accounts related with different entities found somewhere else in the United States and abroad, as directed by Hamid
• Opened and used an account affiliated with their scheme to receive and transfer funds from consumers

Pakistani law enforcement agencies shut down Axact in May 2015 and particular individuals connected with Axact were sued. However, after May 2015, Hamid continued his fake business of cheating consumers in the United States. Just recently, Hamid went to US in 2016 to open a bank account for the purpose of collecting funds from cheated customers.

The charges on Umair Hamid can carry him to a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Congress suggests the maximum potential sentence which is determined by the judge only.

Judge Abrams will sentence Hamid on 21st July, 2017, at 3:00 p.m.

Mr. Kim appreciated the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Postal Inspection Service for the outstanding work.

If anyone considers themselves of being the victim of any part of this scam, and wants to inform to law enforcement and/or get notified of future development of the case, please inform the Victim/Witness Unit at the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, at (866) 874-8900. For more details, visit http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nys/victimwitness.html.

The Office's Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit are prosecuting the case. Supervisors of the prosecution include Assistant United States Attorneys Edward A. Imperatore, Noah D. Solowiejczyk, and David Abramowicz.

Source: United States Department of Justice

A Rochester man was arrested Thursday afternoon by members of the Steuben County Sheriff's Office criminal investigation unit after he reportedly falsely promoted himself as a federal law enforcement officer.

Richard J. Hoyer, 62, was charged with criminal impersonation following an investigation into his repeated visits to a business on State Route 54 in the Town of Bath, where he represented himself as a federal officer, according to the sheriff's office.

Police said Hoyer had come to the business on a few occasions to see a female employee and asked to return Thursday to meet with her for personal reasons. A surveillance detail was then organized to identify and approach Hoyer.

The suspect's vehicle pulled into the business shortly after noon Thursday and was immediately approached by plainclothes investigators and a uniformed deputy, police said. Officers then interviewed Hoyer, who was wearing a firearm, handcuffs, pepper spray and a police badge. The firearm was later found to be a blank firing pistol, police said.

Officers discovered ballistic shields, ballistic body armor, police identification, police lighting and other police-related equipment not authorized for civilian use in Hoyer's vehicle.

Investigators determined that Hoyer is a civilian contract person for the Food and Drug Administration, but holds no police powers or authority, police said.

Hoyer was arraigned Thursday and released on his own recognizance, with an order of protection issued ordering him to stay away from the business and employee. He is scheduled to appear March 22 in Bath Town Court.

The investigation into the incident continues, and further charges are pending, the sheriff's office said.

A Rochester man arrested earlier this month in Bath for allegedly impersonating a federal officer now faces more charges.

Richard J. Hoyer, 62, was charged Wednesday with two counts of misdemeanor criminal possession of a weapon, both misdemeanors, and one count of unauthorized police lighting in a vehicle, a traffic violation, according to a news release from the Steuben County Sheriff's Office.

The charges stem from a March 9 incident in which Hoyer falsely represented himself as a federal law enforcement officer for his own personal benefit, police said. At that time, he was charged with felony criminal impersonation and released on his own recognizance until a Wednesday appearance in Bath Town Court, during which the new charges were filed.

Hoyer allegedly possessed a switchblade knife and police-issued stun gun at the time of his arrest, and had police lighting installed in the vehicle he drove to the state Route 54 location where he was arrested, police said.

Sheriff's office investigators arrested Hoyer after receiving a complaint that he had repeatedly visited a Bath business, each time presenting himself as a federal officer.

At the time of his arrest, Hoyer wore a firearm later found to be a blank firing pistol, handcuffs, pepper spray and a police badge, police said. He also allegedly had ballistic shields and body armor, police identification and other equipment not authorized for civilian use in his vehicle.

Investigators determined that Hoyer was a civilian contract person for the Food and Drug Administration at the time of his arrest, but held no police powers or authority.

Hoyer was arraigned Wednesday on the new charges and released on his own recognizance.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York has charged an executive with the Pakistani company Axact in connection to an alleged diploma mill scheme. Umair Hamid has been charged with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with what the U.S. Attorney's Office press release describes as "a worldwide 'diploma mill' scheme that collected at least approximately $140 million from tens of thousands of consumers."

Hamid served as assistant vice president of international relations for Axact, which was the subject of a May 2015 New York Times investigation into the company's alleged trade in selling fake academic degrees. The U.S. government alleges that after Pakistani law enforcement shut Axact down and prosecuted certain individuals associated with the company, Hamid resumed selling fake diplomas to American customers in exchange for up-front fees "based upon false and fraudulent representations." He also allegedly traveled to the U.S. to open a bank account used to collect money from customers.

Hamid was arrested Dec. 19 and appeared the next day in federal court in Fort Mitchell, Ky. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Charges Executive Of Axact In $140 Million Diploma Mill Scam

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Philip R. Bartlett, Inspector-in-Charge of the New York Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service ("USPIS"), and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), announced today the filing of a criminal Complaint charging UMAIR HAMID, a/k/a "Shah Khan," a/k/a the "Shah," with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft in connection with a worldwide "diploma mill" scheme that collected at least approximately $140 million from tens of thousands of consumers. As alleged, HAMID and his co-conspirators made false and fraudulent representations to consumers on websites and over the phone to trick them into enrolling in purported colleges and high schools, and issued fake diplomas upon receipt of upfront fees from consumers. HAMID was arrested on December 19, 2016, and was presented yesterday in federal court in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: "As alleged, while promising the rewards of a higher education, Umair Hamid was actually just peddling diplomas and certifications from fake schools. Hamid allegedly took hefty upfront fees from young men and women seeking an education, leaving them with little more than useless pieces of paper."

USPIS Inspector-in-Charge Philip R. Bartlett said: "Mr. Hamid took advantage of the aspirations and dreams of thousands wanting a college education by devising a scheme to issue college coursework, degrees and certifications not worth the paper they were printed on. Postal Inspectors and their law enforcement partners will spare no resource to bring these scammers to justice, protecting those striving for higher education and opportunities."

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. said: "Thousands of people's hopes were crushed as this alleged diploma mill scheme came crashing down. Victims took at face value the lies Hamid and his co-conspirators are alleged to have sold them. Today, we're rewriting the lesson plan."

According to the allegations contained in the Complaint filed today in Manhattan federal court[1]:

The Axact Scheme

HAMID, using the aliases "Shah Khan" and the "Shah," and others operated a massive education "diploma mill" through the Pakistani company "Axact," which has held itself out as one of the world's leading information technology ("IT") providers. Working on behalf of Axact, HAMID and others made misrepresentations to individuals across the world, including throughout the United States and in the Southern District of New York, in order to dupe these individuals into enrolling in supposed high schools, colleges, and other educational institutions. Consumers paid upfront fees to HAMID and his co-conspirators, believing that in return they would be enrolled in real educational courses and, eventually, receive legitimate degrees. Instead, after paying the upfront fees, consumers did not receive any legitimate instruction and were provided fake and worthless diplomas.

Axact promoted and claimed to have an affiliation with approximately 350 fictitious high schools and universities, which Axact advertised online to consumers as genuine schools. During certain time periods since 2014, Axact received approximately 5,000 phone calls per day from individuals seeking to purchase Axact products or enroll in educational institutions supposedly affiliated with Axact. At least some of those consumers appeared to believe that they were calling phone numbers associated with the respective schools. When consumers asked where the schools were located, sales representatives were instructed to give fictitious addresses.

Once a consumer paid for a school certificate or diploma that falsely reflected a completed course of study, Axact sales agents were trained to use sales techniques to convince the consumer that the consumer should also purchase additional "accreditation" or "certifications" for such certificates or diplomas in order to make them appear more legitimate. Axact, through HAMID and his co-conspirators, falsely "accredited" purported colleges and other educational institutions by arranging to have diplomas from these phony educational institutions affixed with fake stamps supposedly bearing the seal and signature of the U.S. Secretary of State, as well as various states and state agencies and federal and state officials.

HAMID's Role in the Scheme

HAMID served as Axact's "Assistant Vice President of International Relations." While based in Pakistan, HAMID was involved in managing and operating online companies that falsely held themselves out to consumers over the Internet as educational institutions. Among other things, HAMID made various false and fraudulent representations to consumers in order to sell fake diplomas. At HAMID's direction, the websites of purported "schools" (1) falsely represented that consumers who "enrolled" with the schools by paying tuition fees would receive online instruction and coursework, (2) sold bogus academic "accreditations" in exchange for additional fees, (3) falsely represented that the schools had been certified or accredited by various educational organizations, and (4) falsely represented that the schools' degrees were valid and accepted by employers, including in the United States.

As a further part of the scheme, HAMID and a co-conspirator (1) opened bank accounts in the United States in the names of shell entities, effectively controlled by HAMID, which received funds transferred by consumers in exchange for fake diplomas, (2) transferred funds from those bank accounts to bank accounts associated with other entities located elsewhere in the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and Canada, at the direction of HAMID, and (3) opened and operated an account with Paypal, the online payment service provider, to collect and distribute consumer funds obtained in connection with their fraudulent scheme.

In or about May 2015, Axact was shut down by Pakistani law enforcement, and certain individuals associated with Axact were prosecuted in Pakistan. Nevertheless, after May 2015, HAMID resumed his fraudulent business of selling fake diplomas to consumers in the United States for upfront fees based upon false and fraudulent representations. Most recently, HAMID traveled to the United States in order to open a bank account that he has used to collect money from consumers he defrauded.

* * *

HAMID, 30, of Karachi, Pakistan, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison. The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Bharara praised the investigative work of the FBI and Postal Inspection Service. Mr. Bharara noted that the investigation remains ongoing.

If you believe you were a victim of this crime, including a victim entitled to restitution, and you wish to provide information to law enforcement and/or receive notice of future developments in the case or additional information, please contact the Victim/Witness Unit at the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, at (866) 874-8900. For additional information, go to http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nys/victimwitness.html.

The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office's Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Edward A. Imperatore and Noah D. Solowiejczyk are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

Here are a few documents from the case.
  Complaint
  United States' Memorandum in Support of Detention
  Defendant's Memorandum of Law in Support of Pretrial Release

Alleged victims of an online diploma mill filed suit in San Diego Superior Court on January 11. The defendants include so-called Coronado Pacific University, at one time based in downtown San Diego. Among the charges are consumer fraud and violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (otherwise known as "RICO").

According to the suit, the victims paid big bucks for online courses and got nothing remotely useful. The parent of the enterprise was originally based in Pakistan and exposed by the New York Times last year. It was closed down in Pakistan, but the Pakistani Federal Investigation Agency has not returned the hundreds of millions of dollars taken from victims, says the suit.

Coronado Pacific made multiple misrepresentations, according to the suit. It said it was registered by the California Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, and recognized by the United States Distance Learning Association. All these claims were false, says the suit. The purported university said it had "top-flight" scholars on the faculty, but it "did not have any faculty," according to the suit.

The head of the operation, Brett Loebel, a defendant, used a number of pseudonyms, including Richard Smith, Paul Bell, and Brett Howard. Loebel owned and controlled several so-called institutions, including Almeda University, based on the Caribbean tax and secrecy haven of Nevis.

Hur stor industrin med falska och vardelosa examina ar internationellt sett ar svart att veta. Men flera forskare pratar om en miljardindustri.

Att manniskor anstalls med icke godkanda utbildningar ar vanligt, sager en av varldens ledande experter pa bluffuniversitet, George Gollin som ar professor pa University of Illinois.

-- Det finns en kille pa mitt universitet som har en fejkutbildning och jag har manga fler exempel, sager George Gollin som har lang erfarenhet av att jobba med internationell utbildningspolitik.

-- Man kan fa en fejkad utbildning i vad man vill, fortsatter Gollin och berattar om en anestisilakare som jobbat pa ett sjukhus utan examen och om en ingenjor som jobbat for den amerikanska rymdmyndigheten Nasa.

Det finns en valdigt stor marknad for de har titlarna och industrin borjar bli alltmer sofistikerad, sager professor George Gollin.

-- Det ar vanligt att man gor fejktitlarna och dokumenten i ett land, tar betalt genom ett annat, och tar emot bestallningar i ett tredje.

Nyligen avslojade tidningen New York Times att ett mjukvaruforetag i Pakistan med over 2000 anstallda i sjalva verket agnade storre delen av sin verksamhet at att salja falska akademiska titlar till manniskor runtom i varlden.

-- Det gar inte att veta exakt hur stor industrin med bluffuniversitet ar internationellt sett, sager professor George Gollin.

Men han uppskattar att det saljs 200 00 titlar per ar. Det skulle innebara en forsaljning pa motsvarande over 1,5 miljard kronor arligen.

Seen from the Internet, it is a vast education empire: hundreds of universities and high schools, with elegant names and smiling professors at sun-dappled American campuses.

Their websites, glossy and assured, offer online degrees in dozens of disciplines, like nursing and civil engineering. There are glowing endorsements on the CNN iReport website, enthusiastic video testimonials, and State Department authentication certificates bearing the signature of Secretary of State John Kerry.

"We host one of the most renowned faculty in the world," boasts a woman introduced in one promotional video as the head of a law school. "Come be a part of Newford University to soar the sky of excellence."

Yet on closer examination, this picture shimmers like a mirage. The news reports are fabricated. The professors are paid actors. The university campuses exist only as stock photos on computer servers. The degrees have no true accreditation.

In fact, very little in this virtual academic realm, appearing to span at least 370 websites, is real -- except for the tens of millions of dollars in estimated revenue it gleans each year from many thousands of people around the world, all paid to a secretive Pakistani software company.

That company, Axact, operates from the port city of Karachi, where it employs over 2,000 people and calls itself Pakistan's largest software exporter, with Silicon Valley-style employee perks like a swimming pool and yacht.

Axact does sell some software applications. But according to former insiders, company records and a detailed analysis of its websites, Axact's main business has been to take the centuries-old scam of selling fake academic degrees and turn it into an Internet-era scheme on a global scale.

As interest in online education is booming, the company is aggressively positioning its school and portal websites to appear prominently in online searches, luring in potential international customers.

At Axact's headquarters, former employees say, telephone sales agents work in shifts around the clock. Sometimes they cater to customers who clearly understand that they are buying a shady instant degree for money. But often the agents manipulate those seeking a real education, pushing them to enroll for coursework that never materializes, or assuring them that their life experiences are enough to earn them a diploma.

To boost profits, the sales agents often follow up with elaborate ruses, including impersonating American government officials, to persuade customers to buy expensive certifications or authentication documents.

Revenues, estimated by former employees and fraud experts at several million dollars per month, are cycled through a network of offshore companies. All the while, Axact's role as the owner of this fake education empire remains obscured by proxy Internet services, combative legal tactics and a chronic lack of regulation in Pakistan.

"Customers think it's a university, but it's not," said Yasir Jamshaid, a quality control official who left Axact in October. "It's all about the money."

Axact's response to repeated requests for interviews over the past week, and to a list of detailed questions submitted to its leadership on Thursday, was a letter from its lawyers to The New York Times on Saturday. In the letter, it issued a blanket denial, accusing a Times reporter of "coming to our client with half-cooked stories and conspiracy theories."

After the initial publication of this article, Axact posted a public response on its website, saying it would seek legal action. The statement begins, "Axact condemns this story as baseless, substandard, maligning, defamatory, and based on false accusations and merely a figment of imagination published without taking the company's point of view."

Also after publication, some of the testimonial videos and specific website contents cited in this article were taken down without explanation.

In an interview in November 2013 about Pakistan's media sector, Axact's founder and chief executive, Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh, described Axact as an "I.T. and I.T. network services company" that serves small and medium-sized businesses. "On a daily basis we make thousands of projects. There's a long client list," he said, but declined to name those clients.

The accounts by former employees are supported by internal company records and court documents reviewed by The New York Times. The Times also analyzed more than 370 websites -- including school sites, but also a supporting body of search portals, fake accreditation bodies, recruitment agencies, language schools and even a law firm -- that bear Axact's digital fingerprints.

In academia, diploma mills have long been seen as a nuisance. But the proliferation of Internet-based degree schemes has raised concerns about their possible use in immigration fraud, and about dangers they may pose to public safety and legal systems. In 2007, for example, a British court jailed Gene Morrison, a fake police criminologist who claimed to have degree certificates from the Axact-owned Rochville University, among other places.

Little of this is known in Pakistan, where Axact has dodged questions about its diploma business and has portrayed itself as a roaring success and model corporate citizen.

"Winning and caring" is the motto of Mr. Shaikh, who claims to donate 65 percent of Axact's revenues to charity, and last year announced plans for a program to educate 10 million Pakistani children by 2019.

More immediately, he is working to become Pakistan's most influential media mogul. For almost two years now, Axact has been building a broadcast studio and aggressively recruiting prominent journalists for Bol, a television and newspaper group scheduled to start this year.

Just how this ambitious venture is being funded is a subject of considerable speculation in Pakistan. Axact has filed several pending lawsuits, and Mr. Shaikh has issued vigorous public denials, to reject accusations by media competitors that the company is being supported by the Pakistani military or organized crime. What is clear, given the scope of Axact's diploma operation, is that fake degrees are likely providing financial fuel for the new media business.

"Hands down, this is probably the largest operation we've ever seen," said Allen Ezell, a retired F.B.I. agent and author of a book on diploma mills who has been investigating Axact. "It's a breathtaking scam."

Building a Web

At first glance, Axact's universities and high schools are linked only by superficial similarities: slick websites, toll-free American contact numbers and calculatedly familiar-sounding names, like Barkley, Columbiana and Mount Lincoln.

But other clues signal common ownership. Many sites link to the same fictitious accreditation bodies and have identical graphics, such as a floating green window with an image of a headset-wearing woman who invites customers to chat.

There are technical commonalities, too: identical blocks of customized coding, and the fact that a vast majority route their traffic through two computer servers run by companies registered in Cyprus and Latvia.

Five former employees confirmed many of these sites as in-house creations of Axact, where executives treat the online schools as lucrative brands to be meticulously created and forcefully marketed, frequently through deception.

The professors and bubbly students in promotional videos are actors, according to former employees, and some of the stand-ins feature repeatedly in ads for different schools.

The sources described how employees would plant fictitious reports about Axact universities on iReport, a section of the CNN website for citizen journalism. Although CNN stresses that it has not verified the reports, Axact uses the CNN logo as a publicity tool on many of its sites.

Social media adds a further patina of legitimacy. LinkedIn contains profiles for purported faculty members of Axact universities, like Christina Gardener, described as a senior consultant at Hillford University and a former vice president at Southwestern Energy, a publicly listed company in Houston. In an email, a Southwestern spokeswoman said the company had no record of an employee with that name.

The heart of Axact's business, however, is the sales team -- young and well-educated Pakistanis, fluent in English or Arabic, who work the phones with customers who have been drawn in by the websites. They offer everything from high school diplomas for about $350, to doctoral degrees for $4,000 and above.

"It's a very sales-oriented business," said a former employee who, like several others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because he feared legal action by Axact.

A new customer is just the start. To meet their monthly targets, Axact sales agents are schooled in tough tactics known as upselling, according to former employees. Sometimes they cold-call prospective students, pretending to be corporate recruitment agents with a lucrative job offer -- but only if the student buys an online course.

A more lucrative form of upselling involves impersonating American government officials who wheedle or bully customers into buying State Department authentication certificates signed by Secretary Kerry.

Such certificates, which help a degree to be recognized abroad, can be lawfully purchased in the United States for less than $100. But in Middle Eastern countries, Axact officials sell the documents -- some of them forged, others secured under false pretenses -- for thousands of dollars each.

"They would threaten the customers, telling them that their degrees would be useless if they didn't pay up," said a former sales agent who left Axact in 2013.

Axact tailors its websites to appeal to customers in its principal markets, including the United States and oil-rich Persian Gulf countries. One Saudi man spent over $400,000 on fake degrees and associated certificates, said Mr. Jamshaid, the former employee.

Usually the sums are less startling, but still substantial.

One Egyptian man paid $12,000 last year for a doctorate in engineering technology from Nixon University and a certificate signed by Mr. Kerry. He acknowledged breaking ethical boundaries: His professional background was in advertising, he said in a phone interview, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid potential legal trouble.

But he was certain the documents were real. "I really thought this was coming from America," he said. "It had so many foreigner stamps. It was so impressive."

Real-Life Troubles

Many customers of degree operations, hoping to secure a promotion or pad their résumé, are clearly aware that they are buying the educational equivalent of a knockoff Rolex. Some have been caught.

In the United States, one federal prosecution in 2008 revealed that 350 federal employees, including officials at the departments of State and Justice, held qualifications from a non-Axact-related diploma mill operation based in Washington State.

Some Axact-owned school websites have previously made the news as being fraudulent, though without the company's ownership role being discovered. In 2013, for instance, Drew Johansen, a former Olympic swim coach, was identified in a news report as a graduate of Axact's bogus Rochville University.

The effects have sometimes been deeply disruptive. In Britain, the police had to re-examine 700 cases that Mr. Morrison, the falsely credentialed police criminologist and Rochville graduate, had worked on. "It looked easier than going to a real university," Mr. Morrison said during his 2007 trial.

In the Middle East, Axact has sold aeronautical degrees to airline employees, and medical degrees to hospital workers. One nurse at a large hospital in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, admitted to spending $60,000 on an Axact-issued medical degree to secure a promotion.

But there is also evidence that many Axact customers are dupes, lured by the promise of a real online education.

Elizabeth Lauber, a bakery worker from Bay City, Mich., had been home-schooled, but needed a high school diploma to enroll in college. In 2006, she called Belford High School, which had her pay $249 and take a 20-question knowledge test online.

Weeks later, while waiting for the promised coursework, Ms. Lauber was surprised to receive a diploma in the mail. But when she tried to use the certificate at a local college, an official said it was useless. "I was so angry," she said by phone.

Last May, Mohan, a junior accountant at a construction firm in Abu Dhabi, paid $3,300 for what he believed was going to be an 18-month online master's program in business administration at the Axact-owned Grant Town University.

A sales agent assured Mohan, a 39-year-old Indian citizen who asked to be identified only by part of his name, of a quality education. Instead, he received a cheap tablet computer in the mail -- it featured a school logo but no education applications or coursework -- followed by a series of insistent demands for more money.

When a phone caller who identified himself as an American Embassy official railed at Mohan for his lack of an English-language qualification, he agreed to pay $7,500 to the Global Institute of English Language Training Certification, an Axact-run website.

In a second call weeks later, the man pressed Mohan to buy a State Department authentication certificate signed by Mr. Kerry. Mohan charged $7,500 more to his credit card.

Then in September a different man called, this time claiming to represent the United Arab Emirates government. If Mohan failed to legalize his degree locally, the man warned, he faced possible deportation. Panicking, Mohan spoke to his sales agent at Axact and agreed to pay $18,000 in installments.

By October, he was $30,000 in debt and sinking into depression. He had stopped sending money to his parents in India, and hid his worries from his wife, who had just given birth.

"She kept asking why I was so tense," said Mohan during a recent interview near his home in Abu Dhabi. "But I couldn't say it to anyone."

Chasing Bill Gates

In Pakistan, Mr. Shaikh, Axact's chief executive, portrays himself as a self-made tycoon of sweeping ambition with a passion for charity.

Growing up in a one-room house, he said in a speech posted on the company's website, his goal was to become "the richest man on the planet, even richer than Bill Gates." At gala company events he describes Axact, which he founded in 1997, as a global software leader. His corporate logo -- a circular design with a soaring eagle -- bears a striking resemblance to the American presidential seal.

Unusual for a software entrepreneur, Mr. Shaikh does not habitually use email or a cellphone, said several people recruited to his new station, Bol.

But his ambition is undimmed: Last year he announced plans for Gal Axact, a futuristic headquarters building with its own monorail system and space for 20,000 employees. His philanthropic vision, meanwhile, has a populist streak that resonates with many Pakistanis' frustrations with their government.

As well as promising to educate 10 million children, Mr. Shaikh last year started a project to help resolve small civil disputes -- a pointed snub to the country's sclerotic justice system -- and vowed to pump billions of dollars into Pakistan's economy.

"There is no power in the universe that can prevent us from realizing this dream," he declared in the speech.

But some employees, despite the good salaries and perks they enjoyed, became disillusioned by the true nature of Axact's business.

During three months working in the internal audit department last year, monitoring customer phone calls, Mr. Jamshaid grew dismayed by what he heard: customers being cajoled into spending tens of thousands of dollars, and tearful demands for refunds that were refused.

"I had a gut feeling that it was not right," he said.

In October, Mr. Jamshaid quit Axact and moved to the United Arab Emirates, taking with him internal records of 22 individual customer payments totaling over $600,000.

Mr. Jamshaid has since contacted most of those customers, offering to use his knowledge of Axact's internal protocols to obtain refunds. Several spurned his approach, seeing it as a fresh effort to defraud them. But a few, including Mohan, accepted his offer.

After weeks of fraught negotiations, Axact refunded Mohan $31,300 last fall.

The Indian accountant found some satisfaction, but mostly felt chastened and embarrassed.

"I was a fool," he said, shaking his head. "It could have ruined me."

Deception and Threats

Axact's role in the diploma mill industry was nearly exposed in 2009 when an American woman in Michigan, angry that her online high school diploma had proved useless, sued two Axact-owned websites, Belford High School and Belford University.

The case quickly expanded into a class-action lawsuit with an estimated 30,000 American claimants. Their lawyer, Thomas H. Howlett, said in an interview that he found "hundreds of stories of people who have been genuinely tricked," including Ms. Lauber, who joined the suit after it was established.

But instead of Axact, the defendant who stepped forward was Salem Kureshi, a Pakistani who claimed to be running the websites from his apartment. Over three years of hearings, his only appearance was in a video deposition from a dimly lit room in Karachi, during which he was barely identifiable. An associate who also testified by video, under the name "John Smith," wore sunglasses.

Mr. Kureshi's legal fees of over $400,000 were paid to his American lawyers through cash transfers from different currency exchange stores in Dubai, court documents show. Recently a reporter was unable to find his given address in Karachi.

"We were dealing with an elusive and illusory defendant," said Mr. Howlett, the lawyer for the plaintiffs.

In his testimony, Mr. Kureshi denied any links to Axact, even though mailboxes operated by the Belford schools listed the company's headquarters as their forwarding address.

The lawsuit ended in 2012 when a federal judge ordered Mr. Kureshi and Belford to pay $22.7 million in damages. None of the damages have been paid, Mr. Howlett said.

Today, Belford is still open for business, using a slightly different website address. Former Axact employees say that during their inductions into the company, the two schools were held out as prized brands.

Axact does have regular software activities, mainly in website design and smartphone applications, former employees say. Another business unit, employing about 100 people, writes term papers on demand for college students.

But the employees say those units are outstripped by its diploma business, which as far back as 2006 was already earning Axact around $4,000 a day, according to a former software engineer who helped build several sites. Current revenues are at least 30 times higher, by several estimates, and are funneled through companies registered in places like Dubai, Belize and the British Virgin Islands.

Axact has brandished legal threats to dissuade reporters, rivals and critics. Under pressure from Axact, a major British paper, The Mail on Sunday, withdrew an article from the Internet in 2006. Later, using an apparently fictitious law firm, the company faced down a consumer rights group in Botswana that had criticized Axact-run Headway University.

It has also petitioned a court in the United States, bringing a lawsuit in 2007 against an American company that is a competitor in the essay-writing business, Student Network Resources, and that had called Axact a "foreign scam site." The American company countersued and was awarded $700,000, but no damages have been paid, the company's lawyer said.

In his interview with The New York Times in 2013, Axact's chief executive, Mr. Shaikh, acknowledged that the company had faced criticism in the media and on the Internet in Britain, the United States and Pakistan, and noted that Axact had frequently issued a robust legal response.

"We have picked up everything, we have gone to the courts," he said. "Lies cannot flourish like that."

Mr. Shaikh said that the money for Axact's new media venture, Bol, would "come from our own funds."

With so much money at stake, and such considerable effort to shield its interests, one mystery is why Axact is ready to risk it all on a high-profile foray into the media business. Bol has already caused a stir in Pakistan by poaching star talent from rival organizations, often by offering unusually high salaries.

Mr. Shaikh says he is motivated by patriotism: Bol will "show the positive and accurate image of Pakistan," he said last year. He may also be betting that the new operation will buy him influence and political sway.

In any event, Axact's business model faces few threats within Pakistan, where it does not promote its degrees.

When reporters for The Times contacted 12 Axact-run education websites on Friday, asking about their relationship to Axact and the Karachi office, sales representatives variously claimed to be based in the United States, denied any connection to Axact or hung up immediately.

"This is a university, my friend," said one representative when asked about Axact. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Pakistani Investigators Raid Offices of Axact, Fake Diploma Company, May 20, 2015, Saba Imtiaz and Declan Walsh
"Pakistani investigators on Tuesday raided the offices of Axact, a software firm in Karachi that has come under scrutiny for running a global diploma mill that made tens of millions of dollars through a network..."

It is hard to believe that the Pakistani government was unaware of a major scam orchestrated by Axact, a software company based in Karachi that operates a global network of fake online schools that sell bogus diplomas. But ignorant or not, the government, which raided Axact's offices on Tuesday, had little choice but to act after a report by Declan Walsh in The Times disclosed clear connections between Axact and at least 370 education websites, many of which claimed to represent online universities and high schools based in the United States. The scam had existed for years and reaped many millions of dollars.

The problem of bogus degrees and predatory schools goes well beyond one company in Pakistan. Still, the startling revelations that one outfit could cast such a wide net of duplicity give Congress and federal regulators the incentive they need to become much more aggressive at exposing fraudulent companies that pose as legitimate schools for the purpose of selling bogus degrees or luring people into costly but useless courses that lead nowhere.

According to The Times's account, Axact's bogus empire consists basically of the online descriptions of elegantly named and beautifully depicted schools with names that sound very much like those of respected American colleges -- Columbiana, Barkley and Mount Lincoln.

This is, in fact, an elaborate online confection; behind these names there are no professors, no courses and no campuses that offer degrees with real accreditation. The sites added a further patina of legitimacy by referencing recruitment agencies, language schools, fake accreditation organizations.

Some customers are essentially complicit in the scam, reaching out to Axact for the express purpose of buying fake degrees. But people seeking a legitimate education have been seduced into enrolling in online courses that never materialized or cajoled into believing that their life experiences were sufficient to earn a diploma. In one instance, a woman who called to inquire about a high school diploma was surprised to receive a diploma in the mail after taking a 20-question test online.

The websites linked to Axact provide everything from high school diplomas for about $350, to doctoral degrees for $4,000 and above. Salesmen sometimes impersonate American government officials, then bully customers in buying forged or falsely acquired State Department certification documents for thousands of dollars. Meanwhile, the company has denied any wrongdoing.

Axact, however, is hardly the only actor in this arena. In their book titled "Degree Mills: The Billion-Dollar Industry That Has Sold Over a Million Fake Diplomas," the former F.B.I. agent Allen Ezell and his co-author, John Bear, set forth staggering statistics about comparable or similar frauds.

They assert that there are 3,300 unrecognized universities worldwide, many of them selling degrees at all levels to anyone willing to pay the price, and that more than 50,000 Ph.D.s are purchased from diploma mills every year -- slightly more than are legitimately earned. The fact that fake medical degrees seem particularly easy to come by raises obvious safety concerns.

Congress, which has paid only glancing attention to this problem, needs to focus on it in a sustained way. That means getting federal agencies to devise a coherent plan for curbing these kinds of abuses.

Following is Axact's response to a New York Times article published on May 18 asserting that the Pakistan-based company is at the center of a global network of fake online schools offering unaccredited degrees for money.

The response was originally published on the company's website here and is copied below.

[Please see the NY Times web page http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/19/world/asia/text-of-axact-response-to-the-new-york-times.html for clickable links mentioned by Axact.]

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Axact's Official Response to the defamatory article

Axact's official response to an article published by New York Times reporter in collaboration with its local partner Express Media Group and some other media outlets to hurt the success of BOL (Express Media Group publishes International New York Times in Pakistan).

This is regarding a defamatory article published by New York Times (NYT) regarding Axact.

Axact condemns this story as baseless, substandard, maligning, defamatory, and based on false accusations and merely a figment of imagination published without taking the company's point of view. Axact will be pursuing strict legal action against the publications and those involved.

It is clarified that NYT in Pakistan is partnered with Express Media Group to publish International NYT in Pakistan and receive earnings from the group. Express Group was under a restraining order and contempt of court proceedings by Sind High Court for publishing a defamatory news item and further from publishing anything detrimental to Axact's reputation. (Click here to view the courts restraining order). Hence Express Media Group to counter the success of BOL and to circumvent the court order has got this story published via its partner NYT in collaboration with some reporter called Declan Walsh.

It should also be noted that a few months back in a registered criminal case by Axact for Data Theft (Criminal case No.561/2015), Police investigations led to Mr. Sultan Lakhani as the ultimate hidden owner of that company involved in Data theft of Axact and other IT companies and his name was included in the interim police Challan. (Click here to see the police challan mentioning Sultan Lakhani). After which Mr. Sultan also tried to transfer the investigations to another Police department of his choice but on 12th May 2015 that transfer was also suspended by Sind High Court and the criminal investigation again started against Mr. Sultan Lakhani. (Click here to view the request for transfer, transfer order and court order suspending the transfer).

The story is authored by some reporter Declan Walsh of NYT who was expelled from Pakistan as Persona non-grata by Pakistan Interior Ministry allegedly due to his involvement in damaging Pakistan's national interests. Even the media group he is affiliated with, the Express Tribune, published a story against him (click here to read more). Several other organizations have also written about him (click here to read more). This reporter has worked and devised a one-sided story without taking any input from the company. A last-minute, haphazard elusive email was sent to the company demanding an immediate response by the next day to which the attorney for Axact responded. Click here to view the response.

Moreover, this reporter has not mentioned the conflict of interest which the NYT has due to its association with Express Media as its revenue source in Pakistan. This necessary disclosure regarding the criminal cases on NYT Partner in Pakistan was deliberately omitted and is an injustice to the reader not expected of a publication like NYT.

In an exemplary display of poor journalistic skills and yellow journalism, the writer quoted references from several imaginary employees to corroborate accusations made out of thin air. None of these accusations have been substantiated with any real proof. Search engines have been used to type ‘fake degrees' and whatever images have turned up have been portrayed as evidence. Additionally, no proof has been given linking any of these sites and allegations to Axact and widely recognized names such as that of John Kerry have been used to increase the impact of the story. In fact the writer himself admits that when he approached these universities, they denied having any links with Axact. Furthermore, in a glaring display of bias, he didn't even mention the fact that all these previous published allegations have been more than adequately addressed by Axact earlier in the civil suit 907/2013 filed against GEO and others.

One aspect that stands very clear from all this is that a personal grudge has been displayed by the writer. Parallels laded with negativity have been drawn with the portrayal of positive Pakistan and also including references to the Silicon Valley as if offering world-class facilities to employees is something that we should be ashamed about when it is our pride. This reminds us of the story made by Forbes against NYT reporters of publishing false stories. Click here to read more

For information on Axact Education Unit, it is hereby clarified that Axact provides a comprehensive education management system that benefits diverse bodies of students and caters to all types of educational institutions--online and traditional. It is a 360 degree solution for students and faculty around the globe, available on multiple educational platforms being its core capability. For details on this, click here.

Furthermore, Axact's Online Education Management System is World's Leader outside North America. And Axact is now collaborating with other renowned education groups in the USA to provide its Education Management System and is poised to be a major player in the online education industry of USA by 2018.

All ten business units of Axact are completely legitimate, legal and committed to enhancing the quality of IT services across the world.

From the very first day of announcement of BOL, certain elements have started campaigning against Axact and BOL. The GEO/Jang group and Express Media Group being direct competitors of BOL (initiated by Axact) have started a defamation campaign and other criminal pursuits since last 2 years accusing BOL of belonging to multiple groups, sometimes establishment, sometimes a real estate tycoon and sometimes other controversial personalities and were coining all kind of conspiracy theories. Now they have planned this story in collaboration with this reporter as evident from the fact that within less than 60 seconds of the publishing of this article, these media outlets started spreading this maligning campaign via different means. It is also come to our notice that they are planning with other foreign media groups to publish this story with different angles.

It should be noted that the announcement of BOL as a positive and pro-Pakistan channel in Pakistan who cares for its employees has shaken these traditional media houses who have promoted hatred, despair, negativity and hopelessness in Pakistan. Axact and BOL have vigorously pursued these elements that are desperate to malign BOL and Axact.

BOL has addressed this in the past and the following link on its website gives details of these defamation and other criminal activities and how Axact and BOL have addressed these legally.

Axact's immensely profitable empire is centered on its network of hundreds of websites. The stars are the sites for fictitious high schools and universities-- some have names and details evoking the appearance of American or British schools, others of Persian Gulf-region institutions.

Critical support for the scheme comes from a host of dedicated Internet search portals, and a smaller list of dummy accreditation bodies meant to put potential customers at ease by giving Axact's fake schools a more credible appearance.

Below is a partial list of sites analyzed by The New York Times and determined most likely to be linked to Axact's operation in Karachi, Pakistan. Some of the details came from interviews with former employees of Axact, who identified roughly 50 sites, along with servers used by the company and blocks of custom website coding it developed.

Starting from the list of employee-identified sites, The Times scoured the Internet for other sites that included similar technical details, servers, content and supporting links. More than 370 sites included at least some of those identifying components; the list below is of sites that correlated most closely with all of them.

School Sites

Alford High School

High School Diploma Profs

Beacon Falls High School

Brooksville High School

Buffville High School

Federal High School

Ford Worth High School

High School Diploma Experience

Foster City High School

High School Diploma Pro

High School Diploma Fast

Jersey High School

Lorenz High School

Luther City High School

Mary Grand High School

McCain High School

McFord High School

McHill High School

Pacific High School

High School Diploma Professionals

Panworld High School

St. Angelo High School

Stenford High School

Victorville High School

West Coast High School

WinFord High School

Woodfield High School

Global Institute of English Language Training and Certification

Adamsville University

Al Arab University

Al Khaleej University

Al Khalifa American University

Alpine University

American Gulf University

American Mideast University

Anchor Point University

Arab Continental University

Arab Women University

Ashbery University

Accredited Degrees Pro

Ashley University

Bakerville University

Barkley University

Baycity University

Bay View University

Baytown University

Belltown University

Branton University

Brooklyn Park University

Brooksville University

Cambell State University

Camp Lake University

Chapel University

Columbiana University

Creek View University

Crestford University

Fast Online University

Fort Jones University

Galewood University

Gibson University

Glenford University

Grant Town University

GreenLake University

Grendal University

Hadly University

Hansford University

Harvey University

Headway University

Online University Programs Pro

Hill University

Hill Online Degrees

James Adam University

James Harding University

Johnstown University

Kennedy University

Kingsbridge University

Kings Lake University

Laurus University

Madison Hills University

Mayfield University

McFord University

McGraw University

Affordable Accredited Degrees

McGraw Online Degrees

McKinley University

Midtown University

Mount Lincoln University

Nelson Bay University

Nicholson University

Nixon University

Northern Port University

Northway University

Olford Walters University

Panworld University

Accredited Online Degrees Now

Advance Online Degrees

Paramount California University

Parkfield University

Payne Springs University

Pine Hill University

Pittsford University

Port Jefferson University

Queen City University

Queens Bay University

Ray University

Affordable Degrees Pro

Universal Online Degrees

Redding University

Riverwood University

Rochville University

Roseville Community College

Thompson University

WalesBridge University

Walford University

Western Advanced Central University

Online University Profs

Western Valley Central University

Westland University

Wilburton University

Wiley University

Wilford University

Willington University

Windham University

Woodbridge University

Woodfield University

Woodrow University

Accreditation Bodies

Accreditation Bureau of Online Education and Training

Arab Accreditation Council

Association for Accreditation of Business Schools and Programs

European Accreditation Board for Online Education

European Accreditation Council for Online Learning

Global Accreditation Board for Distance Learning

Global Doctorate Council

Gulf Accreditation Council

Gulf Bureau of Higher Education

Gulf Engineering Council

International Accreditation Board for Business Studies

International Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Education

Education International Accreditation Board for Psychology Education

Education International Accreditation Council for Open Education

International Accreditation Organization

International Business Accreditation and Regulatory Commission

KARACHI, Pakistan -- Pakistani investigators arrested the chief executive of Axact, a software company accused of running a global diploma mill, early Wednesday after discovering a storage room filled with blank fake degrees.

The chief executive, Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh, and four other Axact executives were initially charged with fraud, forgery and illegal electronic money transfers, law enforcement officials said. The charges were later expanded to include money laundering and violating Pakistan's electronic crimes act.

The arrests were a sharp blow to a company that claimed to be Pakistan's biggest software exporter and that was on the cusp of starting a major television network. Axact has been under investigation since May 19, after an article in The New York Times described how the company had made millions of dollars by running hundreds of fake online education websites.

Since then, federal investigators have sealed Axact offices in Karachi and Islamabad and requested help from Interpol and the F.B.I. Mr. Shaikh sought to defend himself in a series of television interviews and video appeals, and asked the courts to halt the investigation.

But his legal move proved unsuccessful, and late Tuesday, after hours of questioning, he led investigators to a building next to the Axact headquarters in the upscale Karachi neighborhood of Defence.

Inside, they found a room filled with blank certificates bearing the letterheads of dozens of fake universities and high schools operated by Axact under names like Bay View, Cambell State, Oxdell and Nixon.

"There were hundreds of thousands of documents there," said Shahid Hayat, head of the local office of the Federal Investigation Agency, which is leading the inquiry.

Pakistani television networks broadcast images of the room, and of Mr. Shaikh, wearing a black polo shirt with the Axact logo, being led to a car waiting outside the office. As he got into the car, he could be heard telling officials of the investigation agency that he would "see to every one of them."

Mr. Hayat, the investigator, expressed surprise at the remark. "I don't think he can threaten us," he said.

Mr. Shaikh appeared in court later on Wednesday. A judge granted the Federal Investigation Agency custody of Mr. Shaikh and the four other executives until June 4. Investigators had said earlier that they would seek to extend his detention by 14 days while they examined the Axact network, which spans a number of countries and includes several offshore companies.

Axact's online activities appear to have effectively shut down. Attempts by a reporter to contact sales agents at 221 of the company's websites in recent days produced no response. Several of the fake accreditation bodies set up by the company, in a bid to bestow legitimacy on the universities, have gone offline.

Pakistan has requested F.B.I. assistance because many of the universities run by Axact purported to be based in the United States, operated bank accounts and mailboxes there and sold fake degrees to Americans. Axact sales agents also sold State Department authentication certificates bearing Secretary of State John Kerry's signature.

Experts say that fake degrees can pose dangers to public safety and national security in many parts of the world and can enable immigration fraud. They can also have serious consequences for customers who are caught using them.

Two former Axact officials, speaking separately, said that in 2009, an American married couple, both members of the United States military serving in Iraq, had emailed Axact to say that they faced courts-martial for having presented academic credentials bought from a university run by Axact.

The couple requested an accreditation certificate from the university to help defend themselves, said Ahmed, a former sales agent who asked that his last name not be used. An Axact manager instructed subordinates to block the couple's calls, he said.

Mr. Shaikh has vehemently denied any wrongdoing but admitted some involvement in the online degree business. In his last video message before his arrest, he said that Axact provided telephone support and what he termed "document management services" for other companies. He did not identify those companies.

The scandal has cast a cloud over Bol, the Axact television and newspaper group that had planned to begin broadcasting in June. On Saturday, the network's editor in chief and several leading journalists resigned, after Pakistan's interior minister spoke of "substantive" evidence against Axact.

DUBAI: Not hundreds or a few thousands, but over a staggering 200,000 people from the Gulf countries bought fake online degrees and diplomas from dubious Pakistan IT firm AXACT in the past four years.

This shocking revelation comes from none other than former AXACT staff turned whistle blower Sayyad Yasir Jamshaid, the key figure in the New York Times story.

His tip-off not just led to the arrest of AXACT CEO Shoaibh Shaikh and the dramatic collapse of his global multi-billion dollar fake degree empire but also spawned a series of criminal investigations worldwide.

"At AXACT's 24/7 Karachi headquarters, we handled roughly 5,000 calls daily. "Of them 60 per cent came from the UAE and Saudi Arabia," Jamshed told XPRESS in a freewheeling interview.

"As one of the 110 quality assurance auditors, my job was to listen to the interactions between customers and sales agents. We had a software which filtered incoming calls from various countries. It was rendered useless as almost every second call I picked was from the Gulf.

"Between 2011 and mid 2015, AXACT issued degrees and diplomas from 350 nonexistent universities to over 200,000 Middle East residents, mostly from UAE and Saudi Arabia," said the Pakistani.

XPRESS cannot verify Jamshaid's claim, but independent investigations and conversations with AXACT sales agents in Pakistan show he may not be off the mark.

"We were 900 plus agents working round the clock and attending nonstop calls from GCC countries for years, so one can well imagine how many degrees were sold in these places," an AXACT employee told XPRESS on conditions of anonymity.

A young Pakistani college dropout who was trained to speak heavily accented English said the UAE and Saudi Arabia were the company's real cash cows.

"Most UAE clients preferred multiple degrees and would happily fork out between Dh50,000 and Dh100,000 for each certificate. "In Dubai alone I know at least a dozen professionals with up to five degrees in various disciplines. I know this because I was communicating with them in the guise of a professor from the Midtown University," he said.

Rochville, Brooklyn Park, Gibson, Grant Town, Ashley, Nixon, Campbell, Belford, Para-mount California were among hundreds of other AXACT-owned universities popular among UAE expats and Emiratis.

XPRESS has names, credit card transaction details and payment receipts of several high-profile Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Al Ain based clients who paid ridiculous amounts to obtain degrees from such institutions, all of which existed only on stock photos and computer servers.

The glossy degrees bear attestation stamps and seals of various government entities and some are even accompanied by US State Department authentication certificates carrying the signature of John Kerry. Money maker

According to Jamshaid, AXACT made money from three key areas -- priority learning assessment (PLA), research and sponsored programmes (RSP), sale of degrees and legalisation/ attestation through embassies/ministry of foreign affairs/ ministry of higher education.

"Legalisation charges started from $5,000 and went up to $60,000. In September 2014, the month before I quit, the firm made $800,000 from PLA, $400,000 from RSP where PhD aspirants seeking help for writing theses were directed to other websites operated by AXACT. Sale of degrees accounted for $1.7 million.

From the websites and professors to glowing endorsements, video testimonials and accreditation, everything was fake. It was a well-knit racket. We even had a dedicated Google Search Engine Optimisation (SE0) team which ensured AXACT owned universities showed up in search results."

A Dubai-based Lebanese who shelled out Dh85,000 for Gibson University's MBA programme, said the charade was so convincing he never suspected a thing. "Who would've thought that the soft-spoken professor Terry Howard I interacted with for months was not a university faculty based in USA's Virginia Islands but someone sitting in a call centre in Pakistan? I am ruined."

Whistle blower Jamshaid, who fled to the UAE from Pakistan in the wake of death threats, says there is still hope for the victims.

"I have used my knowledge of AXACT's protocols to help 17 UAE residents get refunds totalling $300,000." Since the money was paid using credit cards, victims can file dispute claims with their banks," said Jamshaid.

XPRESS has refund receipts of two UAE residents who have got their entire money back following Jamshaid's intervention.

Among them is an Abu Dhabi-based Indian, 39, who recovered $33,300. The junior accountant was mired in debts after maxing his credit card limits and taking personal loans to fund his master's programme in business administration from Grant University and a string of certification courses from other bogus universities.

Alarmed at the scale of the scam, Pakistan interior minister Chaudary Nisar has sought help from the Interpol and FBI.

And now with Pakistan talking about extending the investigation to the Dubai where AXACT had an office, it remains to be seen how it would impact bogus degree holders in the UAE where forging academic qualifications could land one in jail for 10 years.

Frau S. hat fast 20 Jahre Berufserfahrung und spricht mehrere Sprachen. Derzeit ist sie laut ihres XING-Profils Führungskraft in einem Pharmaunternehmen. Es scheint der Personalabteilung also nicht aufgefallen zu sein, dass sich die Dame mit einem dubiosen akademischen Titel schmückt, dessen Führung in Teilen der USA sogar unter Strafe steht.

Ihrem Profil zufolge hat Frau S. an der amerikanischen "Breyer State University" studiert, einer nicht akkreditierten Hochschule, die von ihren Absolventen so gut wie keine Leistungen erwartet, aber trotzdem Hunderte akademische Abschlüsse vergibt - gegen Geld, versteht sich. So kommt jeder Dodel ohne großen Aufwand an einen Bachelor, Master oder sogar an einenDoktortitel.

Es gibt mehr als 3000 solcher "Titelmühlen", die meisten davon in den USA. Sie heißen zum Beispiel "Columbus University", "Atlantic International University" oder "American World University". Einige verkaufen bis zu 10000 Titel im Jahr und nehmen damit laut US-Experten etwa zehn Millionen Dollar ein. Geld, das auch von deutschen Kunden stammt. Wer in der Suchmaske des sozialen Karrierenetzwerks XING nach Fake-Unis sucht, stoßt auf etliche Manner und Frauen, die für hiesige Unternehmen arbeiten.

Damit sie nicht sofort als Betrugshochschulen auffallen, wahren die Titelmühlen auf ihren Internetseiten den Anschein der Seriositat. So erklaren einige, dass für den Erwerb eines akademischen Titels "Pflichtkurse" zu belegen und Scheine zu machen seien. Doch etwas weiter unten gibt es Entwarnung: Anstelle einer anstrengenden Teilnahme an irgendwelchen Seminaren würden auch Berufsjahre oder schlicht "Lebenserfahrung" als Leistungsnachweise akzeptiert. Besonders leicht wird es für Menschen, die schon an echten Unis studierten und sich nun einen zusatzlichen Titel wünschen: Sie konnen sich einfach alle früher erbrachten Leistungen noch einmal anrechnen lassen. Die Titelmühlen suggerieren, wissenschaftlichen Anforderungen gerecht zu werden, verlangen von ihren "Studenten" aber praktisch nichts - abgesehen von Studiengebühren natürlich. Logisch, dass sie nicht über Seminarraume verfügen, geschweige denn über eine Bibliothek. Das Einzige, was viele besitzen, ist ein Briefkasten auf Hawaii, in Rumanien oder Pakistan. So würden jahrlich mehr als eine halbe Million "Abschlüsse" an Juristen, Lehrer oder arzte auf der ganzen Welt vergeben, behauptet der US-Experte John Bear. Zusammen mit dem FBI hat er jahrelang gegen die Titelmühlen ermittelt, doch es sei wie der Kampf gegen die Hydra gewesen: Wenn ein Kopf abgeschlagen war, wuchsen zwei neue nach. Die Nachfrage schafft sich eben ihr Angebot.

Als die Düsseldorfer Großdetektei Kocks für eine Studie 5000 Bewerbungen überprüfte, entdeckte sie bei 30 Prozent falsche Titel, ausgedachte Auslandsaufenthalte oder andere angebliche Qualifikationen, die so nicht erworben wurden.

Bei der XING-Recherche des UniSPIEGEL fielen neben Frau S. auch etliche andere hochrangige Mitarbeiter deutscher Unternehmen auf, die sich mit Fake-Titeln schmückten. Zum Beispiel ein "Absolvent" mit einem MBA der "American World University", der jahrelang eine Führungsposition beim Tochterunternehmen einer großen deutschen Fluggesellschaft innehatte. Oder ein Professor an einer Hochschule, der neben einigen anderen akademischen Abschlüssen auch einen von der "Breyer State University" besitzt

Als das FBI 2005 eine Titelmühle namens "St. Regis University" hochnahm, tauchten auf der Absolventenliste ebenfalls 50 Deutsche auf. Die Manner und Frauen hatten Diplome in BWL, Gesundheitswesen, Maschinenbau und Jura erworben, oft für Spottpreise. Ein Mann aus Baden-Württemberg legte gerade mal 328 Dollar "Studiengebühr" für einen Abschluss in Steuerrecht auf den Tisch, ein anderer zahlte knapp 2000 Dollar für eine ganze akademische Laufbahn samt Psychologiestudium und Doktortitel in Kriminalpsychologie.

Fliegt der Schwindel auf, kann es unangenehm und teuer werden. Bundesweit droht Freiheitsentzug, in Nordrhein-Westfalen werden nach dem dortigen Hochschulgesetz bis zu 500000 Euro Strafe für das Führen eines Fake-Titels fallig. "Führen" heißt, den Titel in seinem Lebenslauf, auf seiner Visitenkarte oder eben in seinem XING-Profil anzugeben.

Von den vom UniSPIEGEL gefundenen "Absolventen" wollte sich fast niemand außern. Ein Mann meldete sich und spekulierte, dass seine ehemalige Hochschule wohl "auf Abwege" geraten sei, ein anderer Mann raumte seinen Schwindel indirekt ein: Nachdem er die Anfrage des UniSPIEGEL bekommen hatte, loschte er den Abschluss der dubiosen "Hamilton University" kurzerhand aus seinem Profil.

Mrs. S. has nearly 20 years of professional experience and speaks several languages. Currently, she is loud their XING profile manager in a pharmaceutical company. It seems the personnel department therefore not to be noticed that the lady adorned with a dubious academic titles, whose leadership is even in the parts of the USA punishable.

According to her profile woman S. studied at the American "Breyer State University", a non-accredited university that offers virtually no services of its graduates, yet hundreds of academic achievement awards - for money, of course. So everyone Dodel comes easily to a Bachelors, Masters or even a doktortitel.

There are more than 3,000 such "degree mills", most of them in the United States. They are called as "Columbus University", "Atlantic International University" or "American World University". Some sell up to 10,000 titles a year and take enough, according to US experts about ten million dollars. Money that comes from German customers. Anyone looking for in the search of the social career network XING by fake universities, met with a number of men and women who work for local companies.

So that they are not immediately obvious as fraud colleges, the true degree mills on its website the semblance of respectability. To explain some of that for the acquisition of an academic title to show "core courses" and notes are to make. But a little further down there are clear: Instead of a busy attending any seminars were also years of professional experience, or simply "life experience" accepted as proof of performance. Especially easy it is for people who already studied at real universities and now want an extra title: You can deduct all earlier work performed again easily. The degree mills suggest, to be scientific requirements, require their "students" but practically nothing - apart from tuition fees of course. It is logical that they do not have seminar rooms, let alone a library. The only thing that many have is a mailbox in Hawaii, Romania and Pakistan. For example, more than half a million "Financial Statements" of lawyers, teachers or doctors would be awarded annually around the world, claims the US expert John Bear. Together with the FBI, he has identified for years against the degree mills, but it was like fighting the hydra was: If a head was cut off, grew two new after. The demand creates up their offer.

As the Dusseldorf Great Detective Kocks checked 5000 applications for a study, they discovered 30 percent wrong title devised abroad or other alleged qualifications that were not acquired.

In the XING Search the UniSPIEGEL next to Mrs. S. also several other high-ranking employees of German companies fell on that adorned themselves with fake titles. For example, a "graduate" with an MBA from the "American World University", who was for many years a leading position at the subsidiary of a large German airline. Or a professor at a university that has next to some other academic qualifications also one of the "Breyer State University"

When the FBI 2005, a diploma mill called "St. Regis University" tall, took appeared on the list of graduates also on 50 German. The men and women had earned degrees in business administration, public health, engineering and law, often extremely low prices. A man from Baden-Württemberg put just $ 328 "tuition fee" for a degree in tax law on the table, another paid almost 2000 dollars for a whole academic career, including psychology degree and doctorate degree in criminal psychology.

Flies of dizziness on, it can be uncomfortable and expensive. Nationwide threatened imprisonment, in North Rhine-Westphalia up to 500,000 euro fine for driving a fake title are due after the local university law. "Run" is, specify the title in his resume, on his business card or indicate in his XING profile.

From those found by UniSPIEGEL "graduates" almost no one wanted to express. A man came forward and speculated that his former college was probably get "carried away" another man admitted his vertigo an indirectly: After receiving the request of the UniSPIEGEL, he extinguished the completion of the dubious "Hamilton University" unceremoniously from his profile.

A global network of fraudulent online universities is using high-pressure sales tactics and phony scholarships to extract money from students who end up with worthless degrees.

Graduate schools and potential employers who check degrees would not accept qualifications from the institutions in this network, leaving any graduates from the institutions unable to move on in their professional or academic careers.

An expert presented with the details of the network saw plenty of room for suspicion. "I see the commonalities and duplication of material across their websites and I have to assume they're all fake," said George Gollin, a professor of physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Gollin tracks down diploma mills--pretend universities that issue worthless degrees--and exposes them. One investigation he participated in resulted in the owners of a diploma mill serving jail time.

The universities in the network, which typically say they are based in the United States, actively encourage students from the Arab world to enroll by offering what appear to be generous scholarships after just a few minutes of exchanging instant messages online. But that financial aid comes with a hook--the students are supposed to pay the rest of the fees immediately.

Some of the students who fall prey to these tactics don't realize their degrees are worthless until after receiving them. Studying at the universities is a lonely experience--students at one of the schools in the network said they had no contact with professors at all.

At least some of the universities in the network appear to be entirely fraudulent although they try to give the appearance of quality by citing an accreditation organization that is actually part of their network. (See accompanying article "Faking Quality Control for Universities.")

Accreditation, a practice more common in Europe and North America, audits the quality of universities to ensure students are getting a proper standard of education. Several different associations do this and some of them also accredit universities in the Arab world.

But academics listed as working for the accreditation organization in the fraudulent network said they had no idea they were named as consultants until contacted by a reporter for an interview.

An International Network

The discovery of the elaborate network unfolded over several weeks.

The founder of the Abu Dhabi based Edu Alliance education consulting company, Dean Hoke, came across a press release outlining efforts to "enhance the higher education standards" in the Arab world by an organization called the "Middle East Office of Academic Regulation & Examination."

That name didn't sit right with Hoke, so he explored the organization's website. A live-chat pop up screen appeared, and he typed into it.

The online representative from the organization asked for Hoke's credit card details in order to approve a hefty scholarship. The idea of an accreditation organization, which operates at an institutional level, offering financial aid to individuals seemed wrong to Hoke.

The organization said it acted on the authority of the "Gulf Ministry of Higher Education." But a government official in the region said no such organization exists.

"This is just absolute rubbish," says Badr Aboul-Ela, the director of the Commission for Academic Accreditation at the Ministry of Education in the United Arab Emirates. "There is no single ministry for the entire Gulf region."

When a reporter called the Middle East Office of Academic Regulation & Examination, the operator identified himself as a staffer in an institution called MUST University. That comment seems to have been a slip up.

MUST University says on its website that it is the world's largest university with a presence in more than 180 countries.

Scholarships Are the Bait

MUST University stopped answering a journalist's phone calls, possibly as a result of using caller ID. But reporters posing as prospective Arab and Western students during multiple live chat sessions were able to secure offers of financial aid from MUST in less than 15 minutes.

The first offer included a reduced enrollment fee of $199 down from $499 and a scholarship of 50 percent if the remainder of the fees were paid on an installment plan. Alternatively, a larger scholarship of 75 percent was proposed if all remaining fees were paid up front. The scholarships came with time limits. "It is only for today for immediate admissions," wrote a person at MUST University who identified himself as Jack Ayden. For a bachelor's degree, the 75 percent scholarship option would have meant an immediate payment of $3,800.

Jack Ayden also works for at least two other online schools in the network, McMillan University and Presley University, people approaching the institutions as students found.

MUST only offers distance-learning degrees, but lists a San Francisco address on its website. The Better Business Bureau, a non-profit organization that monitors marketplace fraud in the United States and Canada, isn't sure that MUST has a U.S. office and has heard multiple grievances about the institution.

"We've sent mail to test the address and it's been returned undeliverable," says Lori Wilson, the president of the Better Business Bureau in the San Francisco area.

Wilson's office has received 10 complaints from MUST students. 50-year-old Scott Wise from North Carolina is one of them. He enrolled over the phone for a bachelor's degree in computer science in 2010 at what he was told was a discounted price. The listed price on MUST's website is $14,400. He estimates the degree cost him about $7,500, but he says his employer paid for most of it.

Wise said his education consisted of automated tests that spit back his score as soon as he finished them. He didn't speak or interact with any of the 2,500 professors that MUST's website says are on its payroll. Two other students also said they were never in contact with teachers.

A 39-year-old man called Rick Shadrick from Tennessee is listed as a faculty member on MUST's website, which he confirmed in an interview. He says he is in constant contact with his students through an online platform. "You can talk and chat with them," he says, "it's a very personal way of interacting with students."

A Tennesee sheriff's office said they have received various complaints from the public about Shadrick impersonating a police officer and other authority figures, though he isn't officially under investigation as he has since left their jurisdiction.

Student Complaints

Wise finished his degree in eight months by working nights after work and by putting in eight-hour days on the weekend. In the United States, a bachelor's degree typically takes four years to earn. Wise says it wasn't until the end of the course that he realized his degree had little, if any, value.

When he completed his study, the university charged an additional $500 to his credit card without his approval. He fought for a refund with no success.

MUST then sent him a diploma without his full name. When he spoke with MUST about a replacement he was told correcting the error would cost an additional $1,300. The institution later lowered its price to $800. "I told them 'You must think I'm crazy if I'm going to give you anymore money,'" he said.

His experience with MUST wasn't unique.

Sixty-year-old Vickie San Juan from the state of Washington also had unauthorized charges to her credit card after she finished her online diploma in "supply chain management," which she was told would cost her just $1,650 with a $400 down payment. "One thousand dollars here and there kept coming out of my account," she says. "I called to complain and they reversed the charges a couple of times only to apply them again. Eventually I had to cancel the card."

When she received her degree from MUST University, they called to tell her she needed a different diploma than the one they had sent. Just like Smith, she was told she'd have to pay for their mistake. "They said I needed to spend another $1,600 or something to get a properly accredited degree." A third ex-student, 31-year-old Erica Stuchell from Ohio, had a similar experience. (See accompanying article How to Avoid Getting Cheated by Phony Scholarships.)

Bogus Accreditation

MUST claims to be accredited by the International Accreditation Organization, but Wilson, of the Better Business Bureau, doubts the authenticity of this group.

The accreditation organization, MUST University, and the Middle East Office of Academic Regulation and Accreditation all have similar website designs, 24-hour online live chats, and the same hold music on their telephone lines.

The IAO lists the universities it declares to have certified. Included on the list are McMillan University and Hurst University. Both these universities also use the same distinct hold music. (A few institutions certified by IAO appear to be ones that are striving to provide an education and want international recognition.)

A representative from McMillan, made an additional claim in a conversation to be accredited by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, in the United States.

Tim Willard, a spokesperson for the council, said via e-mail that the organization does not accredit universities, but evaluates the organizations that do. The council does not recognize the IAO.

The IAO lists a large number of academic experts as part of its evaluation commission. But at least two of the people listed as part of the IAO's evaluation commission said they had no connection with the organization. Diego Fernando Steinaker is listed as being responsible for assuring quality standards in Argentina.

He says he's never once evaluated a university for the IAO. "I've never heard of this organization before. I don't even work in Argentina anymore," says Steinaker, now a plant biologist at the University of Regina, in Canada, when reached by phone.

Robin Farquhar, who has served as the president of The University of Winnipeg and Carlton University, is listed as the organization's Canada representative, but he also says he has had no involvement with the organization.

The organization contacted him a number of years ago and asked him to join their evaluation commission. He consulted with colleagues who work in accreditation, and says he heard a lot of negative comments.

He declined the invitation, yet the organization still uses his name and photo on their website. He has requested at least twice to have his information removed. "They have never asked me to evaluate an application," he says, "It's pretty damn fraudulent."

They're All Linked

A reporter called Hurst University, which is ostensibly accredited by the IAO, and asked to speak with someone about accreditation. After a few minutes of the familiar hold music, he was put through to a man who called himself "Dr. Austin Rhodes" and who said he was "head of accreditation." He wouldn't answer questions, but told the reporter to call back later.

Calls to the IAO, McMillan University and Presley University, revealed the same hold music and the presence of a "Dr. Austin Rhodes" who didn't want to take phone calls or answer questions.

Similar calls found that, Jack Ayden, who offered a hefty scholarship to enroll at MUST University, also worked at McMillan University and Presley University.

The degrees obtained by duped students such as Scott Wise aren't, unfortunately for the students, worth much. For example, a legitimate graduate school wouldn't accept an unaccredited bachelor's degree for a student's application to study for a master's degree. That didn't stop Hurst University from claiming the opposite.

An Al-Fanar Media editor posed as an 18-year-old Egyptian student called Mona Abboud who was interested in a bachelor's degree in political science. Mona told the online representative of Hurst, who identified himself as Dr. Andy Moore, that she wanted to go on to study for a master's degree in London. She asked whether the degree was properly accredited to allow her to do this. "Yes indeed!" he replied. Moore also inadvertently sent a link explaining the accreditation of a different school called Delward University. Another reporter was able to secure offers for online medical and nursing degrees at some of the universities in the network.

George Gollin, the professor at the University of Illinois, says the degree mill industry often includes both fake accrediting bodies and universities. The first step towards shutting such organizations down requires finding out where in the world they're located and what enforcement agencies have jurisdiction, he said.

Software that traces where e-mails are read indicated that a person affiliated with the International Accreditation Organization was reading the message in Karachi, Pakistan. The photo of a LinkedIn profile of the same person turned out to be a stock image. Software used on the website of one of the universities accredited by the organization detects where students are accessing the site and makes "special offers" to students customized to their location, be it Bahrain or Jordan.

Diploma mills are everywhere. And, then, when someone tries to make them answer for their actions, they are nowhere.

Faking Quality Control for Universities, Benjamin Plackett, Al-Fanar Media, February 24, 2015.

How to Avoid Getting Cheated by Phony Scholarships, Benjamin Plackett, Al-Fanar Media, February 24, 2015.

Brian Clement, director of the Florida health spa that provided therapy to leukemia patient Makayla Sault before her death and another Ontario First Nations girl still battling the disease, has been ordered to stop practising medicine without a licence and fined for representing himself as a medical doctor.

In documents obtained by CBC News, Florida's Department of Health says it has probable cause to believe the director of the Hippocrates Health Institute treated two children battling leukemia "with unproven and possibly dangerous therapies."

In July, 11-year-old Makayla Sault attended the Hippocrates Health Institute after leaving chemotherapy at McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton. Makayla Sault, 11, who lived on an Ontario First Nation, was fighting leukemia and died in January after a relapse. She attended the Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida after leaving chemotherapy treatment last year.

Makayla died last month, after suffering a relapse. The Ontario's coroner's office is investigating.

J.J., 11, had left chemotherapy to attend the Hippocrates institute last August. Her identity can't be revealed because of a publication ban. In both girls' cases, the Brant Children's Aid Society was called in to investigate but did not intervene.

J.J.'s mother told CBC News that she was convinced her daughter should abandon chemotherapy after speaking with Clement.

"By him saying, 'Oh yes, no problem we can help her,' that's the day I stopped the chemo."

Clement denies having said this to the girl's mother.

She says J.J. was treated with laser therapy, vitamins administered intravenously and a strict raw food diet that she was advised to maintain for two years.

A letter from Florida health authorities hand-delivered to Clement and dated Feb. 10, 2015, orders him to "cease and desist" and accuses him of misrepresenting himself as a medical doctor. Clement has been ordered to pay a fine of $3,738 US and was given 30 days to respond.

The investigation is continuing and the Department of Health warns, "This citation does not prevent other administrative, civil or criminal prosecution."

Practising medicine without a licence is a felony in Florida, and if convicted Clement could face a range of penalties including jail time. Former employees suing Clement

Hippocrates Health Institute bills itself as an educational institution, but Florida has licensed it as a massage establishment. According to a 2013 tax return, the institute earned $22 million US in revenue and the Clements took home over a million dollars.

CBC News has spoken to former Hippocrates Health Institute employees who are pursuing legal action against Clement.

Steven Pugh, who worked as a nurse, claims he was fired for speaking up about Clement practising medicine, including prescribing treatments to patients facing serious illnesses.

He says he was concerned that Clements and his wife, Anna Maria, were giving false hope to patients.

George Gollin, a professor at the University of Illinois who has investigated USAT, calls it a diploma mill.

"It's horrible," Gollin says. "I could have printed him a degree on a laser printer and it would be ... just as indicative of training and skills. What I think is terrible is that he's using this, as I understand it, to treat patients who are desperately sick children."

Institute popular with Canadians

Canadians represent a significant part of the Hippocrates Health Institute's business, with sources telling CBC that more than a third of its customers at any given time could come from north of the border.

Clement has travelled extensively in Canada, and has given 19 different talks in towns and cities across the country, including two on Six Nations.

In a video obtained by CBC News, Clement says his institute teaches people to "heal themselves" from cancer.

"We've had more people reverse cancer than any institute in the history of health care," he says. "So when McGill fails or Toronto hospital fails, they come to us. Stage 4 (cancer), and they reverse it."

Clement is scheduled to give a lecture in Calgary next month and in Vancouver in April.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Eat raw, eat vegan and help your body fight disease.

That's one of the claims that, each year, attracts thousands of people from around the globe to the Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach.

But what the Contact 5 Investigators discovered about its director raises question if he's giving the terminally ill false hope.

From the air in Chopper 5 the Hippocrates Health Institute is an impressive sight. Nestled on 50 acres of lush tropical South Florida landscape, for 30 years people from around the world have congregated at the West Palm Beach institute paying thousands of dollars to indulge in the zenful secrets of healthy living, nutritional counseling and natural healing. But the Contact 5 Investigators found its director pitching claims modern medicine has yet to discover.

"Even if your immune system goes on strike and you have stage 4 cancer it can be reversed," Brian Clement has told audiences before. "We've had more people reverse cancer than any other Institute in the history of healthcare," he is heard saying during another lecture.

Clement's claims were enough to convince a Canadian mother, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, to take a drastic step for her leukemia-stricken 11 year old daughter. "By him saying 'Oh yes, no problem we can help her,' that's the day I stopped the chemo," she said.

Makayla Sault's family also bought in after the 11 year old leukemia patient suffered side effects from chemotherapy. Last year, Makayla wrote a letter to her doctors and parents pleading to stop the treatment. "I am writing you this letter to tell you that this chemotherapy is killing my body and I want it to stop," she said.

They are just two of the cancer-stricken families who have said no to chemo and yes to Brian Clement and the Hippocrates Health Institute. The Institute, a 501 (c)(3), teaches people how to heal themselves through a raw, vegan diet.

"Our organization for 55 years has placed hundreds of thousands of people on plant-based diets," Clement said in a video posted on YouTube. In fact, Clement's sermons on sprouts have made him a sensation on YouTube where many of his lectures are posted. Clement touts himself as helping to make eating raw and vegan, vogue and hot.

Described as a naturopathic medical doctor on FOX News in 2013, Clement added, "I'm a doctor of nutrition, I've been practicing over 40 years." In his biography listed on the Hippocrates Institute's website, he is also listed as "Dr. Brian Clement."

But a closer look casts doubt on Clement's "Dr." credentials and seemingly supernatural claims to "reverse cancer."

The Contact 5 Investigators found neither Clement nor his wife and co-director, Anna Maria, are licensed to practice medicine. Instead, Clement is a licensed nutritional counselor, according to the Florida Department of Health.

But his degree in nutrition comes from the University of Science, Arts, and Technology, a school George Gollin, an Illinois professor, investigated as a diploma mill. "I could have printed him a degree on a laser printer and it would be just as meaningful and just as indicative as training and skills," he said.

"I was given medical orders by Dr. Anna Maria and Dr. Brian Clement numerous times," said Steven Pugh, former Director of Nursing for the Hippocrates Institute. Pugh claims he spoke up and was fired for it.

"I would tell them clearly you're not a medical doctor, I'm a registered nurse. There's no way I can take a medical order from you." Pugh and three former co-workers recently filed whistleblower lawsuits.

Surrounded by his legal and public relations team, Brian Clement recently took the Contact 5 Investigators on a tour of the Hippocrates Health Institute.

"Our whole mission is to help people help themselves," he told us during our tour. The director who, along with his wife in 2013, earned at least nearly $1 million according to financial records, was also quick to add, "we don't cure disease here."

When asked about the lawsuits and whether he or his wife practice medicine without a license, Clement responded, "Absolutely not, absolutely not. I can't speak about pending litigation but that's false and it has no merits."

Once listed on the Hippocrates website as Dr. Brian Clement and Dr. Anna Maria Clement, the Contact 5 Investigators noticed "Dr." no longer appears before their names. "Many people because they are endearing to me, call me doctor," he said.

Clement explained why they removed the salutation from their online biographies. "Because we were criticized. We have wonderful people that surround me that assist me and they sometimes make these decision wisely for me."

As for those video claims where he is heard telling a room of listeners, "We've had more people reverse cancer than any other Institute in the history of healthcare," Clement answered, "that doesn't mean we have done it. We don't believe it can reverse cancer. That was taken out of context."

Clement maintains his mission and the Institute's is to educate, not cure. "I would never tell you that we heal cancer, we don't believe we heal cancer," he said. After a three week and $19,000 stay at the Hippocrates Institute which included psychotherapy, massage therapy and Vitamin C injections through an IV, the Canadian girl who's identity is protected by a publication ban, is following a strict Hippocrates-driven diet.

"She needs to maintain a raw diet for two years, absolutely no sugar," said her mother. In a statement, her mom says it's working and is happy with the results. Makala Sault died last month. Her family blames chemo, not The Hippocrates Institute or Brian Clement, who plans to keep expanding the institute and his message, the one he says, he always meant.

"Are you offering people false hope," the Contact 5 Investigators asked.

"There's no such thing as false hope. I love to help people help themselves. It's my intent to tell people, it's up to them what they do."

A Florida health resort licensed as a "massage establishment" is treating a young Ontario First Nations girl with leukemia using cold laser therapy, Vitamin C injections and a strict raw food diet, among other therapies.

The mother of the 11-year-old girl, who can not be identified because of a publication ban, says the resort's director, Brian Clement, who goes by the title "Dr.," told her leukemia is "not difficult to treat."

Another First Nations girl, Makayla Sault, was also treated at Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach and is now critically ill after a relapse of her leukemia.

The resort has declined CBC's request for an interview with Clement, who is described as a "naturopathic doctor" on the resort's website.

According to the Florida State Health Authority, Hippocrates Health Institute is a licensed massage establishment and Brian Clement is not a licensed doctor or naturopath.

But the Florida state health authority has said Clement is not a licensed doctor or naturopath, and inquiries regarding the institutions where he is described in online biographies as having earned degrees have raised questions about their credibility.

The 11-year-old girl was receiving chemotherapy at McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton. Doctors gave her a 90 to 95 per cent chance of survival with chemotherapy.

But her mother says she wanted to pursue a combination of traditional indigenous medicine and alternative therapies because she believes chemotherapy is "poison."

Court ruling coming

The names of the mother and daughter are protected by a publication ban imposed by an Ontario Superior Court judge who will rule on Friday if the girl is a "child in need of protection."

He could rule that the Brant Children's Aid Society should take her into custody, potentially forcing her back into chemotherapy.

The family of Makayla Sault, who is the same age, has the same type of leukemia and lives in a nearby First Nation made a similar decision to leave chemotherapy earlier this year.

Both families travelled to West Palm Beach and paid more than $18,000 each for Clement's "Life Transformation Program" at the Hippocrates Health Institute (HHI).

Makayla relapsed after returning from HHI. She was hospitalized last week and is said to be critically ill.

The other girl has also returned home, but her mother says HHI is continuing to provide care by analyzing blood test results sent by mail.

Concerns about director's claims and credentials

CBC News is looking into the claims and credentials of Clement.

He's been giving lectures in and around both girls' communities in recent months, including one event attended by Makayla's family this past May.

Hippocrates Health Institute

The young girl with leukemia who is being treated by the Hippocrates Health Institute prepares raw, organic vegetables that are part of the diet that the institute recommends. (CBC) In a video obtained by CBC News, Clement says his institute teaches people to "heal themselves" from cancer by eating raw, organic vegetables and having a positive attitude.

"We've had more people reverse cancer than any institute in the history of health care," he says.

"So when McGill fails or Toronto hospital fails, they come to us. Stage four (cancer), and they reverse it."

The mother of the girl whose identity is protected says she knew as soon as her daughter was diagnosed that she wanted to seek treatment at Hippocrates, a clinic she was familiar with through a relative, but didn't have the money to go.

After securing financial support from family, she called Clement from the hospital waiting room on the 10th day of her daughter's chemotherapy.

'Confident' tone

"He had the tone of voice where he was so confident," she says.

"By him saying, 'Oh yes no problem we can help her,' that's the day I stopped the chemo."

Hippocrates Health Clinic

A young First Nations girl, whose family opted out of chemotherapy, receives treatment through an IV at the Hippocrates Health Institute. (Photo submitted by family) A list of "Comprehensive Cancer Wellness" treatments on HHI's website includes: Aqua Chi Ionic Footbath, BioEnergy Field Intervention and The Power of The Mind in Getting Well Program™."

An online biography for Clement reads: "A Naturopathic Doctor and a licensed Nutritionist, Dr. Clement is a graduate of the University of Science, Arts, and Technology where he earned his Ph.D. and N.M.D."

A different biography, posted on a site run by Clement, says his post-graduate degree came from Lady Malina Memorial Medical College.

According to the Florida State Health Authority, Hippocrates Health Institute is a licensed massage establishment. It says Brian Clement is not a licensed doctor or naturopath.

Hippocrates Health Institute did not respond to questions from CBC News seeking clarification about where and when Clement attended university.

'Diploma mills'

In the May video, Clement told an audience that he went back to school to earn his PhD 15 years ago, despite being at odds with conventional medical teaching.

"When I went back and got that education I had to actually lie on half the tests because I would have failed ... if I applied what I knew from all the work I did decades before that," he says.

Further inquiries about the University of Science, Arts and Technology (USAT) and the Lady Melina Memorial College raise questions about their credibility.

'I could have printed him a degree on a laser printer and it would be ... just as indicative of training and skills.'- George Gollin, University of Illinois

"Those are diploma mills," says George Gollin, a professor at University of Illinois who has investigated these and other medical schools which "don't require their customers to do any meaningful academic work."

"It's horrible," Gollin says. "I could have printed him a degree on a laser printer and it would be ... just as indicative of training and skills. What I think is terrible is that he`s using this, as I understand it, to treat patients who are desperately sick children."

USAT is on the Caribbean island of Montserrat and says on its website it has satellite campuses or offices in Colorado, Florida and Kentucky. In the past, it has claimed to also offer classes in London, U.K.

In a recent promotional video, USAT president Orien Tulp says that his students graduate faster and score better than those in conventional medical schools because "we coach them through the exams, we guide them through the exams in a very targeted system that they can not fail."

'Nothing is correct'

CBC News contacted some of the organizations USAT says have given it accreditation.

"We have found that USAT is not a legally recognized degree-granting institution of higher education approved by the Ministry of Education of Montserrat," says the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO)

Steve Slade, director of the Canadian Post M.D. Education Registry (CAPER), says "nothing is correct" about the claims linking it to USAT.

"CAPER has nothing to do with accreditation... We will send a message requesting that this incorrect information be removed," Slade wrote in an email.

Sources in Montserrat confirm that regional accreditation authorities are also wary of USAT's operations and have refused it admission.

USAT has "not provided sufficient evidence to indicate teaching activities were actually taking place," wrote an official with the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine following a visit to the oceanside campus in 2012.

When contacted by CBC News, USAT owner Tulp said that all those who criticize his university are lying to the CBC. He refused to give an address for his campus, or the names and contact info of his professors. He said he has 1,000 students, and that USAT is one of only two legitimate universities in the Caribbean and one of the top 100 medical schools in the world.

As for Clement, he remembers him and he did not receive a NMD from his university. But he believes he was probably Clement's professor in nutrition.

"I never created a fraudulent degree in my life, and I never will," Tulp told CBC News. "Brian Clement he is not a naturopathic doctor from USAT. I can guarantee that. He shouldn't be making false claims for one. If he is, I'll withdraw his degree."

Hippocrates Health Institute declined CBC's request for an interview with Clement.

CBC asked the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) about the efficacy of alternative therapies in treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Below is their response:

"The important thing to note here is that we are "adjunctive care" providers. As naturopathic doctors, I can confidently say that nothing we would prescribe would replace conventional chemotherapy or other conventional treatment, nor would we ever recommend this.

Naturopathic therapies prescribed in a case of ALL would be targeted at treating adverse effects of chemotherapy (mucositis, nausea, dysgeusia). Once chemotherapy is completed, we might focus on helping the patient to recover from residual side-effects and helping to prevent recurrence.

While intravenous vitamin C may be indicated as an adjunct therapy in other cancers, and has some emerging clinical evidence to support its use, I have not seen the evidence to support its use in leukemias. Pediatric data on the use of intravenous vitamin C is limited."

- Jill Shainhouse, ND, FABNO, Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM), Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology

School boards across Connecticut are no doubt learning from the embarrassing experience in New London to do far more exacting background checks of superintendent candidates.

A higher standard of care is clearly needed on the part of search committees and the supposedly professional search firms that districts hire to identify and investigate talent.

The firm that recommended Terrence P. Carter to be superintendent of New London schools obviously didn't do enough investigating. Courant reporters have found that he's been calling himself Dr. and claiming he's had a Ph.D. for years on the basis of a degree from a diploma mill.

Mr. Carter should withdraw his name from consideration, as the state Department of Education is urging.

Dubious Degree

The New London school board met behind closed doors with the Chicago school administrator Thursday evening about the latest troubling revelations. But Mr. Carter left the meeting without withdrawing. Hopefully he will eventually do the right thing and save the board the trouble of rejecting him.

The Courant's disclosures late last week about Mr. Carter's questionable credentials caused the New London school board to ó wisely ó delay action on his appointment.

Mr. Carter had been the board's unanimous choice for the job last month, and a contract vote had been scheduled for this week. But late last week, Courant writers Jon Lender and Kathleen Megan reported that he had used the titles "Dr." and "Ph.D.," although his degree was from an unaccredited school ó Lexington University ó for which no campus address could be found. A 2002 web page for the university says, "Order Now, Graduate Today!" It offers a doctorate for $225.

The writers also found that Mr. Carter had filed for bankruptcy twice; submitted to the New London school board a resume that lists a "Certificate of Advance Graduate Studies" from National Louis University in Chicago that the school says he never obtained; and sent a national research university a biography that claimed a Ph.D. from Stanford University. Stanford says he never attended the school.

Good grief.

Members of the superintendent search committee are blaming New London's recruiting consultant, Nebraska-based McPherson & Jacobsen, which had promised to perform "extensive background checks" on candidates. It obviously didn't in this case. Search firms have to do better than that. This firm should pay a price for failing to adequately plumb Mr. Carter's past and putting the New London board in this awkward spot.

But members of local boards and search committees also have a special duty when they cast a wide net for high-ranking school administrators. They just can't leave it all to the consultants. They must be persistent and aggressive in making certain that candidates for these important positions represent themselves completely and truthfully.

Hartford's Embarrassment

The New London school board isn't the only one that has reason to feel duped. The growing scandal involving the Jumoke Academy charter school in Hartford, which gets scores of millions of dollars in state aid, also raises a red flag.

Michael M. Sharpe, the cashiered CEO of the charter schools' management company, falsely claimed to have a doctorate and was found to have spent time in prison for embezzlement. Now he's being investigated for owing about $8,000 in rent for an apartment in a Jumoke-owned building in Hartford.

An exacting background check on Mr. Sharpe by the state before his group was given so much state business would have come in handy.

A Merced Union High School District employee used what experts believe is a degree from a "diploma mill" to obtain a higher-paying job with the district, but school administrators have taken no action and the employee remains on the job.

Buying a diploma or attempting to buy one is a violation of California's education code, a misdemeanor punishable by jail time, fines or both. The case was investigated by the Merced County Sheriff's Department earlier this year, but no charges have been filed.

Anthony Thomas, assistant information services manager, was hired in March 2002 as a network engineer, earning $32,448 a year. The 43-year-old now earns $77,084 after a promotion in July 2011 landed him in his current management role.

According to his job description, Thomas' position requires a combination of education and work experience equivalent to a bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, or closely related field and three years' experience in programming analysis, databases and other technical skills.

On his LinkedIn page Thomas listed a bachelor's degree in computer science from Almeda University. It awards "life experience" degrees without books, studying or exams, according to its website. It is not accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

In interviews with the Sun-Star, multiple education experts said Almeda University is an example of a diploma mill.

'Dropped the ball'

MUHSD Superintendent Scott Scambray did not respond to numerous interview requests. Thomas declined comment when reached this week.

Board of trustees President Sam Spangler said the board may have "dropped the ball" in addressing the degree. Spangler said he'll put an item on the Aug. 13 meeting agenda to discuss the issue in closed session.

District officials have never dealt with such cases, Spangler said, but he believes there needs to be closer scrutiny of degrees.

"We need to make sure the degrees meet the requirements of that specific job and they're from accredited schools," Spangler said. "It has to be a bona fide degree, so if it doesn't meet the criteria, we should definitely do something about it.

"Maybe we dropped the ball on this," he added, "and this will definitely be placed back on the agenda. As far as I'm concerned, it's still open, and I haven't resolved it."

Questions about Thomas' degree surfaced last year when a former Merced College manager who worked with one of Thomas' employees began researching Almeda University.

"I didn't recognize the name of the school and I was curious. I wanted to know what this place was," said Steven Alexander, who now is the IT director at Madera Unified School District. "When I started Googling it, I saw stories about it being a diploma mill and people getting in trouble for using its degrees."

Alexander detailed his concerns in a June 2013 email to Scambray and the human resources manager at the time, Sandy Schiber. Receiving no response, Alexander sent the email to all five members of the board of trustees.

"I'm deeply bothered by people in my profession who overstate their skills, abilities or credentials," Alexander wrote.

Alexander received no response from board members.

What's a diploma mill?

A diploma mill is defined by the U.S. Department of Education as an entity that "offers, for a fee, degrees, diplomas or certificates, that may be used to represent to the general public that the individual possessing such a degree, diploma or certificate has completed a program of postsecondary training."

Experts say a diploma mill lacks accreditation by a legitimate accrediting association, federal or state government agency; requires little or no coursework and degrees are obtained in less time than legitimate schools. Another indicator is diploma mill degrees are not accepted by other schools or transferable for credit.

Allen Ezell, a retired FBI agent who has researched diploma mills since 1980, said Almeda meets the criteria of a diploma mill because it offers "degrees" in exchange for money, the diplomas were banned in several states and it has no campus or full-time faculty.

Almeda University did not return phone calls and emails from the Sun-Star requesting comment.

Almeda University claims its programs take "far less time and money" than traditional schools, but the institution "cannot guarantee that everyone will accept your degree," according to its website. It cannot accept federal student aid programs or GI Bill education benefits.

The school converts an individual's "life experience" into degrees after his or her skills, knowledge and competencies are analyzed using what it calls a "prior learning assessment." An associate, bachelor's or master's degree assessment costs $499, according to Almeda's website. A doctorate costs $1,495.

Almeda University in 2004 awarded an associate degree in childhood development to a 7-year-old dog after its owner filled out the assessment. The institution responded on its website by saying the New York man perjured himself to discredit the school.

'Unfair' to others

Board of trustees Vice President Dave Honey said Thomas shouldn't have gotten the job if he didn't earn a "legitimate degree" from an accredited institution.

"I think it's unfair for the individuals who put in the time, the classes and the money to go to college," he said.

Honey wondered if there were more qualified applicants competing for the job.

According to Stacy McAfee, assistant superintendent of human resources, Thomas' position was posted to a job website on June 10, 2011, and taken down six days later. She said three of 14 applicants were interviewed for the job; Thomas was one of them.

"I can say that the district did look into the matter and per the requirements for the position, Mr. Thomas' experience and training met the equivalent requirement in the job position posting," McAfee said in an email.

But if the school district accepts questionable degrees, Honey said, it sets a dangerous precedent ñ other employees might buy degrees to earn higher salaries.

A second look

Even if district officials decide Thomas' degree meets the job requirements, District Attorney Larry Morse II said "buying" a diploma is still a violation of the law.

Morse said his office was made aware of the issue when a Sheriff's Department detective spoke to Chief Deputy District Attorney Harold Nutt a few months ago. Nutt told the detective that since the school district wasn't concerned about it, the district attorney's office wouldn't file charges.

Merced County sheriff's Sgt. Aaron Rosenberg investigated the case but considered it closed after conversations with the DA's office. No further action was taken by the department after an MUHSD human resources official told Rosenberg in January the district "accepted the degree" despite the fact that Almeda is unaccredited, according to the department's report.

Morse said his office is going to take a second look at the case.

"We've received additional information and we're going to look into it," Morse said. "Our concern is not with what the school district is doing with its hiring; ours is whether a person has committed a crime in the course of vying for that job."

Although such a case is "unusual" for Merced, Morse said, diploma mills cannot be tolerated because they devalue real education. "It diminishes the degrees and credentials of people who've worked really hard and spent lots of money getting an education," he said.

An official on the Environmental Protection Agency's hydraulic fracturing scientific advisory board got a doctorate degree from an unaccredited, shuttered online correspondence school that congressional auditors targeted a decade ago in an investigation into diploma mills.

The advisory board member is listed as Dr. Connie Schreppel in EPA records, which highlight her doctorate from Kennedy Western University and a master's from Greenwich University.

Both schools are unaccredited or unapproved in several states, including Texas, where it's a misdemeanor crime to cite a degree from either school in seeking a job or a promotion.

EPA officials declined to comment on Ms. Schreppel's educational credentials and questions about her qualifications for the post. But the scientific panel's deliberations have drawn intense interest from industry and environmental groups.

In 2011, The New York Times reported that "Dr. Schreppel" was one of two New Yorkers serving on the EPA's "board of independent scientists" studying the relationship between hydraulic fracturing ó the drilling technique that has revolutionized American energy production ó and drinking-water resources.

Critics have asked why someone with Ms. Schreppel's credentials would serve on a panel dealing with such a crucial issue for the agency and the economy.

Likewise, EPA officials referred to Ms. Schreppel by the title doctor in a 2010 notice published in the Federal Register: "She holds a B.S. in Laboratory Technology from Syracuse University, an M.S. in Environmental Science from Greenwich University, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Kennedy Western University," the notice stated.

Asked whether the agency backed the credentials, a spokeswoman for the EPA initially said officials would look into the matter Monday, but declined to respond to repeated follow-up requests.

In a phone interview, however, Ms. Schreppel defended her education. She said she would never misrepresent herself and that she had well-regarded academic advisers over the years. She also said she completed a dissertation for her doctorate degree, a program she said took years to complete.

Asked about reports that Kennedy Western students were given substantial course credit based on life experience, Ms. Schreppel said, "This was definitely not that.

"I stand by the work I did," she said. "Everything I had to do was course work."

She said she was frustrated that she couldn't get her transcripts because the school had closed. Other graduates have considered legal action in the face of questions about the school's legitimacy.

Ms. Schreppel pointed to a group of Kennedy Western graduates in an online LinkedIn forum, many of whom faced the same difficulties and were frustrated by media reports suggesting that their degrees were not legitimate.

Issue of trust

George Gollin, a physics professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who also has studied diploma mills and assisted federal investigations into unaccredited schools, said a doctorate degree from Kennedy Western "is not legitimate."

Mr. Gollin, who ran unsuccessfully in a Democratic congressional primary in Illinois this year, said he was troubled by the EPA's decision to name Ms. Schreppel to the board of such a high-profile and significant panel.

"It's a concern," he said. "For something as risky as this, you want people you can trust."

He mentioned a Senate hearing in 2004 when the Government Accountability Office released its findings on several schools, including Kennedy Western.

At the hearing, Claudia Gelzer, a lieutenant commander in the Coast Guard who was detailed to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, testified about her undercover work contacting Kennedy Western to ask about earning a master's degree in environmental engineering.

She said the school accepted at face value that she had taken six seminars and four training courses related to oil spill response, which not only got her into the school but also gave her nearly half the credits she would need to graduate based on life experiences.

Ms. Glazer said 20 other accredited schools she contacted would offer no credit for life experience.

She also testified that committee investigators found that every student in the master's program was offered 33 percent to 60 percent credit toward a degree based on life experience.

Issue of convenience

Ms. Schreppel said that wasn't her experience. She said she chose online education because it fit her busy schedule as a midcareer professional. She said she was employed by a water utility in upstate New York and that there were no master's or doctorate degree programs nearby.

Though Ms. Schreppel said she was serving on the EPA's scientific advisory panel, she didn't view her role as that of a scientist.

Instead, she said, she thought she could offer the perspective of a water utility user. She is director of water quality at the Mohawk Valley Water Authority. Numerous materials on the utility's website, including a 2013 water quality report, list her by the title of doctor.

PROVIDENCE - Birch Vocational Academy is the Providence public school district's troubled high school for special needs students.

The school serves young people with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

After a federal investigation revealed some students at Birch were being forced to work for pennies an hour, the district reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice

Nancy Stevenin was hired to help fix the problem. She became supervisor of Transition and Community Development in December. She is paid about $100,000 a year.

But her hiring caused another problem.

"This was a serious lapse in judgment and it needs to be addressed," Providence school superintendent Susan Lusi said.

The school district's job posting for the position says "bachelor's degree mandatory." But the I-Team learned Stevenin apparently cut corners to get the job.

An investigation revealed her bachelor's degree came from an online institution called Ashley University.

"I have been told recently that you can call up and get a degree over the phone," Lusi said. "Obviously, that is not acceptable. We put Miss Stevenin on a corrective action plan immediately in February when we discovered that."

Ashley

University doesn't appear to have a physical address, and it isn't accredited by any of the agencies approved by the U.S. Department of Education.

How easy is it to get a degree?

The I-Team bought a Ph.D. over the phone for $600 in about 10 minutes. No classes necessary. No questions asked.

Lusi sat down with the I-Team on Thursday to explain her decision to keep Stevenin on the job. She disagreed that keeping Sevenin in her job at her salary is a way of saying cheating is OK.

"No, I don't think so at all. If cheating was OK we would not have put her on the immediate corrective action plan," Lusi said.

Lusi said Stevenin is getting results at Birch and has an impressive resume.

The one thing she apparently didn't have was a valid college degree, something the district says she'll be allowed to earn from an accredited school while keeping her current job and salary.

Lusi said she does not think more discipline, such as putting Stevenin on leave or firing her, is warranted.

"I think that would be a huge loss to the children we are most directly trying to serve. So no, I do not," Lusi said.

Reached by phone Thursday morning, Stevenin declined to comment.

TAMPA ó It's a muscular resume that would be the envy of any political novice.

Eduardo "Ed" Jany, running for Congress in Pinellas County against Republican Rep. David Jolly, is an ex-cop wounded in the line of duty. He's a military officer with a Bronze Star and prestigious assignments. His education includes a degree in police administration and work at Harvard University.

But an examination of Jany's credentials raises questions about how the 49-year-old Tampa resident and Marine Corps Reserve colonel has framed his biography.

Jany boasts a degree from Madison University, a school often described as a diploma mill without a campus or classes, but which Jany insists is a legitimate institution. In his online Linked≠In resume, Jany lists a degree from the University of Minnesota, which he attended from 1982 to 1986.

Jany acknowledges he does not have the degree listed on Linked≠In, but he said the website is set up in a way that does not allow for a more accurate description of his status at Minnesota.

"You just can't say (on LinkedI≠n), 'I didn't finish school,' " he said.

That, however, does not appear to be accurate. LinkedIn does allow a brief note to accompany any listing for someone's education. Jany responded, "That is truly not what I recall."

Jany's campaign is already notable for the fact that he does not live in the district where he is running. He hopes to move to Pinellas County in June.

And Jany will appear on the November ballot without a party affiliation, though he is a Democrat. Jany switched from being a Republican to Democrat on Oct. 2 out of frustration with the government shutdown, he said.

State law says candidates cannot run for a party nomination unless they have been a party member for a year.

"My life is an open book," Jany said Friday. "My history and my service record speak for themselves. o I'll stand by it if anybody tries to question it. o It's not like I'm some schmuck who put together a bogus degree."

Joe Robinson, a retired Orlando police officer and mayoral chief of staff, praises his friend Jany as a smart and honorable man. But he said he warned Jany that politics is a different world than what he knows.

"It's very vitriolic," he said. "It's a tough mental and emotional game. He's getting out of the military and going into a different form of combat."

ïïï

Jany and his family came to the United States from Brazil in 1968, settling in Milwaukee.

Jany attended a military high school and enlisted in the Army two days after turning 17. After completing basic training, Jany attended the University of Minnesota. He joined the school's Reserve Officers Training Corps, or ROTC, program.

But military service, Jany said, interfered with his education.

"I did a stupid thing," he said. "I went on active duty and ended up spending more time with the Army rather than going back to school to finish."

He said he earned all necessary credits at Minnesota but did not complete other degree requisites, such as a senior project.

The school could not verify what requirements are unfinished.

On LinkedIn, the entry for Jany's Minnesota education says "BGS, Latin American Studies." BGS stands for "bachelor of general studies." Jany, the school said, has no such degree.

Jany currently works as a director for Mutualink, a Connecticut firm providing communications and training services to police and military.

His bio on the firm's webpage says Jany "attended the University of Minnesota, completing four years of baccalaureate and graduate level work in Latin American studies."

ïïï

In the three decades since he joined the Army, Jany has bounced between Reserve and active military duty, first with the Army, where he received special forces training and eventually became a Green Beret. Then he transferred to the Marines, climbing the rungs of leadership. Jany is retiring from the Marine Corps Reserve by this summer.

His military career includes some of the most prestigious assignments open to service members, including a stint at the Marine Command and Staff College and command of the Marine Anti-Terrorism Battalion. He came to Florida in 2009 and was assigned to Special Operations Central at MacDill Air Force Base.

Jany, whose military performance evaluations contain high praise from superiors, has served 12 deployments to other nations, but not in Iraq or Afghanistan.

In 2004, Jany earned a Bronze Star in Yemen, records show. Jany declined to discuss details of the service that earned him the medal, saying it involved a classified operation.

Jany, a married father of two, also has worked as a police officer in between active military stints starting in Orlando in 1989, then Minnesota and Washington state, where he rose to the rank of captain. He has more than 20 years of police experience.

In Washington, Jany was accidentally shot in the arm and hand by another officer during a raid in which a violent felon was shot and killed.

The shooting was ruled justified after an inquest.

Jany said he decided about 10 years ago that he wanted to complete his degree. He said Marine Corps educational advisers suggested Madison as an appropriate distance-learning school.

"If it was good enough for the Marine Corps," Jany said, "it was good enough for me."

Madison, located in Mississippi, is not accredited by any legitimate authority and essentially sells degrees, diploma mill experts say. School officials did not return a message seeking comment.

The Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation lists Madison on its "nonapproved entities list," which means it does not meet state educational standards.

"It's completely fake," said George Gollin, a University of Illinois professor who has studied diploma mills. Jany, he said, "must certainly have known it wasn't legitimate, because they would have just taken his money and given him the credentials."

Jany, however, said he did a "significant amount of papers and course work," including a project on police procedure. He said Madison accepted class credits from Minnesota and elsewhere to use toward his degree.

Jany said his Madison degree "was good enough" for the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, where he attended the senior executives fellows program in 2013.

A brochure for the four-week program, which teaches skills for effective leadership, says it has "no formal educational requirement."

Times researcher John Martin contributed to this report.

More information is available here: After He's Defeated In November, Ed Jany Can Teach At A DCCC Mail Order School Specializing In How To Lose Blue Districts, May 10, 2014.

KARACHI: The newly established National University of Penal, Administrative and Security Sciences ñ the first criminology university of the country ñ will be offering admissions from May 12 for various academic programmes that range from a certification to a Doctorate in criminology.

However, scrape a little under the surface and there seem to be multiple irregularities. University chancellor Shamsul Hassan Syed Azeemi acquired his Master's degree and Doctorate in criminology from the infamous St Regis University and claims to have served as the dean of Criminology and Forensic Science at the institute.

"Our university is a chartered national university of the Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom, which is a part of the Republic of Uganda, since 2011? said Azeemi in an interview with The Express Tribune on Friday at his Uganda-based university's small campus in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. "The royal charter of incorporation is bestowed by His Majesty, King Rukirabasaija Agutamba Solomon Gafabusa Iguru, the 49th Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara."

Around two dozen framed academic and personal credentials adorn a wall of the chancellor's room, enough to impress any casual onlooker. However, closer inspection reveals dubious and unaccredited sources.

"I have the honour of being the second Pakistani to have a doctorate in criminology after former Sindh IGP Dr Muhammad Shoaib Suddle," claimed Azeemi, also boasting of serving as the criminology dean at the Athens-based Athenaeum University International.

The St Regis 'University' fraud

In 1999, Washington state residents Dixie Ellen Randock and Steven Karl Randock Senior started several 'internet businesses', which operated for the next six years until August 11, 2005.

These businesses were essentially 'diploma-mills' which facilitated around 10,000 people in 131 countries into buying bogus high school, college and doctoral degrees in exchange of a total sum of $7.3 million till the US authorities shut them down, following the government's Operation Gold Seal investigations.

The phony St Regis University and at least 120 'affiliated institutions' operated by the fraud ring had no legitimate faculty members, offered no academic curriculum or services, required no courses or class work and were not recognised by the US department of education.

In order to further the diploma-mill fraud scheme abroad, the Randocks partnered with individuals in other countries, stated US attorney James McDevitt in the indictment to which the ring leaders and their accomplices had pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison.

The Times Higher Education investigation in August 2005 declared the institution a 'bogus university' and maintained that the former director of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (Unesco) higher education division, Georges Haddad, had accused the university of falsely claiming to be listed in the Unesco's world list of recognised universities.

While Azeemi accepted that St Regis worked as a diploma-mill, he claimed that the malpractices were introduced during the later years, in contrast to the Operation Gold Seal investigation that established that the 'university' had never actually existed. "The St Regis University was closed down in 2006 due to the operations they had gotten themselves into later on," asserted Azeemi. "They had started selling degrees like many universities in Pakistan."

For his new university, he claimed that the education ministry of the Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom had approved and accepted all of their offered programmes and added that the application for a provisional licence to establish and operate a private tertiary institution was pending approval at the Uganda's National Council of Higher Education.

However, Higher Education Commission chairperson Dr Mukhtar Ahmad clarified that any foreign university that is not accredited or chartered in its country of origin by a body recognised by the commission would not be allowed to operate in Pakistan.

Illinois University professor warns against institute

The St. Regis University ring gave individuals advanced degrees from one or more of their diploma-mill businesses in exchange of allowing those individuals to work as degree examiners and faculty members and then gave them a share in the profits generated by consumers from that country, University of Illinois physics professor Dr George Gollin told The Express Tribune. Dr Gollin had assisted the US government to break up the bogus diploma-ring.

For the professor, the claims were similar to those concocted by the Randocks, which led people to believe that the St Regis University was a legitimate academic institution of higher learning. "They had claimed to receive accreditation by the Ministry of Education in Liberia for a legitimate campus in its capital city, Monrovia, but in truth, they had no campus there," he explained. "For this purpose, the fraud ring had also fabricated a website posing as the official government website of the Liberian embassy in Washington DC.

Connecticut Man Charged With Running Online Fake Diploma Scheme

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 16, 2014

PHILADELPHIA ñ James Enowitch, 48, of Cromwell, CT, was charged today by information with mail fraud and aiding and abetting mail fraud, in connection with the operation of a number of fraudulent diploma mills, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. As a result, between 2003 and 2012, Enowitch allegedly sold $5 million worth of fake degrees throughout the world.

According to the information, as early as 2003, Enowitch began operating a diploma mill, through which he and another co-schemer advertised and sold diplomas for a fee, but required no course work for those diplomas. It is charged that Enowitch and his co-schemer eventually operated at least seven different websites, through which they sold fraudulent degrees, including ReddingUniversity.net, GlendaleUniversity.com, SuffieldUniversity.com,SuffieldUniversity.org, GreenwoodUniversity.org, BrysonUniversity-Edu.org and WorryFreeDegree.com. It is further alleged that each of the seven websites was linked to an entity of the same name, owned by Enowitch and his co-schemer, and that those entities were diploma mills in that they had no faculty members, offered no academic curricula or services, required no course or class work, and were not recognized by the United States Department of Education. It is further alleged that Enowitch and his co-schemer went so far as to create a fraudulent accrediting body, called the ìNational Distance Learning Accreditation Councilî (ìNDLACî), in order to claim that their diploma mills were accredited.

According to the information, Enowitch and others created phony transcripts that represented that the purchaser had taken certain coursework that the purchaser had never taken; allowed purchasers to create their own transcripts and backdate degrees; and provided fraudulent verification services to back up the fake degrees, in case an employer or other party sought verification. Enowitch and his co-schemer allegedly advertised degree packages ranging from $475 to $550 for associates, bachelors, masters, and doctoral-level degrees, with a ìmulti-degree discountî for buying more than one. For an additional fee, purchasers could also allegedly select grades for the phony courses included in their transcripts.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and an order of forfeiture.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J.D. Hogan.

An Information is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, EASTERN DISTRICTof PENNSYLVANIA Suite 1250, 615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 PATTY HARTMAN, Media Contact, 215-861-8525

From the letter:

...St. Luke School of Medicine has not been issued an Approval to Operate by the Bureau. Therefore, the Bureau hereby orders that you cease oyeratong as a private postsecondary educational institution and submit evidence of compliance to the Bureau within 14 days of the date of this order. This means you must stop enrolling students, and cease all instructional services, advertising (including Web sites), programs, and/or operations. Operation without Bureau approval will subject you to a $50,000.00 fine under section 94886 of the Act.

In addition, if St. Luke School of Medicine currently has enrolled students, you must immediately contact the Bureau's Closed School Unit pursuant to Tltle 5, CCR ß 76240 in order to notify the Bureau of your closure plans. The Closed School Unit's telephone number is (916) 431-6931. Note additionally that pursuant to California Education Code section 94902(b), an enrollment agreement is not enforceable unless at the time of the execution of the enrollment agreement the institution held a valid approval to operate...

Update: BPPE issued a "Citation: Assessment of Fine and Order of Abatement" on January 26, 2015. (Local copy)

From the citation:

A Citation is hereby issued to Jerroll Dolphin, Owner of St. Luke School of Medicine (Institution) located in Los Angeles, CA. pursuant to Business and Professions Code section 148; California Education Code (CEC) §94944; and Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations (5 CCR) §75020 for the violation(s) described below...

Violation:
CEC 94886 -Approval to Operate Required "Except as exempted in Article 4 (commencing with Section 94874) or in compliance with the transition provisions in Article 2 (commencing with Section 94802), a person shall not open, conduct, or do business as a private postsecondary educationalinstitution in this state without obtaining an approval to operate under this chapter."
St. Luke School of Medicine is based in Liberia and Ghana. Information on the school's website and school catalog indicate that the school is conducting business in California from an information office located in Los Angeles, CA for which St. Luke School of Medicine does not have approval to operate.

Order of Abatement:
The Bureau orders that you immediately cease to operate and advertise an information office in the state of California. Submit evidence of compliance to the Bureau within 30 days.

Assessment of Fine:
The fine for this violation is $2,500.00

The state of Wyoming is pursuing legal action to stop a Cheyenne-based website that offers degrees in medicine, cosmetic dermatology, law and teaching based on life experiences.

The website, www.degreeinaday.com, says it offers associate to master's degrees for $195-$360.

The complaint asks the defendant, Right Price Registration LLC, to stop operating as an unregistered institution in Wyoming and to remove all references to Wyoming from its websites and promotional materials.

Repeated calls to Degree in a Day's Cheyenne phone number by the Star-Tribune were unanswered. Calls to the listed phone number for Alex Callan, the registered owner of the domain name, and Right Price Registration rang to a fax or modem.

The complaint was filed by the Wyoming Attorney General's Office at the request of the Wyoming Department of Education.

State law requires private, post-secondary, degree-granting educational institutions to register with the department. Additionally, those institutions must be accredited through an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Elaine Marces, the Wyoming Education Department's private school licensing program manager, said Degree in a Day is one of the most egregious diploma mill websites she's seen.

"To think that somebody would go there to get a medical degree and then pass that off as an actual medical degree at a hospital is a little scary," Marces said.

The website tells visitors that purchasers can receive diplomas "in the traditional university manner printed on traditional paper with traditional fonts in the traditional format," plus official transcripts, signed letters of verification to for use with an employer and letters of recommendation from the dean and president.

Under a tab called, "About Degree in a Day," the website says it "offers verifiable and authentic life experience degrees from our own 'Anonymous Universities.'" It continues, "We will never publish the name or allow it to be associated with this site to anyone other than alumni. We do this to ensure our alumni can feel confident there will not be any negative press online about their degree."

The website "gives examples of legitimate-appearing university websites that it promises to construct in order to give purchasers ëfurther proof their degree is in fact authentic,'" according to the complaint.

The complaint was delivered to Degree in a Day's listed Cheyenne address Nov. 26, according to a representative of the Laramie County District Court clerk's office. According to the complaint, the defendant has 20 days after the delivery of the summons to respond. No response had been processed with courts as of Wednesday, but if recently filed, there may be a delay until the response is entered in the system.

Violators of the Private Schools Licensing Act can face criminal penalties. The misdemeanor is punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and/or six months in jail, and each solicitation of enrollment or transaction is a separate offense, according to the statute. Officials were unaware of any criminal charges filed against names associated with the business.

Right Price Registration LLC, based in Cheyenne, was administratively dissolved by the Wyoming Secretary of State in January for failing to pay taxes and file annual reports. According to the complaint, Callan, the registered owner of the site, lives in Mesa, Ariz.

Callan's other domain names include openplainsuniversity.org. Open Plains University doesn't appear to exist outside of the website, according the complaint.

Marces said she found out about the corporation from another state's education department calling about a student who claimed to attend Open Plains University.

A 37-year-old woman admitted Thursday to bolstering her resume to land counseling jobs, resulting in more than $80,000 in overpayments.

On her resume, Jalon Faherty claimed to have received a master's degree, which was required for a job she landed in 2007.

In reality, Faherty received the degree from an online "diploma mill" in England that she found through a Google search, according to officials.

From 2007 to 2009, she was paid salary and medical benefits as someone who held a master's degree, defrauding two local companies ó and the state ó of $83,469.

On Thursday, she pleaded guilty to a pair of felonies and repaid the money, in full.

"She is accepting responsibility for her conduct," Steven Breit, her attorney, said after the plea. "By paying restitution, she's trying to make things right."

Lancaster County Judge David Ashworth will order sentence after a background check is completed in about three months.

According to state guidelines, Faherty faces probation to 9 months in prison on each count.

Faherty, who lived in Mount Joy during the crimes, but has since moved to Florida, remains free on $10,000 unsecured bail.

She included the phony degree on her resume to land counseling jobs with Pennsylvania Counseling Services Inc. in Lebanon and TeamCare Behavioral Health of Lancaster.

The degree was obtained from Canterbury University in England, according to court documents. No such school exists, according to officials.

In fact, officials discovered the so-called "school" simply sells people diplomas and transcripts.

Faherty paid to have a diploma ó and transcripts ó from that "university" mailed to her. Very little class work or credits were required, only payment of "a couple hundred dollars," an arrest affidavit states.

For three years, Faherty worked with children with special needs, according to officials.

She no longer works as a counselor, her attorney said.

The woman convicted in federal court of making millions by selling bogus online diplomas and college degrees is now working as an online psychic, promising to bring "amazingly accurate" answers to everything from career choices to marriage.

Dixie E. Randock, 62, of Mead, was released in April 2011 after serving three years in federal prison as part of a guilty plea with her husband, Steven K. Randock Sr. Both pleaded guilty in 2008 to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud as part of the nationwide Operation Gold Seal investigation.

But several federal sources, and a university professor who wrote a book about the diploma mill scandal, confirmed to The Spokesman-Review that Dixie Randock is now advertising herself as "Blondey the Indigo Shaman," who has the power to bring back ex-lovers or help customers lose weight.

"I will meditate on your FINANCIAL success for 30 Continuous Minutes for $5," according to Blondey's advertisement on fiverr.com.

Blondey's video includes a photo that Dixie Randock had posted on her Facebook account in 2011. A search of Web links connects Blondey to www.mysticaleye.com. A domain search of that site lists the same address, 14525 N. Newport Highway, that the Randocks used to operate the diploma mill, according to court records.

Randock's daughter, Heidi Lorhan, was given a one-year sentence as part of the same criminal case and also advertises herself on fiverr.com as "Shaman Crystal." Lorhan declined comment when reached Friday by phone.

For six years before their conviction, the Randocks and a team of associates sold high school and college degrees from 121 fictitious online schools they created. They also sold counterfeit diplomas and transcripts from 66 legitimate universities.

From offices in Mead and later in Post Falls, the Randocks sold more than 10,000 of the degrees and related academic products to 9,612 buyers in 131 countries. Federal prosecutors alleged that they earned nearly $7.4 million through sales of fraudulent credentials...

On fiverr.com, Randock offers to remove curses and to read customers' past lives for spiritual healing.

"I will use my powers as a Shaman Priestess and Spiritual Counselor to attract financial prosperity into your life," the website states...

In Arizona, applicants for a charter school license are not required to show their academic credentials in order to qualify to operate a charter school. Michael Bashaw, founder of Fountain Hills Charter School, purchased fake degrees [from St. Regis University] and is now under investigation by the Arizona Board for Charter Schools.

In July 1996, FBI agents raided a nondescript office building beside a church in Mandeville, La., a small town near New Orleans.

The building was home to "LaSalle University" ó a dubious educational institution issuing supposedly advanced academic degrees via mail for the bargain price of $2,000 to $3,700.

The FBI was interested because the operator, Thomas Kirk, a self-professed religious leader, failed to pay taxes and also because schools like LaSalle were issuing degrees to government employees seeking to pad their resumes and qualify for pay raises hinged to educational advancement.

The FBI's July raid made national headlines and LaSalle was held up as the poster child for so-called diploma mills.

That long-ago raid, half a nation away, came home late this spring when questions were raised at a school board meeting about the educational attainment of Columbia Union School District Superintendent John Pendley.

Pendley says he earned his Ph.D. from LaSalle in 1998.

He's given various accounts of when he actually enrolled at the school. In a legal deposition, he claimed he'd gone to LaSalle for three years. On other occasions he said he was there two years and recently, through a spokesman, claims he was there for about 18 months.

Whatever the case, some community members have openly wondered if Pendley is qualified for his job, given that his diploma came from either a diploma mill or, at best, an unaccredited former diploma mill.

The short answer, according to the district and other sources, is yes: The job of superintendent does not require a Ph.D.

Other questions, however, remain unanswered: Did Pendley know or should he have known LaSalle was a diploma mill? Should he repay taxpayers thousands of dollars he received as a result of the degree? Should school leaders like Pendley be held to higher standards?

"I think as a teacher or person of authority, you have to be trustworthy," said Pat Dean Girard, a former Sonora High School teacher and former member of the Yosemite Community College District Board of Trustees.

She and her husband, Paul Girard, are frequent critics of Pendley's leadership, attending board meetings and calling for his resignation. They are particularly concerned about a scandal involving Pendley's son, an aide who had sex with a student in a Columbia El classroom.

"I don't see these as examples of being trustworthy," she said. "I feel that he has demonstrated over and over again a lack of proper judgment."

Pendley has repeatedly declined to speak with The Union Democrat in the weeks since May's board meeting, despite assurances he would meet with any members of the public to discuss his LaSalle diploma.

The Union Democrat sought answers to the questions by interviewing current and former board members, as well as reviewing public records obtained under California's Public Records Act.

The LaSalle difference

If you Google "LaSalle University" you'll see pictures of brick buildings, smiling college students and maybe even a link to a U.S. News and World Report story ranking it as a top 50 U.S. college.

But those stories are referring to La Salle University in Pennsylvania ó a completely unrelated Catholic liberal arts college in Philadelphia founded in 1863.

The LaSalle where Pendley got his degree once claimed to be religious in nature, yet it had no campus and was founded by Thomas Kirk in 1989.

To get an idea of what Kirk's LaSalle was about, consider that the correspondence school had a single "academic advisor" to serve thousands of students and required no academic work of degree recipients. Or that five employees graded student dissertations, not by reading them, but by weighing them on a scale.

That's according to Allen Ezell, a retired FBI agent who created the agency's diploma mill task force, "DipScam," in 1980 and headed it until 1991.

He said degrees were awarded to anyone shelling out a few thousand dollars.

"It was a smash-and-grab type of place," said Ezell, whose work was used by FBI agents later in building their case against LaSalle and Kirk.

"LaSalle didn't have the qualified people to render an opinion as to whether a paper had the quality necessary for a doctoral degree," Ezell added.

Kirk ó who earlier ran a diploma mill in Southern California, Southland University ó had long attempted to skirt tax and fraud laws by claiming his schools were religious institutions and conferred religious degrees.

Kirk headed the World Christian Church, parent of the school, which advertised its degrees in the back of magazines like Popular Science.

He thwarted a 1994 lawsuit by the Louisiana Attorney General by claiming a religious exemption to state licensing requirements for institutions of higher education.

The July 1996 FBI raid effectively shut it down. Agents seized several truckloads of documents and $10 million.

Two months later, a grand jury indicted Kirk on 18 counts of fraud by wire, fraud by mail and tax evasion. The government claimed he'd bilked students out of $36 million. Kirk maintained his innocence and took out ads in USA Today alleging "religious and academic persecution."

He accepted a plea deal that November, and was sentenced to five years in federal prison and surrendered his multimillion-dollar house.

Ezell said the federal government took the $10 million and offered $3,000 to each of LaSalle's 15,000 pre-raid "graduates" as compensation for being bilked. More than half refused the money. Some continued to use their degrees on resumes.

John Bear, a diploma mill expert, said that fake credentials have allowed people to work in positions for which they're grossly unqualified.

"There's just a huge number of professionals on that list," Bear said. "Educators and therapists and ministers are the three big categories."

Bear, a Michigan State Ph.D. who has authored books on the subject of diploma mills, said that some LaSalle students were earnest, believing that the school was a valid "distance education" option.

They may have done work, like writing dissertations, to fulfill graduation requirements that didn't actually exist. But he noted the price should have been a red flag.

"If someone offers you a Rolex watch for 10 bucks, you know it can't possibly be real," he said.

"Someone familiar with the world of higher education would know that you can't get a degree for $3,000."

In mid-1997, LaSalle University was reorganized as the "LaSalle Education Corporation" ó later termed the "Orion Education Corporation."

In 2000, LaSalle University split into two parts, LaSalle University and Orion College. LaSalle allowed previously enrolled students to continue with their programs, while Orion College operated under a new curriculum introduced in 1998.

Where was Pendley?

Pendley was "never involved in any of that" and enrolled after the school's reorganization, board President Clark Segerstrom said.

Segerstrom also said that Pendley had no knowledge of LaSalle University's history as a diploma mill before he enrolled.

However, Pendley in a 2011 deposition involving a school-construction-related lawsuit, said he attended LaSalle for three years ó indicating he'd enrolled in 1995.

Following a May 8 board meeting, he told The Union Democrat he'd attended the school for two years, putting him at LaSalle in 1996.

Recently, he said through Segerstrom that he began his studies in mid-1997.

So he either started during the FBI investigation, or shortly after it closed.

He claimed at May's board meeting that LaSalle was "seeking accreditation" at the time he graduated in December 1998.

If the 1997 timeline is accurate, that means Pendley graduated in a breakneck 18 months.

Most Ph.D.s take at least five to eight years to complete.

Pendley points to a "dissertation" he wrote for the program as proof of his work.

The approximately 120-page report ó including an introduction, photos and graphics ó examines the effects of a bridge construction project on a Madera County school district.

In his dissertation, he recommends drawing a more accurate map of attendance boundaries and stuccoing the exterior of school buildings.

Pendley's work seems atypical of most Ph.D.s.

Sonora Union High School District Superintendent Mike McCoy, one of three superintendents in Tuolumne County with a doctorate degree, worked for six years, attending more than a dozen classes, taking numerous tests and writing about 400 pages on upper-management development in school districts.

Summerville Union High School District Superintendent John Keiter, who also oversees Twain Harte schools, got his Ed.D. from Alliant International University in San Diego. He said his doctoral studies took him about six years. He wrote a 150-page dissertation on teaching standards.

Jeff Tolhurst, a Columbia Elementary board member and geology professor at Columbia College, said he took about four years to earn his Ph.D. in geology from the University of South Carolina. His dissertation was about 150 pages.

Tolhurst said that some students of unaccredited schools may produce "really high quality" work, and some otherwise.

"By not having accreditation, it puts all of them in the same basket," he said.

"How can someone say with confidence that they have the real degree if it's not from an accredited institution?" he wondered.

"We have these accreditation standards for a reason."

Bear, a leading authority on distance learning and diploma mills, questioned Pendley's judgement in seeking the LaSalle degree.

"This is not a degree that any reasonable person would do," he said.

Why does it matter?

Pendley's supporters, such as Segerstrom and some school staffers, say the quality of his degree is no big deal in light of his accomplishments.

School superintendents aren't required to have a Ph.D., just an administrative credential from the state and a master's degree ó one step between a four-year bachelor's degree and a Ph.D.

Pendley has both a master's and a credential.

Phil Haydn-Myer, a former Columbia board member who served at the time of the district's superintendent search in 1998, said the board was looking for someone with experience building and managing school facilities. He said the Ph.D. was merely a "bonus."

"At that time, it would have never crossed my mind that if someone said they had one, they really didn't," he said.

He recalled that fellow Columbia board member Ed Clinite was given the task of researching Pendley's background, including his LaSalle degree, and raised no serious red flags.

Clinite has declined to comment.

"If I remember right...what he reported back is that (the degree) wasn't as bright and shiny as it would have been if it was from Stanford or the University of Southern California ... but that after looking into it, essentially it was legitimate," Haydn-Myer said.

Segerstrom, the school board's president at the time, said the Ph.D. wasn't a factor in his being hired among three finalists.

"John was just heads above everybody else without even considering the degree," he said. "I don't think anybody else had a doctorate, but that wasn't important."

If the degree didn't factor into him getting the job in February 1999, it certainly got him some extra money.

How much in additional pay Pendley has received for his LaSalle degree is hard to determine.

Public records show he was paid a $1,000 "stipend" in 2000 and another in 2001.

His 2002 contract didn't mention stipends, but raised his salary by more than $10,000 over the previous year ó to $94,753.

Former board member Paul Howay and Haydn-Myer both remember Pendley's stipend for his doctorate being folded into his salary.

Segerstrom said the stipends simply went away.

"I think there was a point in time where we renegotiated his contract, and those stipends left. We didn't consider those anymore," he said.

According to Segerstrom and Pendley, the board was aware of LaSalle University's "unaccredited" status at the time of Pendley's hiring. Pendley said he informed the board that LaSalle was "seeking accreditation."

Segerstrom added that in Pendley's contract, school accreditation was not specified as a requirement for a stipend. And the fact that LaSalle ultimately "failed to reach accreditation," as Pendley put it, was unimportant.

"It was something that was a disappointment when it didn't happen," Segerstrom said. "(But) the district picked up a lot of energy when he came. We were moving forward with a lot of progress...and it really wasn't a concern for us."

Last year, Pendley was the county's second-highest-paid school superintendent, making $175,760.56 a year for overseeing two one-school districts ó Columbia and Belleview.

The board never considered asking for the stipend money back, Segerstrom said, because Pendley does an excellent job.

"He's a very good superintendent and worth every dime," he said.

Ethics questions?

Since the Ph.D. was never a requirement for the job, there technically is no problem with Pendley continuing the position.

But others say there is a larger ethical problem with claiming what some might consider a worthless degree.

Tolhurst described it as an issue of trust.

"It just colors a person's perception," he said of Pendley. "If we want integrity...then the degree comes into play. What other things are we not being honest about?"

"I don't know why it would be such a big deal to have the doctorate title removed... from (Columbia Elementary) letterhead," Tolhurst said.

Bear's wife, ethicist Marina Bear, said Pendley's choice of LaSalle University is worse for someone claiming expertise as an educator.

"He should know how the educational system works at many levels," she said. "He's also going to be dealing with teachers. So he should know how people are credentialed and educated."

A questionable degree may speak volumes about a person's attitude toward education, according to Teresa Fishman, director of the International Center for Academic Integrity.

"What that suggests to me...is a lack of judgment on their part," Fishman said. "If they wanted to get educated and they turned to a place like LaSalle, the first thing I would say is that I wouldn't want that person making judgments about children's education."

At the May 8 board meeting, Pendley said that his doctorate has been "a benefit to the district" and helped it get through a major campus construction project he oversaw.

It "really helped us as we did our facilities work and planning," he said.

He declined to answer additional questions about LaSalle University following the board meeting June 26, stating that the media had "already written" about his degree.

Robert Ruth was married to Amy Hensley, the St. Regis "University" bookkeeper. He is the brother of Roberta Markishtum, who was the St. Regis printer. Both Hensley and Markishtum pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges in the St. Regis case.

A Spokane man shot in the leg during a home-invasion robbery last month was with a fugitive just before he opened fire on two sheriffís deputies Tuesday.

That information, contained in court documents filed late Thursday, gives the clearest picture yet of what led up to Charles Robert Wallaceís decision to shoot two deputies. The documents also show that agents monitoring Wallace believed he could turn violent if confronted by law enforcement.

Robert Lee ìBoî Ruth, 42, is in jail, accused of helping Wallace, a suspected heroin trafficker, hide from law enforcement after Wallace walked away from court-ordered drug treatment in Spokane Valley.

Wallace, 41, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after leading police on a high-speed chase north on Highway 395 through Deer Park. Video from a sheriffís helicopter released Thursday shows Wallace driving north in southbound lanes past dozens of motorists.

About an hour before Wallace is believed to have shot the deputies, members of the Spokane Regional Task Force followed him and Ruth, who were in separate vehicles, from a location in the 8800 block of North Alcan Street to North Newport Highway.

They contacted Deputies Matt Spink and Mike Northway and asked them to stop the Chevy Tahoe to identify the three occupants. They were looking for Wallace, who was disguised in a hat with long, mullet-style wig attached, but did not know for sure if he was inside.

Spink and Northway were told ìthat Wallace was believed to be armed and had made statements that he was not going back to jail,î according to court documents filed Thursday.

Just after the Tahoe stopped on Elm Road just off the highway, Wallace exited and opened fire on Spink and Northway. Spink was struck once in the leg; Northway was hit four times and may have bled to death had a citizen not helped control heavy bleeding from an artery in his left arm, police officials say.

The driver of the Tahoe and a passenger, identified through dispatch calls and family interviews as Josh Fowler and Brittany McCullough, sped away and Wallace ran away, stole an 87-year-old womanís Honda Accord then fled the area.

An officer called Ruth, who was last seen driving north on Newport Highway, and told him Wallace had just shot two deputies. Ruth lied to the officer and said he hadnít talked to Wallace since June 14, then changed his story and said heíd seen Wallace but didnít know where he was. Ruth, a felon with a history of heroin use, hung up on the officer and refused to answer his phone.

The new details were contained in court documents filed to support a felony charge of rendering criminal assistance against Ruth.

ìHis continual acts of deception obstructed the apprehension of Charles R. Wallace after Wallace had shot the two deputies in an attempt to inflict deadly force,î according to the three-page affidavit prepared by a Spokane County sheriffís detective.

Wallace left the rehab center on June 3, but authorities didnít learn of his escape until June 5 when a federal agent contacted the the facility. U.S. Magistrate Cynthia Imbrogno issued a warrant for his arrest on June 8.

Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich on Wednesday blasted the decision May 25 by Imbrogno to allow Wallace, who has at least 15 felony convictions that include third-degree assault and eluding police, to leave jail and attend drug rehab May 31. Wallace was arrested April 24 on a federal heroin distribution charge. He was facing a maximum of 20 years, but a new grand jury indictment returned Tuesday carries a possible life sentence. The charges allege Wallace was armed with a gun and had heroin with him when he was arrested.

Imbrogno has declined to discuss her decision.

Ruth was identified as an associate of Wallace and several co-defendants during the investigation into the alleged heroin distribution ring. Investigators interviewed him at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center on May 31, two days after he was shot in the hip during a an invasion robbery May 29 at the home he rents on Princeton Avenue, which, coincidentally, is owned by a Spokane police officer.

Ruth said he didnít know who was responsible for the robbery and shooting at his home. Police broke down the door to that home on Tuesday while looking for Wallaceís associates. No one was inside.

Ruth said he knew Wallace and had obtained heroin from him in the past year, though he said heís ìbeen out of the ëgameí for some time and is currently in the methadone program,î according to the affidavit.

Police believe that was a lie - investigators looked at phone records and saw Wallace had contacted Ruth 17 times between June 6 and June 14.

Police contacted Ruth again on June 14 and told them Wallace had escaped from court-ordered rehab and was wanted. They told Ruth to call an officer or 911 if he saw Wallace.

The next day, task force members talked to a confidential source who claimed to have picked Wallace up in Spokane Valley after Wallace left the rehab center. The source said he or she dropped Wallace off north of Deer Park and learned over the few next few days that Ruth was allowing Wallace to store motorcycles and other items at a family property on Alcan Road.

Ruth was loading two motorcycles onto a utility trailer near his Suburban about 3:35 p.m. Tuesday when investigators saw Wallace, clad in the cap with the ìmullet-style hairdo,î helping him. Wallace got into the Tahoe, believed to have been occupied by Fowler and McCullough, and Ruth followed in his Suburban as the SUV traveled toward Division Street.

The vehicles stopped for about 20 to 30 minutes at Roundyís Kawasaki, an ATV, sport boat and motorcycle shop at 11008 N. Newport Highway, before Ruth drove away northbound on Newport Highway and the Tahoe went southbound. An after-hours phone call to the shop went unanswered late Thursday.

Spink and Northway were asked to conduct an ìinvestigative stopî on the Tahoe to identify the occupants. Itís unclear how police identified Wallace as the shooter, but he was named as a suspect within minutes.

Ruth was booked into the Spokane County Jail Wednesday afternoon. Heís expected to appear in Spokane County Superior Court Friday on the first-degree rendering criminal assistance charge, which carries a maximum of five years in prison.

For the second time, a high ranking officer in Fraserís department of public safety has defended as ìa mistake, but not a criminal actî the actions of a dozen police officers who used unaccredited, online degrees to get years of educational bonuses.

Now a former county prosecutor says an investigation by an outside agency should be conducted to determine if those officers have committed a crime.

Weíve told you about the online degrees, purchased by a dozen Fraser officers over the years so they could get extra pay.

Last night the cityís public safety director said what they did isnít criminal, but a contract dispute, a misunderstanding.

But a respected defense lawyer who was an assistant Oakland County prosecutor for four years says what he has understood from our investigation leads him to a simple conclusion: an investigation of the facts could lead to felony fraud charges against the officers, based on Michiganís criminal law.

ìActually paying for degrees online is really offensive,î said Neil Rockind. ìPeople have to work hard for degrees.î

Rockind says he has followed the 7 Action News investigation of a dozen Fraser officers, collecting thousands in educational bonuses for years, after presenting the city with ìlife-experienceî degrees from Almeda University, an online diploma mill widely discredited by several states and the federal government.

Because the officers turned a degree into the city, knowing they didnít earn it, as they had while taking classes to get the associates degree required to become police officers, Rockind says he believes their actions were ìvery deliberate, and itís very premeditated and their actions should be examined by a criminal prosecutor.î

7 Action News was the only station in last nightís Fraser city council meeting where public safety director George Rouhib defended his officers, saying, ìThereís no criminal act here. This is nothing but a contract dispute but now thereís civil ramifications attached to it. This is all this is. You cannot prove criminal intent on these officers.î

However, specific acts of the individual officers, Rockind says, should lead to an investigation and a determination if criminal charges should be filed against all 12 officers.

ìThey were at a certain pay level,î Rockind said. ìThey wanted more money. They couldnít get that money on their own. And, they obtained a phony degree and they presented (to the city) something that was false, fraudulent, and thatís a crime.î

Then Rockind added, ìThis is the sort of double standard that people, the general public fear from those who are part and parcel of the court system.î

In last nightís special city council meeting, councilwoman Kathy Blanke wondered if the internal police department investigation, where criminal investigations commander Lt. Dan Kolke concluded ìthere were no criminal acts by these officersî was enough to simply move on.

ìI donít know how much more we can possibly get from an investigation with (an agency outside of) public safety,î said Blanke.

Councilwoman Barbara Jennings wanted to know ìwho can we try to recover this money from?î

City Manager Rich Haberman estimates the lose to the city for paying educational bonus to the 12 officers since 2003 amounts to about $100,000.

Council voted to sue Almeda University, and stop paying educational bonuses to the officers who submitted online degrees for extra cash. They took no action on the issue of requesting a Michigan State Police investigation, as Mayor Doug Hagerty wants.

The online presence of Westfield University and college-degree-fast.com disappeared a day after stories were published detailing how degree mills work.

The phone number associated with college-degree-fast.com also was disabled.

The websites became inoperable after a News Journal investigation about diploma mills, which are businesses that offer unaccredited degrees for those who pay a fee and do little or no work.

The leader of Pencader Charter High School, Ann Lewis, said she earned her PhD in organizational leadership at Westfield University in 2010. Lewis provided the schoolís website as westfield-university. com, which is no longer working.

Westfield University is not accredited by any organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. It is not affiliated with Westfield State University, which is an accredited school located in Massachusetts.

Pencader school board Co-vice President Judi Kennedy sent an email Monday night to the school community about the situation. The board is concerned but confident that Lewis has the ability to run the school, Kennedy said.

"We are all very concerned and disappointed with what the News Journal is reporting and feel that a day is not enough time to deal with anything appropriately but will keep the Pencader family informed as all of the information is reviewed," the email reads. "With regards to Mrs. Lewisí degree, it is not something that is a requirement for her position. We are confident in her ability to run the school and her dedication and commitment is not in question, however, we take very serious the accusations and information that came to light in the article."

A request for comment was sent to the school board and Lewis for this story. There was no response.

The school board will meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the school, 170 Lukens Drive, New Castle, for its monthly public meeting. Kennedyís note to parents said the board will be open to hearing from the public at the meeting.

Allen Ezell, a retired FBI agent and author of "Degree Mills: The Billion-dollar Industry That Has Sold Over a Million Fake Diplomas" said the sudden shutdown of the websites and phone number offers further proof Westfield University is a degree mill. Enzell, along with other experts, had reviewed findings of a News Journal investigation of Westfield University and college-degree-fast.com.

When it was working, the Westfield University website featured no phone numbers, faculty member listings, physical address nor working contact information.

Continued efforts by The News Journal to find any professors ever associated with Westfield University, which said online it was established in 1930, has been unsuccessful. Lewis said in an interview that she worked with a Dr. Avery Johnson while at Westfield but did not provide contact information for him. The News Journal has searched independently for Johnson but has not been able to locate him.

The only contact information that Lewis provided to The News Journal for Westfield University was Martha, no last name provided, who corresponded from universityservices@yahoo.com and 888- 407-1110.

Lewis has said she has never heard of college-degree-fast.com, did not order her PhD there and maintains that she did academic work while enrolled at Westfield to earn her degree in 2010. She said transcripts with a "ship date" of June 28 that she ordered from Martha at universityservices@yahoo.com and the phone number of 888-407-1110 will prove that she took classes at Westfield to earn her PhD.

"I donít know what they are like now...all I know is what I have from several years ago...and yes...does it concern me...sure... but does not invalidate the work that I did previously," Lewis said in a June 23 email. "I worked hard and moved forward...all you are trying to do is tear it down based on what you are finding currently... organizations change over time...that is not something I have control over...simple as that."

Westfield University and college-degree- fast.com will re-emerge in a new form eventually, said Jennifer Diallo, director of the Office of Degree Authorization in Oregon, which tracks degree mills.

"Theyíll be Westbrook or Westmount," Diallo said. "The common practices of a diploma mill is to go undercover for a short period of time and then pop up with a new name and a new Web address, but it will have a lot of the same images and the same information."

A judge has found a former Wisconsin inmate guilty of running a diploma mill from behind bars.

The state Justice Department says Winnebago County Circuit Judge Scott Woldt found 46-year-old Kenneth Shong guilty of one felony count of fraud Tuesday following a two-day bench trial. The judge sentenced him to seven years in prison and three years on extended supervision.

Prosecutors accused Shong of coaxing his fellow prison inmates into paying tuition to a distance-learning institution called Carlingford University, telling them the school was chartered to issue degrees from its London campus. Investigators, however, determined the school isn't chartered in the United Kingdom.

Shong had argued he thought the university was set up properly and didn't intend to cheat anyone. His attorney, Jeffrey Brandt, declined comment Tuesday.

Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian extremist who confessed to killing 77 people last year, has claimed that he earned more than US$1 million from falsifying university diplomas.

Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian far-right extremist who confessed to killing 77 people last year in a bombing and shooting spree, has claimed during police questioning that he earned a net income of more than US$1 million from the falsification of diplomas from Èlite American universities.

The diplomas were sold over the internet, mainly to customers in the US, he claimed.

Police believe that he used the income to finance his bomb-making and international travel prior to the bomb attack in the centre of Oslo and the massacre on the island of Ut¯ya last July.

Breivik said that the diplomas were made so that everybody could see that they were not real. The purpose was to make something that friends could give to each other for fun, he reportedly told the police.

A young data expert who did not give his full name confirmed in an interview with the Norwegian newspaper VG that he had assisted Breivik in this undertaking during 2004-05, from his home in Asia, and that he was paid promptly for his work. He said he made up to 200 false documents a month for Breivik, VG reported.

The police investigator in Oslo told the Norwegian broadcasting company NRK that he did not want to go into details on how Breivik had made his money, but confirmed that "he had earned millions" of kroner.

This had enabled him to travel to many countries for long periods of time and to buy the chemicals and other materials he needed to produce the bomb that destroyed a large government building in a housing complex in the middle of Oslo.

Norwegians are now preparing themselves for the court proceedings of the mass murder, which is due to start at Oslo district court on 16 April.

Two psychiatrists have written a 234-page report, based on 13 interviews with Breivik. They have concluded that he is a paranoid schizophrenic. Under Norwegian law, he will therefore not be subject to serving his punishment in prison, but in a closed psychiatric ward.

This diagnosis has angered other psychiatrists and other experts and many people in Norway, and a wealth of newspaper articles have been published asking how a sick person could have planned such a major logistical operation over such a long time.

The court has now appointed two other psychiatrists to re-examine Breivik, and give a new expert opinion on his mental state.

Two more stories about Breivik, by Ingun Stray Schmidt, are here: here and here. You'll probably want to use Google Translate to get them out of Norwegian.

MADISON ó The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a criminal complaint in Winnebago County Circuit Court on January 5, 2012, against Kenneth S. Shong. The Winnebago County Circuit Court issued a warrant for Shongís arrest that same day. According to the criminal complaint, Shong is charged with a single count of ìFraudulent Writings,î a felony offense contrary to section 943.39(2) of the Wisconsin Statutes. Shong has been detained on the warrant issued by the court and will make an initial appearance in the case today at 2:30 p.m. in Winnebago County.

The complaint alleges that Shong was an inmate in the Oshkosh Correctional Institution in 2006 when he encouraged another inmate to enroll in ìCarlingford University.î Shong allegedly made representations to the inmate about the legitimacy of ìCarlingford Universityî as a degree granting institution and provided the inmate with written information regarding the ìUniversity.î Based on those representations, the inmate did enroll in a ìCarlingford Universityî course of study and arranged for his mother to send a tuition payment by postal money order to a post office box in Mobile, Alabama. Investigation revealed that the post office box in Mobile, Alabama, was identified in Carlingford correspondence as the base for Carlingford Universityís ìOffice of External Studies, North American Division.î The inmate and his mother later learned that representations made by Shong regarding the legitimacy of ìCarlingford Universityî as a degree granting institution were untrue and the inmate made a complaint to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) in August, 2008. That complaint was eventually forwarded to the DOJ.

The Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) staff at the Racine Correctional Institution also became suspicious of Shongís activities from that prison after he had been transferred there in the fall of 2007. DOC staff conducted an investigation and forwarded information to the Wisconsin Educational Approval Board (EAB) in the fall of 2008 questioning whether Shong was operating an unauthorized and fraudulent ìuniversityî in Wisconsin. The EAB investigated, determined that ìCarlingfordî did appear to be operating within Wisconsin without necessary approval, and issued a ìcease and desistî order to ìCarlingford Universityî at what was purported on its then-existing website to be its Green Bay ìRegional Training Center.î The EAB also forwarded a request for investigation to the DOJ.

An investigation has been conducted by the DOJ Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and is ongoing. The DCI investigation was aided by the information developed by the Wisconsin DOC and EAB.

The State is represented in this prosecution by Assistant Attorneys General Michael G. Schaefer and Phillip Ferris, at the request of the Winnebago County District Attorneyís Office. The DOJ Office of Crime Victim Services is assisting the prosecutors.

Copies of the Arrest Warrant and Complaint are available at the following link:

http://www.doj.state.wi.us/news/files/criminal-complaint-arrest-warrant-shong-kenneth-20120110.pdf

The complaint contains only the Stateís allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The State bears the burden of proving the defendantís guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The longtime CEO of a behavioral-health agency in El Paso that receives millions annually in government grants holds a doctoral degree from an institution the federal government has called a diploma mill.

Cirilo "Chilo" Madrid runs Aliviane, an agency with a budget of more than $8 million for fiscal year 2010 and, according to its Website, gets 80 percent of its funding from government grants.

Madrid has claimed the doctoral degree several times -- including on a professional-services contract to complete work for LKG Enterprises Inc., a company that is a target of the FBI's ongoing investigation into public corruption in El Paso.

Madrid, in a deposition in a lawsuit involving LKG, said he earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from Hamilton University.

Hamilton University shut down operations in Wyoming in 2004 after the legislature there changed the law concerning organizations that offered degrees. Hamilton was described as a diploma mill by the Government Accountability Office and experts in education.

Madrid, who has run Aliviane for 15 years, could not be reached for comment after several attempts to reach him. The president of the Aliviane board of directors, Leo Geomoets, did not return calls.

And Enrique Moreno, the attorney who represented Madrid in the deposition, would not comment.

Madrid got the contract work with LKG from a subordinate at Aliviane who owned a side business, Madrid said in the sworn deposition last year.

At that time, Madrid sat on the governing board of the Border Children's Mental Health Collaborative, then an independent agency using a county-administered grant to set up services for disturbed children. The work Madrid was contracted to do ultimately was for the collaborative

Madrid was paid about $100,000 over 13 months for the work he performed under the contract with LKG. The primary product of his work is a 20-page document, which included information he says in the deposition he lifted from other documents and did not give proper credit or attribution.

The county is suing LKG, saying it didn't produce the more than $600,000 worth of work it was paid for -- including Madrid's part.

"I feel we were defrauded by everyone who got paid," County Judge Veronica Escobar said on Tuesday when asked whether she was satisfied with Madrid's work.

Elected officials who worked with Madrid were shocked by the revelations of Madrid's doctoral degree and the LKG contract. They had helped steer government business to Aliviane, received campaign contributions from Madrid and praised him and his agency.

Over the years, U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes has received more than $5,000 in campaign contributions from Madrid. Reyes' office has secured at least one $250,000 earmark for Aliviane, and it has announced millions more in federal grants for it.

Reyes has also invited Aliviane staffers to testify before Congress, and one of Reyes' staffers, Guillermo Valenzuela, was vice president of the Aliviane board in 2007 before leaving the congressman's office in December 2009 to go work for Aliviane.

Informed Tuesday of Madrid's involvement in the LKG contract and his degree from Hamilton University, Reyes said it raises concerns.

"At this time we don't have any information or details about an investigation being conducted, but given the concerns being raised, any mishandling of public funds must be investigated and any wrongdoing should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law," Reyes said in a statement. "Like many in our community, I have always thought of Aliviane as a well-regarded program that has provided critical services to our community."

Reyes' staff said Reyes requested an earmark for Aliviane last year after several officials -- including state Rep. Marisa Marquez, Mayor John Cook and County Commissioner Willie Gandara -- wrote letters in support of it.

Marquez also was taken aback when told what Madrid said in his deposition last year about LKG and his connection to Hamilton University.

"I'm so surprised," said Marquez, who in 2009 offered a resolution in the Legislature honoring Madrid. "I'm shocked."

Marquez said she's received $700 in campaign contributions from Madrid over the years. She said that doesn't change her view that programs he's been involved with should be investigated, if merited.

"These are taxpayer funds," she said. "We need to resolve this as quickly as possible."

The contract

Madrid was on the governing board of the children's collaborative since it started in 2001, and he has worked for Aliviane since that agency incorporated in 1972.

For the first seven years of its existence, the children's collaborative was funded partly by a $9.3 million grant from the federal Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration and partly by an $8.25 million local match.

One of the conditions of the federal grant was that the collaborative hire an outside agency to evaluate it and collect data on the new program. The mental health collaborative hired Boulder, Colo.-based TriWest Group to do the work for $25,000 a month. As part of the contract, TriWest agreed to furnish $25,000 worth of monthly "in-kind" services -- work for which it would not be paid.

A federal audit released in 2006 said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was satisfied with the work done by TriWest. But in 2005, former 65th District Court Judge Alfredo Chavez and, according to Madrid, the governing board on which he sat, raised concerns that the collaborative had no plan to make the agency financially sustainable after the federal grant ended.

Later the same year, the County Commissioners Court got rid of TriWest and hired LKG, a company run by Ruben "Sonny" Garcia, who formerly worked with Madrid at Aliviane. The new contract doubled the monthly payments for evaluation and data collection, to $100,000, and required that LKG furnish $100,000 a month in additional, unpaid services.

Garcia, in turn, hired a company called Introspectives to come up with a sustainability plan for the collaborative. Introspectives was run by Jose Soria, who also worked for Madrid at Aliviane.

In his deposition, Madrid said that he and Soria were the only two people in El Paso with the skill to devise a sustainability plan. Ill health prompted Soria to ask Madrid to do the work, Madrid said in the deposition.

"He said, 'You know, I took a little bit too much on, and, you know, I've got heart problems. My diabetes is acting out. I didn't realize it was going to be this much. I can help a little bit, you know. Are you willing to take it on, you know?'" Madrid said in the deposition.

Questionable credential

When he agreed to work with Soria's company on Dec. 14, 2005, Madrid's signature was followed by "PhD, LCDC (credentials)."

In 2007, as the Commissioners Court debated what to do about the LKG contract, commissioners referred to Madrid as "doctor" and Madrid said, "I am a Ph.D., and I'm part of the evaluation team and an original member of the governance team for the collaborative and one of the writers of the grant. ... I haven't been hired, I'm just part of the evaluation team."

In the deposition, Madrid discussed his doctoral degree

"I finished my Ph.D. online at an accredited university by the name of Hamilton University, and I did that about five years ago -- five, six years ago, and that was in clinical psychology," Madrid said in his May 24, 2010, deposition. Now defunct, Hamilton University was one of the nation's most notorious diploma mills, said John Bear, an expert on institutions that sell degrees in exchange for little or no coursework. Bear is author of "Bear's Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning," which identifies diploma mills.

Bear said Hamilton University founder Rudy Marn bought a closed-down motel in Evanston, Wyo., and began offering degrees under a religious exemption allowed by state law. Hamilton University was affiliated with the Faith in the Order of Nature Fellowship Church, according to The Associated Press. An Internet search offers a significant number of articles and reports about Hamilton University and its history in Wyoming.

In terms of sheltering diploma mills, "Wyoming was the second- or third-worst state behind Alabama and Mississippi," Bear said. State officials had to deal with several embarrassments related to Hamilton University, which shouldn't be confused with the accredited Hamilton College in New York.

In a 2004 probe into federal employees claiming academic credentials from diploma mills, the Government Accountability Office found a senior executive with the Department of Homeland Security claiming three degrees from Hamilton University.

She was among 463 federal employees claiming degrees from unaccredited schools, the GAO reported in 2004. The same report specifically names Hamilton University in a section discussing "diploma mills."

Applicants who wrote a check and a short paper for Hamilton University usually received a degree within weeks, CBS News reported.

Hamilton University suspended operations after the Wyoming Legislature in 2004 passed a law that said organizations claiming religious exemptions could award degrees only in religious areas. Marn, its owner, was later sent to prison for not paying taxes in 2003 on his Wyoming business and has been released, according to court and prison documents.

Hamilton University steered people to its Web site through a phony referral service and it claimed accreditation from an agency not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, Bear said. He added that some of its "students" have said they were fooled.

"What does it say about him (Madrid) ?" Bear asked. "If a motel in Wyoming offers you a doctorate and you don't check it out?"

Services rendered

In his deposition, Madrid said he got involved as a subcontractor for the children's collaborative in an attempt to save it.

"I -- it was a very desperate time for the collaborative," he said. "My -- my whole situation was to try to save it. It was -- we were going into the fourth year, and -- and there was no sustainability plan that had been worked on for three years. So my -- my thing was to develop a sustainability plan that would finance this -- this collaborative."

Between Jan. 15, 2006, and Feb. 12, 2007, Madrid billed taxpayers for almost 700 hours of work at a rate of $150 an hour, according to documents on file as part of the county's lawsuit, which is ongoing. In return, the county received a 20-page document titled "A Plan Regarding Title IV-E Research and Other Available Funding Streams."

Passages of some sections of the report can be found on the Google search engine. Identical passages pop up on Websites, including those run by the Social Security Administration and the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.

During Madrid's deposition, Assistant County Attorney Michael Wyatt asked Madrid whether he'd written the report himself. Madrid said he had.

Referring to a document he'd downloaded from the Internet, Wyatt said, "But it seems to me to be verbatim exactly what you've got written in your report here."

Madrid replied, "Exactly. And, you know, again, I could have been quoting from online research that we did."

Madrid didn't cite a source for the passage, and he later said he should have done so for another area he had pulled from the Internet.

Wyatt asked Madrid whether his work was worth the $150 an hour the taxpayers had given him. "Yes, sir," Madrid said. "This represents one of the work products that was worth -- that is worth $150 an hour because it included a lot of research we had done."

Other work

Also as part of the county's lawsuit, LKG produced an inches-thick stack of documents in response to a subpoena for work it had produced for the collaborative.

It includes a blank Medicaid waiver application that runs dozens of pages. Another is titled "Various Texas Newspaper Articles Supporting Substance-Abuse Treatment." It also contains a report on state-by-state changes to prison funding.

There is no narrative tying the sections together or explaining what they have to do with the collaborative.

"I guess they thought no one was going to look at this," Escobar said.

In September 2006, about a year into the LKG contract, federal auditors made a site visit. They said LKG didn't produce materials they asked for. "The contract lists specific reports of monthly deliverables," the audit report said. "These deliverables were requested by the federal site team, but not received.'

The auditors also said that a key component of sustainability -- data regarding the outcomes of the program -- had not been collected under the LKG contract for eight months because LKG hadn't gotten the required independent approval.

Just after she became a county commissioner, Escobar and Commissioner Dan Haggerty voted on Jan. 22, 2007, to terminate the LKG contract. Anthony Cobos, then the new county judge, and commissioners Miguel Teran and Luis SariÒana outvoted them.

The following May, the FBI raided the offices of Cobos, Teran and SariÒana. Among the items listed on the search warrant were documents relating to Garcia and LKG.

None of them has been charged, and each has denied any wrongdoing.

"I don't think his (Madrid's) credentials were specifically needed for the grant," Escobar said, "but he came before Commissioners Court and touted them at a time when two of us were trying to fire LKG. It would have made it far more difficult for Cobos, Teran and SariÒana to defend LKG had we known the Ph.D. had come from a diploma mill."

Garcia's lawyer, Link Beck, could not be reached for this story. Daryl Fields, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, and Mike Martinez, a spokesman for the FBI, also didn't respond to calls.

But in June 2007, as part of the ongoing FBI public corruption case, Travis Ketner, Cobos' chief of staff, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court.

Many of the documents relating to his case -- including his sentencing -- are now sealed. But his charging document says that Ketner agreed to demand a bribe from Garcia in exchange for protecting Garcia and LKG from a county lawsuit and a referral for a criminal investigation in connection with its contract with the collaborative.

The document does not say that Garcia ever paid such a bribe.

After the LKG contract and the federal grant expired, the commissioners converted the collaborative into a county department.

Asked what she might do to prevent a similar situation, Escobar said the county now has an ethics commission with some enforcement power. Also, since becoming county judge early this year, Escobar has helped make changes such as creating an online bid-tracking system so the public can follow the purchasing process.

"You can never completely stop corruption," Escobar said. "But what you can do is create obstacles and try to mitigate it as much as possible."

A researcher and laboratory director at the University of Kansas Medical Centerís brain-imaging center claims a doctorate from an institution that sold degrees but was not recognized by a legitimate accreditor, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal. University officials were aware that Kathleen Gustafsonís Ph.D. had been awarded by Eurotechnical Research University, an institution that had no academic prerequisites (Ms. Gustafson, according to the article, does not have a bachelorís degree) and was accredited by the World Association of Universities and Colleges, which has also accredited diploma mills. In 2007 a faculty committee looked into Ms. Gustafsonís qualifications and found them to be adequate. She told the Capital-Journal that it was ìnot my intention to mislead anyone or get a fraudulent degree.î

Freehold Regional High School Board of Education President Heshy Moses thought discussion about the Breyer State University scandal that has clouded the district for the past four years was over, but public dissenters disagree. At the Monday, Nov. 29 meeting of the Board of Education, several members of the public expressed their opinion about the diploma-mill incident, saying that the reparations are not enough.

At the Board of Education meeting on Monday, Nov. 15, President Moses announced that Assistant Superintendent Donna Evangelista would be paying back the district $5,400 - a refund of the tuition paid and stipends she earned from receiving a doctorate degree from the non-accredited Breyer State University. Evangelista has until 2016 to refund the money to the district.

Evangelista was one of several employees of the FRHS district to earn a degree from BSU in 2007, however, she is currently the only employee still working in the district who has one. Therefore, Evangelista is the only diploma recipient asked to refund the money the district spent on her unofficial degree. Moses announced at the last Board meeting that an expensive legal procedure would have to be fought in order to regain funds from prior employees.

Last night, Moses said that when he and Board Member Carl Accettola met with the State Comptroller, they were advised that the district could not demand a refund of the money from Evangelista, they could only request that the sum be returned. A formal letter was drafted to Evangelista and she agreed to reimburse the district.

The Board Attorney said that the correspondence with Evangelista and the Board is a personnel matter and the conversation between the Board and the Assistant Superintendent about the reimbursement is confidential.

Marlboro resident Jim Sage was not satisfied with this response and confused as to how the records would not be public information or a payroll matter, but the Board remained silent on advice of counsel.

Gloria Close, a resident of Manalapan, was displeased with the five year time period given to Evangelista to pay back the money. ìIsnít it an insult to the taxpayers to wait five years to get paid back, when in fact the County Superintendent took the doctorate away so long ago?î Close asked. ìIt is just common decency that the money should be paid back as soon as possible.î

ìI thought that this was over now, that weíre getting the money back, that it would be closed, but you still find the fly in the ointment and I donít know if weíd ever be able to satisfy you,î Moses said, in response to Closeís comments.

Leon Sirulnick, also a Manalapan resident, echoed Closeís statements and stated, ìitís not over until itís over.î Sirulnick said that the resolution to the Breyer State University scandal is unsatisfactory because Evangelista makes over $155,000 and she only has to pay a small sum over five years.

ìIt doesnít seem like itís a penalty to Ms. Evangelista and it doesnít sound like a satisfactory response to us,î Sirulnick said.

Gov. Sam Brownback accepted the resignation Tuesday of the executive branch's new chief information technology officer following disclosure the $150,000-a-year appointee's college degree was acquired from a diploma mill.

Jim Mann, 58, submitted a brief letter of resignation to Brownback ó hours after the governor defended him in the wake of inquiries regarding Mann's possession of a business administration degree from the University of Devonshire.

The University of Devonshire isnít accredited by leading higher education agencies in the United States and United Kingdom. The school is affiliated with an umbrella company regarded as one of the leading marketers in off-the-shelf college diplomas.

"The questions surrounding my qualifications to perform and deliver in this position have compromised confidence in me and in my integrity," Mann's letter said. "As such, I am no longer an asset to your team and your IT mission."

Brownback led a news conference Monday announcing the hiring of Mann to lead an aggressive centralization of technology systems in the state government's executive branch. The Republican governor expressed confidence Mann had the background and skills to reduce costs and improve performance of the network relied upon by state agencies.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reported Monday afternoon the University of Devonshire was part of a consortium of schools in the University Degree Program, a company viewed as one of the most prolific diploma-production enterprises.

The University of Devonshire isnít accredited by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation in the United States or the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in the United Kingdom.

On Tuesday morning after a Statehouse news conference, Brownback reinforced his confidence in Mann's capacity to reform the state's information technology network. He said he selected Mann based on a thorough review of his record with former employers.

The hiring had nothing to do with Mann's acquisition in 1995 of a business degree through a distance-learning program, Brownback said. The governor wasn't aware until after announcing his hiring the unaccredited institution was a featured actor in the diploma-mill industry.

Brownback said the governor's staff didn't spend much time examining Mann's scholarly record. His resume listed studies at the University of Maryland and the University of Devonshire.

"The education was not a factor in his hiring," Brownback said.

Under questioning, the governor said Mann should be judged by his performance as a state government leader in Topeka.

Brownback joked that he wished Mann possessed a degree from Kansas State University, where the governor graduated before completing law school at The University of Kansas.

Mann submitted his resignation Tuesday afternoon, and Brownback accepted it. The search for a new state chief information technology officer was immediately reopened, a spokeswoman for the governor said.

"Please accept my sincerest apology," Mann said in the resignation letter. "I wish you and all Kansans nothing but the best as you strive to bring excellence to Kansas' information technology systems."

Mann, of St. Augustine, Fla., started work Oct. 31 in the $150,000-a-year job overseeing computer projects and systems for the executive branch. All state agencies, except the Kansas Board of Regents, were directed by Brownback to report to Mann.

Mann most recently worked at Service Brands International in 2010, but he resigned after less than one year in that job amid a philosophical dispute with colleagues at the company.

Before the resignation was submitted, Brownback said he understood many people in the information technology sector performed at a high level without earning a college degree. The governor, a Kansas agriculture secretary from 1986 to 1993, said his technology specialist at that agency did a fine job without a diploma.

"My IT guy was a former meat cutter," the governor said.

Dozens of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided offices at the University of Northern Virginia's Annandale campus Thursday.

The University of Northern Virginia is an unaccredited, for-profit private university that calls itself the most popular American university for students from India. Thousands of students are registered at three locations in northern Virginia.

Agents have removed boxes of documents from a building on Little River Turnpike where the university leases two suites.

The university temporarily can't accept any foreign students, reads a notice posted on the door of the offices. UNVA students must leave the country immediately if they are unable ìto continue to attend classes and maintain their active status in a manner required by federal government regulations,î the notice reads.

ìToday, officials from ICEís Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) served University of Northern Virginia officials with a Notice of Intent to Withdraw (NOIW) UNVAís authorization to admit foreign students,î read a statement released by ICE spokeswoman Cori W. Bassett.

The school was told it can no longer participate in that program, but no specific reason was disclosed.

No charges have been filed nor people arrested but the school is being investigated to see whether it conforms to federal regulations for the administration of student visas. Those regulations were tightened after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The school is not closed, and students can attend class.

Foreign-born students at the campus Thursday said they have attended classes in the building and earned degrees from the school. One said the school helps students get their student visas.

If the investigation discovers the school improperly handled student visas, the school could face severe penalties.

Trinity University is suing an entity that offers online degrees, accusing it of trademark infringement.

The San Antonio liberal arts and sciences university seeks a federal court order barring Trinity Learning Foundation from using ìTrinity Universityî on its website or using that name to promote its programs.

The suit was filed Thursday in San Antonio

Trinity Learning Foundation, headquartered in Delaware, did not respond to requests for comment.

ìBecause they are using our name, we feel it's an infringement of our registered trademark and can lead to trademark dilution,î said Mary Denny, associate director of communications for Trinity University. ìWe're very proud of our reputation.î

Trinity Learning Foundation's website says it offers graduate information technology degrees, a master's in business administration and bachelor's degrees in nursing and health management, among others.

But some of those degrees are offered under ìTrinity Universityî on the foundation's website, including degrees the San Antonio institution doesn't offer. It's ìa complete infringement and could be damaging to our reputation,î Denny said.

This isn't the first time Trinity University has battled over its name. In 2007, it settled a trademark lawsuit with Trinity College in Washington over that entity's attempt to change its name to Trinity University.

Additionally, Trinity University reached a settlement in 2004 with a diploma mill then known as Trinity College & University.

That deal ended a lawsuit in which the university said Trinity College & University ó registered in the British Virgin Islands but with purported offices in Louisiana ó infringed on the Trinity University trademark.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.óThe private school principal accused of inappropriately touching young girls has decades of education experience, but some colleges and a state commission said Wednesday their records don't match the credentials he has claimed.

Robert Adams is principal of Creative Frontiers School, which was closed by police and state regulators Monday amid allegations that he inappropriately touched female students over a 15-year period. He has not been arrested or charged and held a news conference Wednesday to declare his innocence.

On a resume filed as part of a 1999 bankruptcy case, Adams stated he had earned a master's degree and received state education credentials at several California universities. But officials at those schools and the state credentialing body said Wednesday their records do not match the claims.

Adams' attorney did not immediately return a call seeking comment. A telephone number associated with the address for Adams' home in Folsom, another Sacramento suburb, was disconnected.

Adams and his wife, Saundra, filed a petition in December 1998 for protection from creditors while they reorganized their finances under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The filing said the school in the Sacramento suburb of Citrus Heights was damaged by "catastrophic floods" in 1995, and the school was sued for wrongful termination the same year.

Slow repairs and heavy legal expenses hurt the school's finances and enrollment, the couple said in documents filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Sacramento.

As part of the case, Robert Adams filed a resume as evidence of his experience as an educator. The document said he graduated from California State University, Northridge with two bachelor's degrees and a California teaching credential.

CSU Northridge spokeswoman Carmen Ramos Chandler confirmed Wednesday that Adams received a bachelor's degree in child development in 1972 and another in psychology in 1975. But she said the school had no record of a teaching credential issued to him.

Databases at the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing show no record of any educator credentialófor teaching or administrationóissued to Adams, spokeswoman Erin Sullivan said. Such a credential is not required to teach in a private school in California.

The resume also stated that Adams attended graduate school and obtained a California administrative credential in early childhood education from the University of California, Los Angeles. It said he completed a master's degree from Pacific Oaks Teachers' College in Pasadena, in "coordination" with UCLA and the now-defunct University of Beverly Hills.

UCLA spokeswoman Claudia Luther said the school could find no record that he had attended, although she said the records are not perfect. Helen Williams, a spokeswoman at the UCLA Extension program, also said there was no match in its records to any student with Adams' name and age.

A representative of Pacific Oaks College, Matt Nehmer, said its registrar's records show that a Robert B. Adams attended the school in 1980, but not that he had graduated.

News reports from the 1990s described the University of Beverly Hills as a nontraditional school that awarded degrees based on life experience, lacked accreditation for at least part of the time it operated and was described as a "diploma mill" by some critics. The school closed in 1986.

SCHENECTADY -- Less than 24 hours after being sworn in as new police recruit, John Laviano was fired Tuesday because the online college where he apparently received credit for life experiences is not accredited.

"It caught everyone by surprise," Police Chief Mark Chaires said Tuesday when asked about the embarrassing episode, which apparently came to light after a local media outlet raised questions about Ashwood University, the college where Laviano majored in criminal justice after graduating in 2010 from Guilderland High School.

"This was just an honest mistake," Chaires said.

Chaires emphasized that Laviano, 22, who also served in the Army in Afghanistan, was not trying to circumvent the system and never attempted to "mislead" city and police officials.

He was one of five recruits to take the oath of office during a City Hall swearing-in ceremony that was to start a six-month stint at the police academy Wednesday. Laviano could not immediately reached for comment.

Chaires said the department relies on the "generally very thorough" county civil service commission to do background checks to make sure the college prospective recruits attended is accredited, a prerequisite for taking the civil service exam.

In fact, the chief stressed that civil service has in the past prevented potential recruits from taking the test because the school they attended did not meet the prescribed standards.

"We operated under the assumption that he had been certified by civil service," Chaires said.

The department's own more rigorous background search also failed to flag the school.

"We'll learn from this and move on," said Chaires, noting that in the future they will double-check a prospective recruit's schooling.

In most cases, there is hardly ever a question of whether area two- or four-year schools, such as Siena College or Schenectady County Community College have the proper credentials.

There is conflicting information online about whether Ashwood is a so-called diploma mill.

One website seeks to dispel that notion and even offers testimonials to back up that contention.

Under the heading "An introduction to Ashwood University," the website, www.ashwooduniversityscam.com, states the school "provides students with authentic and accredited degrees on the basis of life and/or work experience," offers internationally recognized and widely accepted degrees and diplomas, and provides lifetime credential verification service to students.

Specifically, the web site states it is accredited from World Online Degrees Education Accrediting Commission and the Board of Online Universities Accreditation.

Still, others warn would-be students to stay away because the school is a "scam."

SCHENECTADY - Police Chief Mark Chaires admitted Wednesday that mistakes were made when hiring recruit John Laviano.

"This is just something that fell through the cracks," Chaires told NewsChannel 13.

Laviano, a 22-year-old decorated Army veteran who has seen combat in Afghanistan, was sworn in Monday with four other recruits. But when questions were raised about his online college degree from Ashwoord University, Laviano was fired two days later.

"I think what happened is just that this university is somebody that carries it to an unethical and dishonest and illegal extremes," said Chaires, suggesting that the university is a diploma mill.

The website for Ashwood University advertises the chance to get accredited life experience for your online degree, and that for $725, a student can even earn a degree in 15 days.

"Just because they say they're accredited, doesn't mean they are officially accredited," said William Stewart, a vice president with Excelsior College, a distance learning institution based in the Capital Region. He said students should do their homework before getting an online degree to make sure its programs and the accrediting body are officially recognized.

"Most employers will say you need a degree from an accredited institution so if it's not, you may run into a situation like this gentleman did," Stewart said.

"John Laviano is a really good kid he didn't try to misrepresent anything it was a honest mistake, its not police corruption," Chaires said.

The Police Chief said the former recruit showed a lot of promise, and that if he someday gets a legitimate degree, the department will consider hiring him again.

NewsChannel 13 was not able to reach Laviano for comment Wednesday.

A spokesperson for Schenectady County said because of the degree problem, Laviano should also not have been allowed to take the Civil Service exam, and they are looking at the process to see what happened.

You can check out your university at these links:

CHEA: http://www.chea.org/search/default.asp
U.S. Department of Education: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/

An elite team of computer technicians assembled by the Obama administration to protect Pentagon networks from cyberattack shockingly includes a former Clinton official who "lost" thousands of archived emails under subpoena and who more recently left the Department of Homeland Security under an ethical cloud related to her qualifications, WND has learned.

The administration in May quietly hired Laura Callahan for a sensitive post at the U.S. Cyber Command, a newly created agency set up to harden military networks as part of an effort to prevent a "cyberspace version of Pearl Harbor."

The move raises doubts about the administration's vetting process for sensitive security positions. In 2004, Callahan was forced to resign from Homeland Security after a congressional investigation revealed she committed rÈsumÈ fraud and lied about her computer credentials.

Investigators found that Callahan paid a diploma mill thousands of dollars for her bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees in computer science. She back-dated the degrees, all obtained between 2000 and 2001, to appear as if she earned them in 1993, 1995 and 2000, respectively. She landed the job of deputy DHS chief information officer in 2003...

Previously, as a White House computer supervisor, Callahan threatened computer workers to keep quiet about an embarrassing server glitch that led to the loss of thousands of archived emails covered by federal subpoenas pertaining to multiple Clinton scandals.

Former co-workers say they're shocked that Callahan passed a security background check and landed another sensitive post inside the federal government.

"She's a security risk," said a government computer specialist. "I don't know how she got clearance."

"We're fuming about it," said another federal employee. "Knowing her, I don't see how she could ever be 100-percent honest."

A CyberCom spokesman said Callahan could not be interviewed and did not want her "name in public." Asked for Callahan's title, he claimed such information was "personal."

CyberCom, which began operations last year, is part of the U.S. Strategic Command located in Fort Meade, Md.

The Defense Department last week revealed it recently suffered a massive cyberattack, even as it announced a new strategy to actively combat online threats to national security.

Laura Crabtree Callahan testifying before the House Government Reform Committee in the Project X White House e-mail scandal investigation.

In March, hackers working for a foreign government broke into a Pentagon contractor's computer system and stole 24,000 files. Previous cyberattacks have been blamed on China or Russia.

A new Pentagon study stresses the need to fortify network firewalls against enemy hackers. Callahan will be part of that effort at CyberCom, which will lead day-to-day defense and protection of all Defense Department networks.

"She's a dubious hire, to put it charitably," said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, a government watchdog in Washington that sued the Clinton White House to retrieve missing emails.

As WND first reported, several Northrop Grumman contractors working on the White House computer system testified in early 2000 that Callahan (nÈe Laura Crabtree) threatened to jail them if they talked about the "Project X" email scandal even to their spouses.

One technician, Robert Haas, said she warned him "there will be a jail cell with your name on it" if he breathed a word about the glitch to anybody outside their office.

Chip Sparks, a White House programmer, recounted a run-in he had with Callahan in 1997. After questioning a technical decision she made, he said she wrote him a threatening note.

"Please be advised I will not tolerate any further derogatory comments from you about my knowledge, qualifications and/or professional competence," Callahan blasted Sparks in a March 3, 1997, e-mail, a copy of which was obtained by WND.

Callahan had to do some quick backpedaling after her House testimony. The day after she testified, she sent an affidavit to the House Government Reform Committee, stating: "I wish to clarify that I did discuss e-mail issues with the Department of Justice attorneys in connection with currently pending civil litigation," referring to a lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch. She had denied such contacts at the hearing.

Callahan left the White House under an ethical cloud, only to land a top position elsewhere in the Clinton administration. Labor Secretary Alexis Herman made her deputy chief information officer at her agency, and director of its information technology center.

While there, she oversaw the development of the Privacy Assessment Model, which agencies were to use to better protect sensitive personal data managed by the government.

"It's hard for me, having worked with this individual, to believe that she was able to come in there, do what she did, leave the things in the condition that she left them in and then fly right into an SES (senior executive service) position at the Labor Department," Sparks said.

"I mean, there's political favors there," he added. "It's writ large."

House Government Reform Committee investigators at the time said Labor knew Callahan got her degree from a diploma mill, yet still employed her. They found that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management tipped Labor off to her questionable credentials.

"We have requested the Homeland Security IG to look at why flags that had been raised about her educational qualifications in her personnel file at the Labor Department were not taken further," said House Government Reform Committee spokesman Dave Marin at the time.

He told WND that the government certainly cannot risk hiring someone with "fraudulent credentials" to head a senior position in an area as "sensitive as homeland security" computer operations and communications.

Calls to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management seeking comment about Callahan's latest hiring were not returned.

Dave Serrano hasn't shied away from addressing the scrutiny of his academic credentials in the past, and he certainly wasn't planning to when he interviewed to become Tennessee's new baseball coach last month.

He said he had nothing to hide, and the members of UT's search committee felt the same way.

"I understand when you're working with higher education that it's going to be an issue," said Serrano, speaking with the News Sentinel during last week's baseball media opportunity at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. "I never tried to mask anything or hide anything."

As an assistant at Cal State Fullerton in 2003, Serrano obtained a bachelor's degree from The Trinity College and University. Classified by many as a "diploma mill," the institution is not accredited and will award the degrees for "life experience." According to its website, the The Trinity College and University is registered in Dover, Del., and based out of Spain.

Following a 2007 season in which he was named Baseball America's Coach of the Year for taking UC Irvine to the College World Series, Serrano emerged as a front-runner for the coaching vacancy at Oregon. Shortly after Serrano interviewed, a Eugene (Ore.) Register-Guard story raised questions about the validity of his degree.

After Oregon athletic director Pat Kilkenny told the newspaper he was "reviewing" Serrano's degree, Serrano, who also interviewed at UT during that time, withdrew his name from consideration and ultimately landed at Fullerton.

Serrano, who spent two years at Cerritos College and one at Fullerton as a player, said he was urged by his "superiors" at Fullerton to finish the work toward his degree. The Trinity College and University was "the way they felt he could do it."

"Obviously, sometimes you make choices in life and there's scrutiny out there," Serrano said. "I would prefer to be judged by the people and the players over all my years of my coaching career, what I've done for people as a coach and a mentor and how I've led them in life and being successful.

"People could judge my education, but I know when it comes to coaching and leading young men, I feel like I have a doctorate in that area."

Shortly after former coach Todd Raleigh was relieved of his duties in May, UT, on its online job board, requested that its new baseball coach possessed a bachelor's degree, but it did not require one. That caveat in the job description was atypical of the school's previous and present requirements for its coaching positions.

Currently, UT is looking to hire three assistant coaches - two for men's track and field and one for volleyball. All three positions require a bachelor's degree and prefer a Master's, according to the job descriptions on UT's official website.

UT women's athletic director Joan Cronan, who, as interim vice chancellor of athletics, spearheaded the baseball coaching search after Mike Hamilton's resignation, said she wasn't involved in the hiring process when the job post was drafted.

"We did our due diligence and looked at (academic progress rates) and grade-point averages," Cronan said. "His history in there was as high as any of the coaches we looked at. The importance of graduating his players was very important.

"I thought he was the best total package for Tennessee."

In Serrano's final two years at Cal State Fullerton, his teams notched back-to-back APR scores of 939, 14 above the benchmark set by the NCAA. Only once, his first year at Fullerton, did a Serrano-coached team score below 925.

"I want the proof to be in the pudding with how many kids are graduated from this university and what we're doing with these kids and what they do when they get out of here," Serrano said. "And I don't just mean Major League Baseball."

Inheriting a program that was hit with APR-related sanctions during Raleigh's tenure, Serrano doesn't exactly have much room for error when it pertains to academics. With a hire that she considers to be a "home run" at the helm, Cronan said the program is in good hands with Serrano, no matter how he acquired his degree.

"Anybody who knows Joan Cronan knows that I firmly believe that they're students first and athletes second," Cronan said. "It was important that we hire somebody that academics was important to them. At the end of the day, I felt that academics were very important to Dave Serrano."

It investigated three of the university's link-ups with foreign colleges which shed light on the shortcomings of a system in which academic staff from Wales travel across the globe to vet, validate and moderate overseas links.

In response, a University of Wales spokesman said the institution was making "many transitional and transformative measures".

"In order to continue to safeguard standards and the student experience the University of Wales will, in partnership with its proposed merger institutions, develop a new international strategy which is embedded within Wales," he said.

QAA has, in line with its policy, published a statement on its findings and recommendations on its website.

Here are excerpts from the report:

Accademia Italiana, Bangkok

Reason for investigation: BBC Wales alleged the college was operating illegally, according to Thai authorities.

"The concerns team wished to investigate whether any advice had been taken on legal or financial matters, since the University had provided no papers that indicated that such investigations had taken place.

"However, when the concerns team met with the vetter in a group of Validation Unit staff, he had no memory of having made a visit to Accademia Italiana in Bangkok."

"There was no investigation of the legal status of Accademia Italiana in Bangkok at any time."

"From later correspondence with the university, it has been confirmed that the university relied on assurances from Accademia Italiana in Bangkok that they had 'verbal confirmation' of the approval of the Thai authorities, but not 'approval in writing'.

"The concerns team concluded that the university's vetting of its partner in Thailand was inadequate... The 'validations' carried out were flawed".

"In the matter of approval by the Thai authorities, it appears that the University satisfied itself with oral assurances by Accademia Italiana that approval to operate from the Thai government had been secured, with no primary written evidence from the Thai authorities themselves."

Fazley International College, Malaysia

Reason for investigation: BBC Wales alleged it was being run by a pop star with two bogus degrees.

"No appraisal of the college's accounts", "no financial advice was sought", "no legal advice was sought on the capacity of the partner to contract".

"There is no particular reason to believe in this case had such investigations been carried out, they would have discovered anything that would have undermined the university's confidence...However, this must be regarded as merely good luck".

"The pro-forma tells the university that 'Dr' Yaakob holds a DBA from 'the European Business School, UK'.

"There is a 'European Business School, UK': it is part of Regents College, and awards degrees from the Open University.

"It does not award the degree of DBA. It is a perfectly respectable institution, but 'Dr' Yaakob certainly did not do a DBA there.

"'Dr' Yaakob is not buried in the small print... (the university) had and missed the opportunity to be circumspect about the management and owners of Fazley International College".

The concerns team found no sign that as managing director 'Dr' Fadzli Yaakob had any direct influence on the standards of programmes of study validated by the university.

"However... more 'academic' due diligence might have caused the university, if not to reject the connection with Fazley International Colelge, at least to manage it in a way that gave less room for ridicule".

Turning Point Business School, Singapore

Reason for investigation: Complaints from students. Unnanounced sale of the school by one set of owners who had problems with debts and subsequent disappearance of the second owners one year later, leaving the students unsupported.

The QAA say that "to judge the financial or legal standing of a potential partner, a committee of academics needs professional advice from an accountant or a lawyer; probably, in the case of an overseas partner, a lawyer from the country in question".

In this case University of Wales vice-chancellor, Professor Marc Clement, considered it "sufficient" that one member of the validation board was "qualified as an accountant".

"The university apparently took no legal advice, either in the UK or Singapore, as to the status of the owners."

"The university had not briefed staff involved in 'vetting' on the status of the investigations and judgments they made; and members of the committees charged with making recommendations or decisions did not have a common view as to what they were deciding upon."

The second owners, who later disappeared leaving the students in the lurch, were not checked out either.

"The background of the owners was not investigated, and no information about financial stability was sought. No professional advice was taken on either matter."

The university appoints moderators who must visit partner institutions twice a year for the first five years and once a year thereafter.

Initially, moderators failed to make any visits to this college.

These were replaced by moderators who did make the requisite visits, one of whom had been assigned to 14 different colleges simultaneously even though a moderator is only supposed to be assigned a maximum of five institutions at any time.

"In the light of the disappearance of the first owners, and the long list of unfulfilled demands made by moderators and Validation Unit staff in March 2010, the university's decision to accept the assertions of the new owners at face value... seems culpably credulous".

BEIJING police have arrested 33 suspects for allegedly selling fake diplomas and degree certificates and swindling 7.97 million yuan (US$ 1.23 million) out of 339 people, including nearly 200 senior company executives.

Police said victims paid prices ranging from 20,000 yuan to 190,000 yuan for academic credentials from bogus universities with names similar to prestigious colleges overseas, Beijing Times reported today.

In most cases, no class and test was required before victims were handed over diplomas and degree certificates that appeared authentic with embossed stamps showing recognition from a phony college and China's Ministry of Education.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office needs to fix its treatment of women in the department and prevent deputies from using phony educational degrees to gain pay increases, according to the El Dorado County grand jury's report released Friday.

The grand jury's 2010-11 report focused three of its 12 sections on the Sheriff's Office.

A newly elected sheriff, John D'Agostini, took over the department at the beginning of the year.

The report's section on gender bias in the department outlined a female staffing level far below national averages, and a pattern of gender bias complaints that jumped in 2010.

Roughly 5 percent of sworn officers are women, according to the report. It contrasted El Dorado's level to a national average of 12.8 percent in communities of similar sizes.

The department saw 12 gender bias complaints filed in 2010, double the number for 2008 and 2009 combined, the report said.

Six of the complaints were upheld, yet in half those cases, "individuals did not have records of disciplinary action related to the complaints in their files in the El Dorado County Human Resources Office," the report said.

It also noted a pair of discrimination lawsuits had been filed against the department by female employees.

The report called on the department to give women more opportunities to work in job areas considered critical to advancement and to recruit women and minorities for future openings.

Harassment policies need to be better communicated and enforced as well, the report said.

With respect to educational attainment, the report noted that five sworn officers, including a lieutenant, had gained pay increases ñ known as educational incentive pay ñ based on diplomas from questionable sources.

"One officer applied for entrance into Richardson University on August 20, 2004, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice only 27 days later, after completing 22 classes," according to the grand jury's investigation.

The body's report noted that the district attorney has not found enough evidence to prosecute these cases, in part because Sheriff's Office policies were vague and some evidence has been destroyed.

The grand jury called on the Sheriff's Office to cease accepting "diploma mill" credentials and to bring educational compensation in line with what officers receive in other nearby jurisdictions.

The third section of the report to focus on the Sheriff's Office acknowledged cost-cutting in the office, but suggested the department could save more.

It recommended tightening the use of take-home vehicles, reducing duplicate phones ñ desk and cell ñ for individual employees and putting civilians in some positions currently filled by sworn officers.

The civil grand jury is a body of citizens charged with looking into government operations.

The grand jury will present its full report to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

Elected officials who are served with reports have 60 days to respond. Non-elected officials have 90 days.

When Washington State Patrol Trooper Daniel Mann talks about his days at Berkley ñ if he ever does ñ it's probably nothing like you imagine.

No free-speech protests or sit-ins. No dropping acid and sitting in a tree. No examination of the great pinko texts. Or any texts. Not to mention no lectures, no quizzes, no classes.

Mann's "Berkley" experience involved a single 11-page paper written in the fall of 1998, titled "Drugs Should Not Be Legalized." This was his "final" paper, as well as his "initial" paper, as well as his "only" paper. He sent a couple grand to the "University of Berkley" in Michigan and waited for his diploma to show up.

Then he started collecting a bigger paycheck for his educational advancements.

Nothing wrong with that, right?

Well, that depends. The information above comes from the scathing conclusions of an investigation into Mann's actions in 2009, in which Assistant Chief James Lever recommends his firing.

"I believe Mann knowingly submitted a phony academic degree from the University of Berkley to the WSP for increased pay and promotional points," Lever wrote. "This act clearly constitutes a violation of the rules, regulations and policies of the WSP. o It is simply not reasonable to believe that he did not realize that a Berkley degree was not legitimate. He knew what he was doing was wrong and the facts of the case clearly demonstrate continued attempts to both cover up and prevent any scrutiny of his actions."

But the State Patrol, after moving initially to fire Mann and several others, chickened out and gave them suspensions of several days. This followed the 10-month paid vacation while they were being investigated. Washington State Patrol spokesman Bob Calkins said the discipline was based on the notion that the troopers had used bad judgment, not intentionally defrauded the state. They stopped receiving the extra pay and repaid more than $50,000 ñ Mann alone repaid nearly $12,000.

The next move for the Diploma Mill Gang was obvious: Sue the state.

The suit ñ call it Chutzpah v. Common Decency ñ was filed in King County Superior Court in December by Mann and four other troopers. They allege that the State Patrol defamed them in some public statements ñ as well as in some of the minor misunderstandings the patrol didn't clear up. It takes a lot of huevos to do what Mann did and then sue the state alleging, among other things, "outrage."

The investigation into the diplomas followed the news in May 2008 that dozens of government employees had purchased counterfeit degrees from a Spokane diploma mill. While the five troopers didn't buy their diplomas from the Spokane operation, they purchased them from unaccredited online "institutions" that award diplomas based on life experience.

A prosecutor said no crime was committed, but Lever's report identified three "proven" violations of the patrol's codes of conduct and ethics. And what the patrol said about Mann publicly is nice and friendly compared to the report. A few examples:

ï "It is a proven fact that University of Berkley is a diploma mill. Mann had every obligation to recognize what he was representing as a college degree was indeed a fake and invalid by any reasonable measure."

ï "Despite never having taken a class, read a book, or taken a test, Mann argued that he believed his degree was legitimate. It is absurd to believe that an 11-page research paper could be evaluated and graded to determine a person's qualification to receive a four-year degree. It would not even be credible for a single upper division college course (one quarter) to simply require a single 11-page research paper without any additional reading, lectures, tests, or additional assignments."

ï "Mann's deceptive behavior demonstrates the clear intent to mislead and deceive the department."

ï "One primary function of a narcotics detective, that Mann performed for several years, is to constantly test information to determine reliability and credibility of information they receive. For me to believe Mann was completely duped by an Internet website is simply too much to ask."

ï "Mann's dishonest and unethical actions can simply not be tolerated."

Of course, they have been tolerated. The State Patrol still issues a paycheck to Mann, who catches drunken drivers here in Spokane.

I feel a personal connection to Mann's educational experiences, because of my own. I dropped out of college my first go-round, then went back to Eastern Washington University as an adult with a full-time job. It took a lot of work and cost a lot of money, and I'm glad I did it. I didn't get a raise or anything, but it was invaluable.

Maybe that's something you have to experience to appreciate.

"It appears to the reviewer that Mann questions the real value of a legitimate bachelor's degree and therefore felt he deserved the same reward as those who actually went to school and earned a degree," the report says. "Had Mann actually gone to school, studied, and learned his way toward a four-year degree, I believe he would have a completely different perspective."

A so-called doctor fraudulently collected a total of more than $12,000 from five clients who mistakenly believed he was a qualified psychologist, court has heard.

Gregory Carter deceived his victims, most of whom were involved in child custody cases, by misrepresenting his credentials in his Whitby practice, Crown Attorney Michael Gillen told Oshawa court on Wednesday.

Carter, 64, is a psychological associate, which is a step below a psychologist. He has pleaded not guilty to five counts of fraud under $5,000.

Last year, the College of Psychologists of Ontario found Carter guilty of professional misconduct for straying beyond his capabilities in diagnosing a father, whom he never met, with "narcissistic personality disorder."

Carter, who frequently testified in family court, claimed he had a doctorate in psychology but the college didn't recognize his credentials and licensed him only as a psychological associate, Gillen said.

One of his alleged victims, who paid $1,650 for therapy sessions for his granddaughter's behavioural problems, testified that Carter identified himself as a psychologist who specialized in children.

David Bulmer, who subsequently lost custody of the child in a court case that used a report by Carter, said the term "psychological associate" never came up. Had he known Carter wasn't a registered psychologist, he never would have used him, Bulmer said.

Carter has a legitimate master's degree, but his Ph.D. is from Pacific Western University in Hawaii, which the U.S. government has denounced as a "diploma mill."

The trial continues.

ATLANTA (CBS ATLANTA) - A CBS Atlanta hidden camera investigation exposed a registered sex offender posing as a psychologist. It is the second time CBS Atlanta found John Bacon, 41, of DeKalb County working without a required professional license.

"I've practiced every form of psychology there is," claimed Bacon to an undercover CBS Atlanta producer posing as a patient.

Bacon and the producer met at a restaurant.

Bacon told the producer that he has been practicing psychology for twenty years and made his first million when he was 21 years old.

Bacon's outlandish claims continued. "I am licensed, certified, bonded, insured," said Bacon.

In an online profile, Bacon is listed as "Dr. J. Olis Bacon." The word "Psychologist" appears under his name.

"I do psychology because I like to help people," said Bacon to the producer.

"I've got this gift. After five minutes of talking to you, I can pretty much tell what kind of person you are."

Bacon is listed on the Georgia Bureau of Investigation website as a registered sex offender. He was pleaded guilty in 1994 to charges of child molestation and aggravated sodomy. He was also convicted of sex crimes against a child while in the Navy in 1990.

In November, CBS Atlanta found Bacon working as an unlicensed plumber after the state professional licensing board had ordered him to stop.

Bacon is not allowed to work as a psychologist because he does not have a state-issued license.

Dr. Kip Matthews, a licensed psychologist and educator with the Georgia Psychological Association, said he is disturbed by the undercover video we showed him. He said it appeared Bacon committed numerous ethical violations. He said he is concerned for Bacon's patients. "Unfortunately, individuals who prey on potential victims do have good social skills. They come across in a very engaging, personal way that pulls you in," said Matthews.

Matthews said he was particularly concerned with Bacon's supposed assessment of the patient's risk of suicide.

"It is just clinically inappropriate," said Matthews.

Investigative reporter Jeff Chirico interrupted the meeting to ask Bacon the Tough Questions.

"You're a registered sex offender. Do you think you should be operating as a psychologist?" asked Chirico.

"I have no problem with it," responded Bacon.

Bacon claimed to have an online doctorate degree. CBS Atlanta learned that school is considered by some to be a diploma mill.

Bacon insisted he is not going to hurt anyone.

Since the interview, Bacon removed the word "psychologist" from his online profiles and replaced it with "hypnotherapist

BALLSTON SPA ó A man who worked for four years as a psychologist for the Saratoga County judicial system under allegedly false credentials pleaded guilty Friday, May 27 to first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, a felony in Saratoga County Court.

Steven B. Feldman was under contract with Saratoga County Court from 2006 to 2010 to perform as a psychologist for the office of the public defender and Saratoga County Family Court where he evaluated people petitioning the court and people accused of crimes.

Feldman pleaded guilty to only one of the four charges levied against him including two counts of first-degree falsifying business records and third-degree grand larceny. The initial indictment of Feldman alleged that Feldman "received payment checks from the county of Saratoga for psychologist services that he was not licensed to perform."

The case was prosecuted by Clinton County Chief Assistant District Attorney Timothy Blatchly and was presided over by Clinton County Acting Supreme Court Judge Kevin K. Ryan. They were called in after several Saratoga County Court officials recused themselves from the case because of personal involvement in cases Feldman had worked on.

Blatchley said the guilty plea to the one count is "in satisfaction of all four charges."

"Our main concern was getting a felony conviction," said Blatchley. He said Feldman did have some legitimate licenses, but "he is not a psychiatrist or a psychologist," and a felony conviction for that crime would "absolutely," jeopardize his license.

"We wanted to make sure he wasn't out there doing this kind of stuff again," he said.

Feldman is scheduled to be sentenced July 25. There were no sentencing conditions accompanying his guilty plea. "It is up to the court to decide," said Blatchley.

While Blatchley said Feldman could face up to 1-1/3 to four years in prison, he does not expect him to see the inside of a cell.

"He is in his sixties, in the mid-stages of Parkinson's disease and given the charge jail probably isn't appropriate," he said. "That is what the judge will decide."

The judge has requested a pre-sentencing-report from law enforcement, probation and county officials outlining Feldman's crimes to use in the sentencing.

According to Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III at the time of the original indictmentóbefore he had recused himself ó Feldman claimed to have degrees and certifications that were later found to be fabricated as well as a degree from Hamilton University, a university that was described as a "diploma mill" in a "60 Minutes" report in 2004.

As an alleged Hamilton University alum, Feldman joins the ranks of Laura Callahan, the former senior director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who purchased bachelor's and master's degrees from the college and used them to further her career in government, according to the report. It described the college as an office with a few clerical workers and no instructors.

Click here to read the text of the bill, as downloaded from the United States Govenment Printing Office..

A federal grand jury here has indicted the president of a Pleasanton, Calif., university on 33-criminal counts, charging her with an array of violations, including visa fraud, money laundering and alien harboring, as a result of a two-year investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Tri-Valley University President Susan Xiao-Ping Su, 41, who also served as the school's chief executive officer, is accused of engaging in a two-year scheme to defraud the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by submitting phony documents in support of Tri-Valley University's applications to admit foreign nationals on student visas. The indictment further alleges that after obtaining such approvals, Su fraudulently issued visa-related documents to student aliens in exchange for "tuition and fees."

Su was taken into custody Monday morning at her Pleasanton, Calif., home by HSI special agents. She made her initial appearance here in federal court shortly after her arrest.

In carrying out the scheme, Su is accused of making multiple false representations to DHS through Tri-Valley University's use of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), which the U.S. government uses to monitor the "F-1" student visa program. Through her false representations, Su was able to unlawfully obtain and issue F-1 visa-related documents without regard to the students' academic qualifications or intent to pursue a course of study required to maintain a lawful immigration status.

According to the indictment, Su admitted and maintained foreign students in exchange for tuition and other payments. In furtherance of the F-1 visa scheme, Su also allegedly harbored multiple Tri-Valley University student-employees to assist her in making the false representations to SEVIS. The indictment further alleges the defendant engaged in multiple money laundering transactions totaling more than $3.2 million using proceeds she derived from the visa fraud scheme.

"Today's indictment alleges a visa fraud scheme through which the defendant accrued millions of dollars and took advantage of others' eagerness to come to the United States," said United States Attorney Melinda Haag. "My office remains committed to working closely with ICE Homeland Security Investigations to identify and prosecute those who undermine the integrity of this country's immigration laws through fraud and for personal enrichment."

"Student visas are intended to enable people from around the world to come to this country to enrich themselves with the wealth of educational opportunities available here," said ICE Director John Morton. "ICE is committed to protecting the integrity of that proud tradition and ensuring it is not corrupted by those seeking only to enrich themselves financially. ICE Homeland Security Investigations will aggressively pursue those who exploit America's legal immigration system solely for their personal gain."

The "F-1" student visa program is designed to allow foreign nationals who are bona fide students to be admitted to the United States on a temporary basis to study at an approved school. F-1 students are admitted for a temporary period during which they are required to pursue a full course of study at an approved school. When a student stops pursuing a full course of study, the duration of status ends and the temporary period for which the individual was admitted expires. In administering the F-1 visa program, DHS relies on the representations made by the schools and students.

The 33 counts contained in the indictment carry maximum penalties ranging from one to 20 years imprisonment. The charges include wire fraud; mail fraud; visa fraud and conspiracy to commit visa fraud; use of a false document; making false statements to a government agency; alien harboring; unauthorized access to a government computer and money laundering.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hartley M.K. West and Wade M. Rhyne with the aid of Janice Pagsanjan and Rania Ghawi.

Please note, an indictment contains only allegations against an individual and, as with all defendants, Su must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

A high-ranking city school official, whose resume includes degrees from institutions that require little or no classroom work and which academic watchdog groups have referred to as "diploma mills," resigned abruptly Thursday after questions about his credentials were raised by The Baltimore Sun.

Kevin Seawright, deputy chief operating officer with an annual salary of $135,200, said he resigned his post to enter the private sector. Schools CEO AndrÈs Alonso revealed the resignation in an email to school system staff Thursday, saying that Seawright "worked tirelessly during my administration to improve our responsiveness to schools."

Seawright's resignation from the position, which he has held since 2008, came one day after The Sun asked school officials to explain Seawright's academic credentials, which include a bachelor's degree in accounting from Rocklands University and a master's degree in business administration from Almeda University.

Rocklands, which is believed to be based in the United Kingdom, and Almeda, which offers degrees based on "life experience," are not accredited or recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, according to a department spokeswoman.

Because they are not accredited, they are not eligible for federal funds and are often not recognized for employment eligibility by public agencies. In addition, private agencies are not required to accept them for employment. Degrees from both universities have also been banned in several states.

Almeda "is a diploma mill for sure, no doubt about it," said George Gollin, a board member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, an organization of degree-granting colleges and universities and national accreditation oversight body.

"It should be a tremendous embarrassment to the Baltimore schools, and the person who vetted these things should really have their head on a plate," said Gollin, who is a physics professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "This is pretty serious."

The city school system said that while it could not comment on specific personnel issues, it believes that during the hiring process, a candidate's experience should be taken into consideration along with educational qualifications. A spokeswoman said that online degrees may meet requirements for some jobs.

"As long as a person is honest about their credentials, and the value of their performance is proven, the online credentials might be appropriate for some high-ranking positions, but not others," said schools spokeswoman Edie House-Foster.

"Clearly, they would not be appropriate for educational leadership positions," she said. "But they might have a different significance in the context of a person's experience for operational leadership positions. Ultimately, the question should be what can a person do to serve our kids."

On Wednesday, The Sun asked Seawright about his education, and he provided copies of his degrees and transcripts from both universities. He said he included the information on his resume to the school system as well.

Seawright said he had no reason to believe his degrees were illegitimate. He said Thursday that his resignation was not related to questions surrounding his academic record, adding that he was leaving the district to head project management at a private firm.

"I appreciated working with the district, and I am moving on to the private sector," said Seawright shortly after his resignation. "I feel as though I have served the children of Baltimore to the best of my ability. It was pleasure serving under Dr. Alonso and [chief operating officer] Keith Scroggins and improving operational facilities for Baltimore City children."

On Wednesday, Seawright defended his credentials and qualifications for the deputy chief operating officer position, saying they fit the job description ó overseeing, among other things, school facilities, maintenance, transportation, food and nutrition. The deputy COO's responsibilities include managing up to 1,500 personnel, a $150 million operating budget and a $52 million capital budget. The deputy position is the only one of its kind throughout the school system.

According to public personnel reports, Seawright was hired as a special assistant in the Office of the Chief Operating Officer on Jan. 24, 2006, at a salary of $96,000. Seawright had previously worked as the chief fiscal officer for Baltimore City's Department of Parks and Recreation for about six years.

In 2008, he was promoted to the deputy chief operating officer at a salary of $130,000 and received a cost-of-living adjustment that brought him to his current salary of $135,200, city school officials said. City school officials said that Seawright was promoted based on his performance, not his credentials.

Both positions require a bachelor's degree in business, management, finance or a related field, but a master's degree is preferred, according to the job descriptions. On Wednesday, Seawright said he believed he was "more than qualified to do the job."

"There's nothing about accredited degrees in my job," he said. "It was based on experience, too."

Rocklands University, where Seawright said he graduated in 1998, has no current website. A search of Internet archives yielded a website with no description of when the university operated or who operated it, nor any information on how to enroll or obtain a degree. The website also did not indicate if or when the university stopped operating.

An inquiry to the college using an email address on the archived website, the only contact information available, resulted in a return error message.

When asked why there was no record of Rocklands University, Seawright said, "It must have gone out of business."

"When I got [the degree], they did exist," Seawright said. "I paid for the classes, and I don't know if it's accredited."

The Nevis-based Almeda University, where Seawright said he obtained his master's degree in business administration in 2006, awards degrees after staff use a "reliable Prior Learning Assessment method to review your life experience, competencies, skills and knowledge to determine your level of mastery in your field," according to its website. "Based on this evaluation, you can earn a degree commensurate with your level of experience."

Almeda University did not return phone calls and emails requesting information about its academic programs.

The school converts life experience into coursework to provide a transcript. According to Seawright's transcript, his experience equated to 10 courses, including Quantitative Management; Law, Business and Society; and Economics of the Firm.

The enrollment form notes that "college experience is not required to receive your college degree o but could be helpful if you do not have the work experience required by the degree you are seeking." A master's degree assessment costs $499, Almeda's website says.

Degrees from Almeda University have been banned in several states, including Oregon, Michigan, Maine, Florida and Connecticut. Rocklands University degrees have also been banned in Oregon.

Education experts said that both schools are clear examples of "diploma mills" ó which have made national headlines as a result of employees in various public sectors receiving raises and promotions based on false degrees.

Almeda University was also the source of a 2004 controversy after a New York man was able to obtain an associate's degree in childhood development for his 7-year-old dog. The university responded on its website that the man had created a false identity to prove a point.

Several state government agencies indicated that Rocklands was operating out of the United Kingdom, and Seawright said he believed it was based in London. Philip Vine, an official with the United Kingdom Department for Education and Skills, responded to an inquiry about Rocklands University by pointing to the department's list of recognized university programs. The list did not include Rocklands University.

"If Rocklands was a legitimate school at some point, or went belly up, I would expect some news story that said Rocklands went belly-up," Gollin said.

"If Rocklands had changed its name, then I'd expect to see that, too. And I would certainly expect to see some information telling people who to contact to get transcripts from their alma mater."

While Almeda University is accredited by private agencies, none of the accrediting bodies are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The school also warns that "Almeda University is unable to guarantee acceptance of its degree programs in other postsecondary institutions; public sector employers will not recognize a degree accredited by a private accreditor."

The Baltimore City school board approves appointments via a personnel, employment and payroll agenda, but the school system staff is responsible for vetting candidates to ensure they meet the necessary experience and education for a position, according to Neil Duke, the school board president.

Duke said he could not comment on a personnel matter, but added that "the confirmation of a candidate's credentials and references has been a particular point of emphasis for the district during the last two years."

In 2009, The Sun revealed that Brian D. Morris, a city school board president whom Alonso hired to an unadvertised, $175,000-a-year deputy CEO position, had not been awarded a degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, which was listed on his official resume.

That detail, which resulted from two incomplete classes in his final semester and which Morris said he had been unaware of, was apparently not discovered by city and state officials on multiple levels.

The district then pledged more scrutiny of credentials. The school system said it has checked the credentials and references of every person on a PEP report after establishing the protocol in July 2009.

Seawright was hired before Alonso came to the district, and House-Foster said "it is possible that under a former administration the credentials were checked by [human resources]."

She said that when he was promoted, because "his credentials had been vetted in the past, they were not vetted anew."

Baltimore Sun reporter Yeganeh June Torbati contributed to this article.

The resignation of Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg marks a turning point for Germany's political culture. He may still make a comeback but he will never become chancellor.

What a drama! Just the blink of an eye ago, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was Germany's most popular politician, the hero of his party, the darling of the tabloid press. He was even feted as a potential future chancellor. Now he's gone, evaporated in just 14 days, like a shooting star.

For starters, Guttenberg's departure is a shame. A lot of hopes were pinned on him. He exuded charisma. He had the ability to explain policies and to get people interested in politics. The troops liked their defense minister and voters did too. What more could one expect from a politician?

The Guttenberg case is nevertheless a blessing for Germany's future political culture. It has shown that politicians remain subject to high expectations regarding decency, honesty and reliability -- without exception.

Politicians are role models. Guttenberg violated these standards and is now, very belatedly, paying the price. At first he didn't want to step down, believing that his popularity would save him. But in the end he had to learn that the same rules apply to him that apply to every other politician. He was driven out of office by a storm of outrage over the PhD he obtained through cheating: on the Internet, in the influential academic community and in the middle classes. Guttenberg and the chancellor who protected him for so long weren't able to withstand it. And that's how it should be.

Departure Will Unleash Misunderstanding and Bitterness

The Guttenberg case is a problem for the reputation of the political process. He's the second popular politician to step down in less than a year, after Horst Kˆhler quit as German president last May. Guttenberg's departure will trigger a lot of criticism and bitterness among the many people who are disenchanted with politics and who saw a kind of messiah in him.

But Guttenberg himself has also contributed to fuelling these sentiments. In his resignation speech, he murmured about the "public and media attention" that had been concentrated so intensely on his person. He said that had created additional burdens for the soldiers in Germany's armed forces, the Bundeswehr. By saying that, Guttenberg concocted a legend of having been stabbed in the back that could soon be making the rounds amongst the chattering classes: Namely that a group of envious politicians and reporters in Berlin exerted so much pressure on the popular man that he was driven out of office. Or at least something like that.

Guttenberg is a phenomenon. Many seem prepared to forgive any mistake he makes. They have, if you will, blind faith in him. The parties will eventually feel the rage of these voters -- perhaps during the next election or perhaps in a few years when the first right-wing populist party is founded. Something is brewing and it isn't good -- that much is certain.

Guttenberg Could Still Have a Future in Politics

Incidentally, this doesn't necessarily have to be the end of Guttenberg's political career. History has shown that repentant sinners in politics -- in Germany, too -- often get a second chance. The country's parliament is filled with people who have fallen and then risen again, including Cem ÷zdemir, who had to resign after getting involved in a personal loan scandal and returned to the political stage again to become the co-head of the national Green Party. Or Finance Minister Wolfgang Sch‰uble, who had to resign as head of the Christian Democratic Union party in 2000 after a campaign finance scandal that also ensnared former Chancellor Helmut Kohl. After a cooling-off period -- in ÷zdemir's case by taking a seat in the European Parliament in far-away Brussels -- it's possible to come back to Berlin.

But history also shows us another thing: People like that do not become chancellor. Guttenberg has lost his shot at the chancellery. A German leader who cheated to get his doctorate? Unthinkable.

As of today, the race for a successor to Angela Merkel is open again. And it's not a pretty sight, either. Guttenberg appeared to be the ideal candidate -- and all of the hopes in the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, had been placed on him. One thing, more than anything else is evident, if one peruses the leadership ranks of the two parties for a potential successor: the emptiness.

Opposition lawmakers sought to entangle German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the plagiarism scandal embroiling her defense minister, even as the public seemed largely willing to forgive him for borrowing large sections of his doctoral thesis without attribution.

Meanwhile, the University of Bayreuth, where Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg received his doctoral degree in 2007, considered his scholarly transgressions serious enough that it revoked the doctorate Wednesday evening. University president R¸diger Bormann said a panel of professors unanimously agreed "that Mr. zu Guttenberg violated his academic duty to a substantial degree."

Mr. zu Guttenberg, Germany's most ...

Nicki Harrington, who will step down in June as chancellor of the Yuba Community College District, named Al Alt interim chancellor until her successor's term begins ó an appointment that spurred support as well as questions from faculty.

"He's a very competent administrator," said Tim May, president of the Academic Senate for Yuba College. "I'm comfortable with Al Alt as interim administrator."

May did cite concerns with what he believes is support on the board of trustees for increasing the $232,429 yearly salary when the new chancellor is named.

"You watch," May said, "they're going to come in at $250,000 to $260,000."

Trustees are scheduled to take up the consultant search for the college district executive and that person's salary when they meet Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Woodland Community College.

Greg Kemble, secretary for the academic senate, said Alt's doctorate from a Mississippi-based business described as a diploma mill is part of the reason he questions Alt's appointment.

"As human resources director, his expertise should be to identify diploma mills ó such as the one where he got his Ph.D.," Kemble said.

After a "no confidence" vote by the faculty in 2008, Alt was named vice chancellor of administrative services for the college district the following year.

Alt, the former director of personnel services for the college district, could not be reached for comment Monday. He has said that the doctorate was not a requirement of his Yuba College district job.

"In hindsight, I needed to do a lot more digging," Alt said in 2008 of Madison University. A representative of the Mississippi-based school had said Madison closed in 2006 after five years.

David Wheeler, who began as a college district trustee in December, said Monday that he sought to have the board discuss pay for the new chancellor.

"I don't want to keep escalating it," Wheeler said of the salary. "I don't think it's necessary."

Trustee Jim Kennedy, who also took office in December, said that the new chancellor's salary has not been set. Citing the current $232,429 compensation, Kennedy said, "I hope we can attract somebody for less than that."

"You pay what you need to get the right candidate," he said. "I don't know what it will take."

Xavier Tafoya, president of the board of trustees, could not be reached Monday for comment. Tafoya has voted to increase the chancellor's pay.

Trustees in November approved a $15,000 raise for Harrington that boosted her annual salary to $232,429. They had approved a $29,282 raise for Harrington a year ago ó an action that led to a rally and petition opposing her pay boost. Trustees then rescinded the raise and cited a public perception that they violated a state open meeting law by approving the salary increase.

Yuba College professor May said Monday that salary is the focus of many executives at community colleges in California.

"This is the way the club does it," May said. "They jump from job to job."

"It's all part of the management game being played," he added. "It's about money."

Paige Marlatt Dorr, spokeswoman for the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office in Sacramento, said of executive compensation that, "We generally don't comment on issues like that. It is set locally."

ASSURANCE OF DISCONTINUANCE

WHEREAS Stratford Career Institute, Inc. ("SCI') is a District of Columbia corporation with offices at 8675 Damley Road, Mount Royal, Quebec, Canada H4TIX2;

WHEREAS SCI offers and provides non-accredited "distance education" or correspondence programs at the high school level and in a number of vocational areas, including medical office assistant, nursing assistant, and veterinary assistant;

WHEREAS SCI has enrolled students from Vermont and other states;

WHEREAS SCI also has an office that is located at 12 Champlain Commons, P.O. Box 560, St. Albans, Vermont 05478-5560, which is used primarily for shipping, receiving, mailing and some administrative functions.

WHEREAS SCI has represented its address to be in St. Albans, either alone or alongside its address in Mount Royal, including on the company's letterhead, envelopes, academic materials, diplomas, and website;

WHEREAS, effective January 5, 2006, the State of Vermont began to limit the use of Vermont addresses to describe the location of a company that is not based in Vermont, through the promulgation of Consumer Fraud Rule (CF) 120;

WHEREAS CF 120.07(a) (Company Location) provides that "[n]o person shall use a Vermont address in any representation to describe the location of the seller, solicitor, producer, distributor or other person associated with a good or service unless the company is based in Vermont";

WHEREAS under CF 120.01(a), a company is "based in Vermont" if it "currently discharges substantial functions in Vermont. For this purpose, 'substantial functions' do not include such activities as the original development of the goods or services, mail handling or banking, or the presence of sales, distribution or similar staff alone.";

WHEREAS it is an unfair and deceptive trade act and practice in commerce under the Consumer Fraud Act, 9 V.S.A. ß 2453(a), to violate Rule 120;

WHEREAS the Vermont Attorney General alleges that SCI was not based in Vermont within the meaning of CF 120, that the company nonetheless used a Vermont address to describe its location in violation of CF 120.07( a), and that as a result, the company violated the Vermont Consumer Fraud Act, 9 V.S.A. ß 2453(a);

AND WHEREAS the Attorney General IS willing to accept this Assurance of Discontinuance pursuant to 9 V.S.A. ß 2459;

THEREFORE, the parties agree as follows:

1. Injunctive relief SCI, itself and through its owners, officers, directors, managers, employees and other agents, shall comply strictly with CF 120, including, but not limited to, the provisions of CF 120 relating to the use of the word "Vermont" in any representation of geographic location. Notwithstanding, nothing herein shall preclude SCI from stating a Vermont mailing address in its communications to third parties, students or consumers, so long as SCI maintains an office in Vermont and clearly and conspicuously discloses in each communication (a) the functions discharged at that location (e.g., "shipping and handling"); and (b) no less prominently, the address of its principal place of business, identified as such, except in the case of a self-addressed envelope, post card, or business reply card, an additional address containing the principal place of business will not be required provided the Vermont address contains a reference to "shipping address," "mailing address," or a similar phrase.

2. Civil Penalties and costs. Within 10 (ten) business days of signing this Assurance of Discontinuance, SCI shall pay to the State of Vermont, in care of the Vermont Attorney General's Office, the total sum of $10,000.00 (ten thousand dollars) in civil penalties and costs.

3. Binding effect. This Assurance of Discontinuance shall be binding upon SCI, its officers, directors, managers, employees, and other agents of SCI, and its successors and assigns. The injunctive relief provisions shall become effective upon the date of execution by the parties below.

4. Final resolution. This Assurance of Discontinuance resolves all existing claims the State of Vermont may have against SCI stemming from the facts described in this Assurance of Discontinuance.

Last week Kenya shut more than 100 unaccredited colleges, sending shock waves through the country's academic community as the government delivered on its promise of cleaning up the higher education sector.

The major operation to take illegal colleges out of business started on Tuesday, as Ministry of Higher Education inspectors shuttled between the main urban areas to shut down the institutions.

A list of the 110 colleges to be axed was published by the ministry in the media two weeks ago.

The closures have triggered massive transfer of students from the colleges on the list, with thousands of other students left out of school.

The latest development has also fuelled anxiety and confusion among graduates of such colleges, who have been left holding certificates from institutions whose credibility has been called into question.

The closures follow a string of warnings issued by education officials over the past five years. During this period unregistered colleges have mushroomed in the country's main cities, to cash in on the growing demand for higher education.

Rising transition rates from primary and secondary schools, and limited university places available annually for prospective students whose grades make them eligible for higher education study, have fuelled the demand for college attendance.

Government investment in the education sector over the past five years has reached new heights. The requirement that all tertiary colleges register afresh and have their premises inspected for suitability to offer certificate, diploma and degree courses has been part of a bid to bring sanity to this crucial sub-sector, offering an assurance of quality to students and their parents alike.

Government concluded its college vetting process and published a final list of accredited institutions in December.

Kenya is also spending US$56 million in donor funding on building vocational and technical training countrywide, to help boost the country's skills base.

The number of private post-secondary schools suspected of operating illegally in B.C. is growing.

A list on the Regional Economic and Skills Development Ministry website has 45 names, including the American University of London (which was part of the Kingston College scandal from 2006), Rutherford University (also known as Senior University and subject to an investigation in B.C.), the notorious Vancouver University Worldwide (which is believed to have closed following the death in 2007 of owner Raymond Rodgers) and Armstrong University (also part of the Kingston College scam).

Some of the schools have grand names, such as Canada Princeton College, George Washington University, Manhattan University, Kennedy Open University and the Asia Pacific International Graduate School of Management. Others are less pretentious: Bible University, Brainwells University, Generale University and Covenant Life College.

But don't be fooled. The ministry says it has reason to believe the institutions on the list are - or were - breaking the law by offering degrees in B.C. without government authorization.

Find the list here. This government initiative follows a similar effort to raise awareness about bogus institutions several years ago by Robert Clift of the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of B.C (CUFA-BC). Clift, a diligent researcher, was a great source of information on the subject.

The ministry says it has taken many steps during the past two years to protect students, enhance quality and strengthen the accountability of private post-secondary institutions.

"Publishing the names of institutions that do not have legal authority to operate in B.C., but may be linked with B.C. in some way, is another important way for us to ensure students can make well-informed decisions about where they wish to study, and we have been doing this since August of last year. We're the first jurisdiction in Canada to do this, but it is common practice in the U.S.," the ministry told me in a statement.

"Our list includes institutions who, in the past, may have been advertising, providing or granting degrees from or within B.C., Some of these institutions have long since shut down - so while the list may have grown from CUFA's previous list, it's not necessarily due to an influx of new issues. Our post-secondary institutions are widely known for the quality of their programs, and our actions are essential to maintaining that reputation.

"In the past, we have been successful in taking action against various institutions including an injunction against Vancouver University Worldwide - but it can be very difficult to track down the individuals responsible. With the internet, anonymity and multi-jurisdictional issues, unauthorized institutions are often able to operate under the radar. It takes significant resources to take action against them."

Anyone with information or concerns about the authority of an institution to offer degrees in B.C. should call 250-387-2040.

• Alternative Medicine Research Institute
• American Liberty University
• American University of London (Kingston College)
• Armstrong University
• Asia Pacific International Graduate School of Management
• Austin College
• Bible University
• Bircham International University
• Brainwells University
• Brixton University
• Canada International Education Center
• Canada Princeton College
• Canadian College of Management and Technology
• Canadian Institute of English
• Can-National Business College (formerly Canada Institute of Business & Technology and HGK International Institute of Business & Technology)
• Covenant Life College
• Distance Learning University
• Generale Polytechnic Institute
• Generale University
• George Washington University Inc
• Information University of America
• International Academic Correspondence Inc.
• Kennedy Open University
• Manhattan University
• Merlion International University
• Mission Institute of Canada
• Mission Institute of Distance Education
• Neurontology University
• Newton University
• Rutherford University
• Saint Michael University
• Senior University Inc.
• Southern College British Columbia
• Stanton University
• Stratford International University
• The Distance University
• The Open University of America
• University Consortium International Inc.
• University of Northern Washington
• University of NorthWest
• Vancouver University Worldwide
• Washington College & University
• Western Imperial College of Canada
• Weston Reserve University
• Windsor Education Academy, Inc.

Congratulations go to several of our colleagues at WHNT NEWS 19 who are now Emmy winners.

WHNT NEWS 19 took home an Emmy for Investigative Series on Saturday, at the 25th Midsouth Emmy Awards.

The Emmy is for 'Breach of Trust', an investigative series that exposed local military members and contractors who purchased diplomas online and then got promotions and higher pay.

WHNT NEWS 19's former investigative reporter Wendy Halloran won the award, along with photojournalist Shane Hays, news director Denise Vickers and graphic artists Joe Glotzbach and Jacob Greene.

WHNT NEWS 19 was nominated in six other categories, in competition with other stations from around the southeast.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
COUNTRY INFORMATION
ASCENSION ISLAND
Blackpool University (in Ascension Island, England, and Ireland) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

AUSTRALIA
Golden State University [also known as Honolulu University of Arts, Sciences and Humanities] (in Australia, Lebanon, and Hawaii and U.S. Virgin Islands) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

AUSTRIA
American College of Metaphysical Theology [also known as American College of Theology] (in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

BAHAMAS
Richardson University (known in the United States as American State University in Hawaii and as Hamilton University in Wyoming) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution under any one of the three names in either country.

BELGIUM
American College of Metaphysical Theology [also known as American College of Theology] (in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

Ateneo di Studi Superiori pro Pace (Institute of Higher Studies for Peace) (in Belgium and Italy) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in either country.

CANADA
Taylor University College and Seminary (in Edmonton, Alberta) was renamed Taylor College and Seminary in June 2009 and is no longer authorized to offer bachelor's degree programs.

CHINA
Clayton University (in China, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Nigeria, San Marino, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries. [NOTE: Clayton State University (in Morrow, Georgia, United States) is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.]

Yorker International University (in China, Italy, United Arab Emirates, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

COUNCIL OF EUROPE
The Council of Europe, a membership organization of 47 countries in Europe, does not officially recognize any higher education institution or program. No legitimate institution or organization would claim that it does.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Concordia College and University (in Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Italy, Liberia, Pakistan, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

ENGLAND
American University in London is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

American University of London (in London, England; Pakistan; Saudi Arabia; Sri Lanka; St. Kitts & Nevis; and Houston, Texas, USA), established in 1984 as American College of Science and Technology, is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of the six countries.

Ashbourne University (in London) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

Bircham International University (in Bahamas; Oxford, England; Nairobi, Kenya; New Zealand; Spain; Taiwan; Delaware and Florida, United States), established in 1992 as Oxford International University, is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of the seven countries.

Blackpool University (in Ascension Island, England, and Ireland) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

Cambridgeshire University [not in England, but in Malaysia and in the United States: Alabama (claimed authorization), California (fax number), New York (office and Web site), and Virginia (telephone number)] is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in either country.

Earlscroft University (in London, England; Ireland; Seychelles; and Texas USA) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

Institute of Professional Managers and Administrators is not an officially recognized professional association.

International Institute of Management is not an officially recognized professional association.

Manchester College of Professional Studies, established in 2006 but closed by the United Kingdom Home Office in July 2008, was not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

National Distance Learning College is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

Oxford International University, established in 1992 and renamed Bircham International University in 2000, was not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

EUROPE
Distance Learning Council of Europe [DLCE] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

European Committee for Home and Online Education [ECHOE] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

European Council for Distance and Open Learning [ECDOL] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

FRANCE
Adam Smith University (in France, Italy, Liberia, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

Ecole Superieure Robert de Sorbon (Higher School of Robert de Sorbon) [also known as Universite Francophone Robert de Sorbon (Francophone University of Robert de Sorbon)] is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

GERMANY
American College of Metaphysical Theology, also known as American College of Theology (in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

HONG KONG
Clayton University (in China, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Nigeria, San Marino, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries. [NOTE: Clayton State University (in Morrow, Georgia, United States) is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.]

INDIA
Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka State, has been renamed Bengaluru (which was its original name, in the Kannada language).

Clayton University (in China, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Nigeria, San Marino, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries. [NOTE: Clayton State University (in Morrow, Georgia, United States) is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.]

INDONESIA
Concordia College and University (in Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Italy, Liberia, Pakistan, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

IRELAND
Blackpool University (in Ascension Island, England, and Ireland) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

Earlscroft University (in England, Ireland, Seychelles, and Texas USA) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

Irish International University is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

ITALY
Accademia de Belle Arti di Mendicino (Academy of Fine Arts of Mendicino) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

Adam Smith University (in France, Italy, Liberia, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

American College of Metaphysical Theology, also known as American College of Theology (in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

Ateneo di Studi Superiori pro Pace (Institute of Higher Studies for Peace) (in Belgium and Italy) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in either country.

Bernelli University (in Italy and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in either country.

Centro di Tecnologia Universitaria Straniera (Center for Foreign University Technology) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

Clayton University (in China, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Nigeria, San Marino, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries. [NOTE: Clayton State University (in Morrow, Georgia, United States) is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.]

Concordia College and University (in Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Italy, Liberia, Pakistan, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

Eurasia Community College is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

European Institute of Technology (in Italy and San Marino) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in either country. [NOTE: This is not the same as the European Institute of Technology [EIT] established by the European Union in 2010.]

Instituto Latinoamericano de Psicobiofisico (Latin American Institute of Psychobiophysics) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

Istituto di Firenze (Institute of Florence) [also translated as Florence Institute of Design International], a private institution in Florence, is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution. Istituto di Firenze is officially recognized by the Region of Tuscany as a postsecondary vocational institution that offers one-year and two-year diploma programs. Students who complete a two-year diploma program can obtain the title of graphic designer or interior designer. Istituto di Firenze also offers post-Laurea programs that lead to a Master diploma (not a Laurea Magistrale or a Master Universitario). The language of instruction is English.

James Monroe International University is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

Libera Universita degli Studi di Formello (Free University of Formello) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

Libera Universita Internazionale G. W. Leibniz (G. W. Leibniz Free International University) [also known as Leibniz Campus] is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

Libera Universitas Multidisciplinare Umanitaria per la Cultura Internazionale (Multidisciplinary Humanitarian Free University for International Culture) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

Marquis Open University is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

Miranda International University is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

Non Traditional University of USA [also known as University of USA] is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

Pebble Hills University is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

Phoenix International University Europe is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

Saint Bernard University is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

St. Paul Ottawa College and University is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

Universite Intercontinentale Le Bon Samaritain (International University of the Good Samaritan) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

West Coast University is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

Yorker International University (in China, Italy, United Arab Emirates, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

LEBANON
Golden State University [also known as Honolulu University of Arts, Sciences and Humanities] (in Australia, Lebanon, and Hawaii and U.S. Virgin Islands) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

LIBERIA
Adam Smith University (in France, Italy, Liberia, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

Concordia College and University (in Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Italy, Liberia, Pakistan, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

MALAYSIA
Cambridgeshire University [not in England, but in Malaysia and in the United States: Alabama (claimed authorization), California (fax number), New York (office and Web site), and Virginia (telephone number)] is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these locations.

NIGERIA
Clayton University (in China, Hong Kong, India. Italy, Nigeria, San Marino, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries. [NOTE: Clayton State University (in Morrow, Georgia, United States) is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.]

PAKISTAN
American University of London (in London, England; Pakistan; Saudi Arabia; Sri Lanka; St. Kitts & Nevis; and Houston, Texas, USA), established in 1984 as American College of Science and Technology, is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of the six countries.

Concordia College and University (in Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Italy, Liberia, Pakistan, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of the six countries.

PHILIPPINES
The academic year at Philippine Christian University is June to March. A student can enroll in a maximum of 9 credits in the six-week summer term. Educational credentials that listed 20 credits completed in one summer term and which showed a graduation date in October were confirmed not to be authentic.

SAN MARINO
Clayton University (in China, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Nigeria, San Marino, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries. [NOTE: Clayton State University (in Morrow, Georgia, United States) is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.]

European Institute of Technology (in Italy and San Marino) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in either country. [NOTE: This is not the same as the European Institute of Technology [EIT] established by the European Union in 2010.]

SAUDI ARABIA
American University of London (in London, England; Pakistan; Saudi Arabia; Sri Lanka; St. Kitts & Nevis; and Houston, Texas, USA), established in 1984 as American College of Science and Technology, is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of the six countries.

SEYCHELLES
Earlscroft University (in England, Ireland, Seychelles, and Texas USA) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

SINGAPORE
Brookes Business School is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

Brookes University is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

SOUTH AFRICA
Cambridge International University (in South Africa and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in either country.

SRI LANKA
American University of London (in London, England; Pakistan; Saudi Arabia; Sri Lanka; St. Kitts & Nevis; and Houston, Texas, USA), established in 1984 as American College of Science and Technology, is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of the six countries.

ST. KITTS & NEVIS
American University of London (in London, England; Pakistan; Saudi Arabia; Sri Lanka; St. Kitts & Nevis; and Houston, Texas, USA), established in 1984 as American College of Science and Technology, is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of the six countries.

SWEDEN
Greenleaf University (Sweden and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in either country.

SWITZERLAND
Freie und Private Universitat Herisau (Free and Private University of Herisau) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution.

UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO] does not accredit educational institutions, it does not grant official recognition to accrediting organizations, and it does not maintain a registry of higher education institutions. Institutions and organizations that claim official approval from UNESCO have made false claims.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Yorker International University (in China, Italy, United Arab Emirates, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

UNITED STATES
Accreditation Governing Commission [AGC] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

Adam Smith University (in France, Italy, Liberia, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

Adult Higher Education Alliance [AHEA] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

American Association for Higher Education and Accreditation [AAHE or AAHEA] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

American College of Metaphysical Theology, also known as American College of Theology (in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

American Council of Private Colleges and Universities [ACPCU] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

American Council on Post-Secondary Accreditation [ACOPA] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

American Naturopathic Medical Accreditation Board [ANMAB] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

American Open University (in Alexandria, Virginia) is not listed in ì2008-2009 Accredited institutions of Postsecondary Education,î a publication of the American Council on Education.

American State University (in Hawaii USA as American State University; in Wyoming USA as Hamilton University; and in Bahamas as Richardson University) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in either country.

American University of London (in London, England; Pakistan; Saudi Arabia; Sri Lanka; St. Kitts & Nevis; and Houston, Texas, USA), established in 1984 as American College of Science and Technology, is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of the six countries.

American World University (in Mississippi and South Dakota) is not listed in ì2008-2009 Accredited institutions of Postsecondary Education,î a publication of the American Council on Education.

Ashwood University is not listed in ì2008-2009 Accredited institutions of Postsecondary Education,î a publication of the American Council on Education.

Bernelli University (in Italy and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in either country.

Board of Online Universities Accreditation [BOUA] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

Cambridge International University (in South Africa and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in either country.

Cambridgeshire University [not in England, but in Malaysia and in the United States: Alabama (claimed authorization), California (fax number), New York (office and Web site), and Virginia (telephone number)] is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in either country.

Clayton University (in China, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Nigeria, San Marino, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries. [NOTE: Clayton State University (in Morrow, Georgia, United States) is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.]

Concordia College and University (in Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Italy, Liberia, Pakistan, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

Council on Post Secondary Christian Accreditation [COPCE] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

Earlscroft University (in England, Ireland, Seychelles, and Texas USA) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

Educational Quality Accrediting Commission [EQAC] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

Faith in the Order of Nature [FION] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

Global Accreditation Organization for Life Experience and Education [GAOLEE] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

Golden State University [also known as Honolulu University of Arts, Sciences and Humanities] (in Australia, Lebanon, and Hawaii and U.S. Virgin Islands) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

Government Accreditation Association of Delaware [GAAD] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

Greenleaf University (Sweden and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in either country.

Hamilton University (in Hawaii USA as American State University; in Wyoming USA as Hamilton University; and in Bahamas as Richardson University) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in either country.

Higher Education Accreditation Commission [HEAC] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

International Accreditation Agency [IAA] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

International Accreditation Agency for Online Universities [IAAOU] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

International Accreditation Association of Universities and Colleges [IAAUC] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

International Accreditation Recognition Council [IARC] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

International Open University (in California and Texas) [also known as Standford University] is not listed in ì2008-2009 Accredited institutions of Postsecondary Education,î a publication of the American Council on Education. [NOTE: Stanford University (in Stanford, California) is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.]

International University Accrediting Association [IUAA] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

Kennedy-Western University [also known as Warren National University] is not listed in ì2008-2009 Accredited institutions of Postsecondary Education,î a publication of the American Council on Education.

Lacrosse University (in Louisiana and Mississippi) is not listed in ì2008-2009 Accredited institutions of Postsecondary Education,î a publication of the American Council on Education. [NOTE: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (in La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA) is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.]

Richardson University (in Bahamas; known in Hawaii, USA as American State University, and in Wyoming, USA as Hamilton University) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution under any one of the three names in either country.

Standford University (in California and Texas) [also known as International Open University] is not listed in ì2008-2009 Accredited institutions of Postsecondary Education,î a publication of the American Council on Education. [NOTE: Stanford University (in Stanford, California) is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.]

United Congress of Colleges [UCC] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

Universal Council for Online Education Accreditation [UCOEA] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

Warren National University [also known as Kennedy-Western University] is not listed in ì2008-2009 Accredited institutions of Postsecondary Education,î a publication of the American Council on Education.

World Association of Universities and Colleges [WAUC] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

World Online Education Accrediting Commission [WOEAC] is not an officially recognized accrediting organization.

Yorker International University (in China, Italy, United Arab Emirates, and United States) is not officially recognized as a degree-granting institution in any of these countries.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

WASHINGTON: Hundreds of Indian students who have gotten scammed by a dodgy California-based university had it coming. Tri-Valley University (TVU) had a reputation as a "Diploma Mill" that offered a spurious route to employment and immigration in the US. Inquiring students and professionals knew about it, discussed it in immigration forums, and warned others about it.

But eager beavers looking for a short cut to emigrating to the US through a questionable academic route ignored the red flags. After US authorities busted the scam, an estimated 1500 students, some of them gullible victims, some of them scheming immigrant hopefuls, face financial loss, loss of credits, loss of time, loss of face, and in some cases, even face deportation. ( Read: Hard times ahead for 'sham' US varsity students )

Here's how the scam unfolded: India, from among all countries, has been sending the maximum number of students to US colleges over the past decade ñ some 10,000 to 15,000 each year. Most aspiring students try and get into the top 50 schools, which have stringent qualifying standards, including exams such as GRE and GMAT, besides TOEFL, an English proficiency test. The process involves gaining admission on the basis of test scores, in lieu of which the university, if it accredited and complaint with US rules, sends an I-20 document to the accepted student, which he or she presents to the embassy or consulate in the home country to get an F-1 student visa. ( Read: Govt probing if agents duped students )

But in recent years, several dodgy universities have come up which waive GRE/GMAT requirements as long as students can pay thousands of dollars up front in the form of various 'fees.' More pertinently, these colleges dubiously facilitate Optional Practical Training(OPT) and Curricular Practical Training (CPT), the two routes to employment at the end of the college degree, from the first day of enrollment.

Typically, in recognized, well-regarded universities, all students must be enrolled as full-time students for a year before receiving CPT/OPT. For the hundreds of thousands of Indian students who have eventually become US citizens, OPT and CPT are the first steps to employment--based visa (usually H1-B), Green Card, and citizenship, in that order.

TVU and similar schools had a "well-earned" reputation of shortening the process by offering OPT/CPT from day one ñ which meant "students" could get on the employment track even as they began "college." In fact, TVU didn't even have a campus in the traditional sense. It had a solitary, sorry-looking building, bought in April 2010, which housed everything from administrative offices to classrooms, from which random lectures were transmitted over the internet to "students" across the US, including those working other jobs. Under current US law, students cannot take only online courses while on an F-1 status, a scam TVU managed to perpetrate.

Founded by Susan Xiao-Ping Su and run mainly by Chinese Christians, with a few Indians in the "faculty," the school boasted that its mission "is to make Christian scientists, engineers, business leaders and lawyers for the glory of God, with both solid academic professionalism and Christian faith, therefore to live out Christ-like characters, value and compassion in the world, to make an impact and shine as its light."

If that wasn't enough to set off alarm bells, prospective students could have at least seen the writing on the wall ñ internet forums -- had they bother to trawl any. In an exchange that began in April 2010, students, both prospective, inquiring ones, and those already committed to TVU, duked it out online about the university and its practices. "Has any one got any experience with Tri-Valley University?" inquired one person on an immigration forum. He had heard they offer "hassle free admission, gre, gmat not mandatory, tofel (sic) is pretty much the only requirement low semester fee, OPT, CPT from the day the course starts. no tests, no mandatory online classes, a perfect way to bypass the visa process!"

In no time, there were red flags galore. "TVU is NOT accredited, so you can NOT get a degree from them. Any 'degree' they issue is worthless," wrote one forum member on May 19. "If you use a 'degree' from them for any immigration purpose, it would be fraud. You can also NOT use OPT or CPT from them. Any such use would be fraud." Unperturbed, the inquirer wrote back: "the degrees are worthless, but i thought that its enough to get CPT."

Other immigration forum members, some of them partisans and flaks for TVU, then argued about how if the university was not accredited, it could generate I-20, a document for prospective students that enables them to apply for and get F-1 student visa in their home country. "You are grasping at straws. Probably because you have signed up with them and now have been told that you got scammed. Scamming victims are often in denial...," wrote a user named Jo1234, warning, "I think TVU will eventually get into trouble with authorities...Their "degrees" are worthless. If you try to use them for an H1 or a GC, you would be committing fraud. Spend your money with a real university, not these fraudsters."

It took till January this year for US authorities to cotton on to the scam ñ or, to look at it charitably, to put together the manpower for a nationwide crackdown. Although TVU was based in Pleasanton, California, it's 'students' were scattered throughout the country, from the East Coast to Midwest to Deep South. Many of them were illegally employed. Although it was allowed only 30 foreign admissions pending accreditation, TVU had managed to work the system to enroll more than 1500 students. Apparently, there were companies across the US which used TVU's F-1 visa-based CPT/OPT to beat H1-B visa requirements, which regulate salary, insist on not replacing American workers etc.

On January 19, after raiding TVU, getting student records from the school, and shutting it down, immigration officials began knocking on the doors of TVU students across the country or serving NTAs (notice to appear) asking them to get in touch with the local office. In some cases, officials merely made preliminary inquiries. In others, students were interrogated for up to three hours. Some had their passports taken away, if they declined voluntary departure. And in rare cases, where officials found egregious violation of visa terms or questionable visas, students were shackled with electronic monitoring devices till further inquiries.

"It was terrifying," said one student who asked not to be named. "Out of the blue, all our dreams came crashing down."

But while there is the usual outrage and fire-spitting in India over the radio collar issue, it turns out that not all students are as gullible as was initially made out. Speaking on background, community leaders, attorneys, and even some students acknowledged that many people knew the whole process was questionable. One giveaway: According to representatives of the Telugu Association of North America (TANA), an estimated 95 per cent of the TVU admissions from India are from Andhra Pradesh, a fact that has prompted TANA to arrange legal representation for the students. "They are young kids whose future will be ruined. They are our people after all. We have to help them," says TANA's Jayaram Komati. According to one student, most victims paid up to $ 2800 per semester to Tri-Valley, some of them paying as much as $ 16,000 up front for a full course to obtain a shady degree.

The growing sense among officials and even the Indian community is that many students knew what they were getting into but still risked it. "They know what the rules are - problem is, some of them work within the Indian mentality that the rules are made to be avoided and that the government is a nuisance, not a power to be reckoned with," Nandita Ruchandani, a New York-area immigration attorney who has dealt with such cases, told ToI. Still, many attorneys, some of them working pro bono, are offering to help the students. Two attorneys arranged by TANA in the Bay Area are now working on several Tri-Valley cases.

On Sunday morning TANA arranged for a conference call with immigration attorneys at which more than 200 affected students called in. Among the student gripes, how could the US government undermine the process initiated by a college which it recognized enough to allow it to generate F-1 visas? And if it was a sham university as authorities were now claiming, how and why did the US consulates in India issue the visas?

Meanwhile, a steamed up Indian government, aghast at the radio tagging of a few students, has sought to free them of the ignominy even as the more gullible victims are wondering whether to return to India or keep a foot in the academic door through an appeals process. "We are in a dilemma ...Many students are afraid to go to immigration officers...they are taking away passports pending investigation, sometimes even for those going for voluntary self-departure," a Minneapolis-based student told TOI. The student, who transferred to Tri-Valley from another university, found the Pleasanton school dodgy enough to request a transfer late last year. But she says other schools declined to accept Tri-Valley credits. Stuck in the quagmire, she has gone by the advice of US authorities and phoned into the hotline they have established to provide details of her case. She hasn't heard back from them. It will be a long cold winter for many Indian students in the US.

PLEASANTON -- A Pleasanton university that catered to mostly online students is being called a sham by federal prosecutors who say the university was a front to illegally provide immigration status to foreign nationals.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Wednesday were at the Tri-Valley University campus on Boulder Court in Pleasanton and executed search warrants at three other properties owned by school founder Susan Su, including one in the gated Ruby Hill community.

The complaint, filed by the U.S. District Attorney's Office on Wednesday, claims Su was part of an elaborate scheme to defraud, using false statements and misrepresentations to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Since its inception ... Tri-Valley University has been a sham university, which Su, and others, have used to facilitate foreign nationals in illegally acquiring student immigration status that authorizes them to remain in the United States," the complaint reads.

According to the complaint, Su and Tri-Valley University have made millions of dollars in tuition fees for issuing the visa-related documents, enabling foreign nationals to obtain illegal student immigration status.

Calls to Tri-Valley University were not returned.

ICE began its investigation in May 2010. The institution received is approval to issue visas in February 2009 and had the approval for about 30 students. In May 2009 the school had 11 active students that had received F-1 visas, and 939 by May 2010.

According to the complaint, more than 95 percent of students were from India. For more than half of them, the university reported their address was a single apartment in Sunnyvale. The apartment manager told ICE agents that four university students lived there from June 2007 to August 2009 and none since.

Investigators believe TVU reported that most of its students live at the apartment to conceal they don't live in the state.

For a student to maintain the immigration status, they must show proof they are making reasonable process toward completing coursework and physically attend classes.

One of the school's professors, who did not want his name used, said Thursday he was shocked by the investigation. He said he taught online courses out of his home since 2009 and he said his experience with the university has been positive.

"I teach high quality courses and my students are good students and that's all I can tell you," he said.

He said classes were supposed to restart Jan. 10 after winter break, but there was a delay. He said he got an email from Su on Thursday that said classes would begin soon.

Pensacola State College fired a tenured professor Tuesday amid allegations that he presented college administrators with an unaccredited master's degree from an online diploma mill that he obtained while on a paid sabbatical.

Robert Michael Ardis, 48, has 10 days to appeal to the college Board of Trustees for a hearing before the board and 14 days to file a grievance that would see the matter brought before an arbitrator under the faculty union contract.

The associate professor of behavioral sciences and coordinator of the college's criminal justice program is also locked in an outside legal battle on criminal charges of violating a domestic violence injunction involving his 22-year-old wife, a former PSC student.

Charged with 14 counts of contempt of court, Ardis' case is set for trial on Jan. 24 before Escambia County Judge Joyce Williams.

The college's lawyer, Tom Gilliam, has said that the decision to dismiss Ardis is unrelated to the criminal matters. Ardis had been suspended without pay since Dec. 15.

PSC President Ed Meadows made the recommendation to the board to oust Ardis Tuesday. The board unanimously voted to dismiss Ardis who took a board-approved sabbatical in the spring term and first summer term in 2010.

Robert Larkin, a Tallahassee labor attorney who is representing the college, said that Ardis obtained his master's degree from Belford University and that "for another $25 he could have had his diploma say 'cum laude.'"

Larkin said that Ardis then submitted the degree to the college to obtain a promotion and a higher rate of pay.

This prompted Board of Trustees president John O'Connor to wonder if the college had any legal recourse to sue Ardis to obtain the money it paid him during his sabbatical.

He also asked if the college can examine other professors to see if they hold similar bogus degrees.

Larkin said the college could possibly do both.

The Better Business Bureau describes Belford University as a "diploma mill" where students can received their degree in as little as 15 days.

"Consumers report paying hundreds of dollars for diplomas and/or degrees but later discover that credentials offered by this organization are fraudulent and worthless," according to the bureau's Web site which gives Belford an "F" grade.

Belford's lists a Humble, Texas address, but the BBB says it received correspondence from the company in November that says, "We are a Panama-based educational company incorporated as per the laws of the Republic of Panama."

Tom Wazlavek, a union representative with the United Faculty of Florida, appeared at Tuesday's meeting on Ardis' behalf. Ardis did not attend.

"I don't want to go into the specifics of this case, because we are still looking through the college's case," Wazlavek said. "He looks forward to his day in court."

Wazlavek said Ardis will likely pursue the grievance path as having an appeal hearing before the same board that decided to fire him to begin with would not be beneficial.

On Nov. 30, 2009, Ardis' wife filed for a domestic violence injunction against him. The two have a child.

In the complaint, Ardis' wife reported that her husband became violent during an argument about which of them would pick up the family dog at a kennel.

She wrote that he threw a plastic tub to awaken her, dragged her from bed, kicked in a door and placed her in a stranglehold.

On Oct. 25 of last year, Ardis was arrested after his wife accused him of violating the injunction by contacting her via the Internet and discussing family members other than the couple's then-15-month-old son.

Ardis ended up spending five days in jail.

It's a college con job!

The head of a controversial center run by ex-convicts at Brooklyn's Medgar Evers College obtained a "doctorate" degree from an online "diploma mill," an official told The Post.

Divine Pryor, founder of the Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions, is suing the CUNY school to block his group's eviction from the campus for lacking credentials.

He claims he earned a Ph.D. from Suffield University.

But the Connecticut Department of Higher Education said it issued a "cease and desist" order against Suffield for operating without a license after a probe.

"We view it as a diploma mill selling unaccredited degrees . . . We shut them down," said Connecticut Higher Education spokeswoman Constance Fraser.

Suffield's Web site offers associate, bachelor, master's and doctoral degrees for upwards of $550, with discounts for multiple degrees.

It admits there are no academic requirements and says, "The whole process can often be completed within 7-10 days."

Pryor -- who was sprung in 1992 after serving 10 years for robbery and burglary -- insisted, "I worked hard for my [Suffield Ph.D.] degree."

Suffield did not return calls seeking comment.

Three people were jailed yesterday for a total of 18.5 years for setting up bogus colleges to help illegal immigrants remain in the UK, following an investigation by our London immigration crime team.

Husband and wife Tiamiyu and Christiana Bello, aged 75 and 67, were arrested following a raid on a property on New Cross Road in south London in July 2007.

Registered to the address were the 'Academic College of Education' and the 'Academic College of Training and Recruitment', institutions for which the Bellos were the principals.

Officers soon discovered that the building was a collection of bedsits and there was no evidence of lessons being taught there.

During a search a large number of documents were seized, including letters purporting to be from the 'Academic College of Education' and counterfeit qualification certificates.

39-year-old solicitor Adeyinka Adeniran was later arrested following a search of his office on Old Kent Road. Many of the files seized from that address contained documentation from the Bellos' college.

Their scam, which continued for several years prior to their arrest, involved the supply of fake qualification documents which were then used to support visa applications to the Home Office. Many applicants were then represented by Adeniran through his legal practice.

Following an 11 week trial at Croydon Crown Court, Tiamiyu and Christiana Bello were found guilty of conspiring to assist unlawful immigration and conspiracy to possess articles for use in fraud. They were both sentenced to 5 years in prison.

Adeniran was found guilty of conspiring to assist unlawful immigration. Described by the judge as a 'disgrace to his profession', he was sentenced to 8.5 years behind bars.

Chris Foster, London immigration crime team, UK Border Agency said:

'This was a sophisticated criminal enterprise, which had the explicit aim of helping those who had no right to be in the UK evade immigration controls.

'As this case shows, illegal immigration can be big business. I hope this sends out a message that we are committed to tackling the criminal groups behind it, putting the ringleaders before the courts, and, ultimately, behind bars.

'We now have dedicated teams of UK Border Agency investigators working with police officers across the country to protect our border and prosecute those criminals who undermine and abuse our immigration control.

It comes as we continue a campaign to tackle illegal immigration and organised immigration crime.

Immigration Minister Damian Green said:

'During the summer UK Border Agency officers across the country carried out a major enforcement crackdown which generated a large number of arrests, cash seizures and prosecutions. It also brought fresh intelligence which the agency is using, as seen with this operation today, to further disrupt the activities of people involved in facilitating immigration crime.

'We are also working with other law enforcement agencies to root out criminal networks behind the importation of drugs and firearms and cracking down on white collar professionals who seek to abuse immigration law.

'Illegal immigration puts huge pressure on the public purse at a time when the country can least afford it. Together with the police and the Serious Organised Crime Agency we will continue to make life as difficult as possible for those who to cheat the immigration system.'

The London immigration crime team is a specialist unit of police officers seconded from the Metropolitan Police working alongside our warranted officers to investigate organised immigration crime.

After 26 years with the Fruitland Park Department, Chief Mark Isom called it quits Wednesday after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement filed a criminal charge against him.

He likely will be stripped of his police certification, City Manager Ralph Bowers said, adding that he thinks that's part of the negotiations between FDLE and Isom's attorney.

Isom asked Bowers on Friday to place him on paid administrative leave. Bowers did so, and for now, Sgt. David Borst is the interim chief.

Bowers thanked Isom for his nearly 26 years of "dedicated service, after which he made one mistake."

"We need to forgive him and pray for his future," Bowers said. "Did he mislead the city? Probably."

The latest development comes a couple of weeks after Isom announced he planned to retire Dec. 31 if the FDLE called off its investigation into allegations he got college degrees from a diploma mill.

The state agency continued its investigation, filed the criminal charge against him and now Isom is no longer the police chief.

FDLE charged Isom, 47, with attempted official misconduct, according to records from the agency. That is a misdemeanor.

Assistant State Attorney Anthony Tatti, who is prosecuting the criminal charge against Isom, said Wednesday FDLE was working toward stripping Isom of his police certification. He wouldn't comment on whether prosecutors plan to do that.

Tatti did say that it's not unusual to take first-time misdemeanors who have already paid their restitution and put them in pre-trial diversion programs.

Isom's next scheduled court date is 8:30 a.m. Dec. 29 before Lake County Judge Donna Miller. But it's possible the case will be resolved before then, Tatti said.

Whether Isom retains his police certification or not, Bowers said last week the only job he would give Isom is volunteering for the city's fire department.

Isom was paid $70,000 a year as chief.

Even though the city is not paying Bowers now, it's still paying his l legal fees for the fake college diploma case.

Last week, city commissioners transferred $14,000 from one account to another to pay Isom's attorney fees in this case. That means city taxpayers will pay for Isom's attorney, Robert Trimle of Orlando.

Trimble was in court Wednesday and unavailable for comment.

While Borst is the interim chief, City Commissioner Jim Richardson suggested at last week's commission meeting that Fruitland Park ask Sheriff Gary Borders to send a commander to the police department to oversee it until a permanent chief is hired.

City commissioners did not agree to that proposal.

As for the criminal charge, the affidavit says that between April 15, 2009 and Jan. 29, 2010, Isom received $775.32 "based on his false claim of entitlement to incentive pay for having earned the said degree."

Isom paid the money back to the city after saying he had just learned that Youngsfield University was a diploma mill.

Emails between Isom and the "university" show that, for an $1,100 online payment, the chief would receive printed diplomas, transcripts and two letters of recommendation from professors, the affidavit says. Via his signature, the chief admitted that "I am aware that this is a non-accredited program."

Isom completed no course work with Youngsfield University or any other institution of higher learning for bachelor's or master's degrees, the affidavit said.

FDLE investigators said their efforts to contact Youngsfield University were futile.

Five state troopers investigated and disciplined for using bogus college diplomas to gain pay raises have sued the state, claiming they were defamed.

Filing a lawsuit earlier this month in King County Superior Court, the State Patrol troopers claim their reputations were stained in 2008 when the patrol released details of a probe into allegations that they had obtained bunk college degrees to gain pay raises.

In the suit, the troopers -- Bryan Ensley, Daniel Mann, Gabriel Olson, Dennis Tardiff and Spike Unruh -- each claim to hold degrees from Internet-based colleges that award credit based on "life experience."

Neither school is accredited by any body recognized by the federal Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, the two organizations on which the patrol now relies to determine if a degree is valid.

The patrol launched an audit of personnel records in May 2008 after it came to light that a Spokane diploma mill selling counterfeit degrees and transcripts counted dozens of government workers among its customers. None of the troopers involved in the suit was a client of the diploma mill; each had, instead, obtained a degree online.

In 2008, nine troopers suspected of using degrees from unaccredited colleges were placed on paid leave while the allegations were investigated by the patrol. No charges were filed and, according to the lawsuit, each of the five troopers who has now sued was briefly suspended without pay.

Speaking Wednesday, State Patrol spokesman Bob Calkins defended the department's actions against the troopers.

"This matter was thoroughly investigated, carefully considered and we think the discipline was appropriate," Calkin said.

Troopers received a 4 percent pay increase for holding a bachelor's degree and an additional 2 percent raise for a master's degree, providing a financial incentive to participate in the programs.

According to the lawsuit, Mann had been receiving educational incentive pay since 1999, when he obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Berkley -- an online institution unaffiliated with the University of California at Berkeley.

The other four troopers involved in the suit received their degrees from Almeda University -- another online university that, for a fee, also awards degrees based on an applicant's life experience -- and began drawing additional pay in 2006, attorney Aaron D. Bigby told the court.

Bigby, of the Seattle law firm Northcraft, Bigby & Biggs, argued in the civil complaint that the State Patrol had no rules for judging whether a university was properly accredited until after the investigation was launched in 2008.

Bigby recounted a July 2008 e-mail purportedly sent by a State Patrol captain investigating the troopers' educational backgrounds. The captain, Bigby told the court, noted that the State Patrol had "no real standard in place regarding what type of accreditation" is required.

Writing the court, Bigby said his clients were placed on paid administrative leave for 10 months while the patrol conducted a criminal investigation. No charges were filed and, after an initial move by the patrol to fire the deputies, the troopers were suspended for three to 10 days without pay.

Now, the troopers contend they were defamed by their employer in statements to the media after the investigation was made public. Writing the court, Bigby also claimed the patrol wrongly tied his clients to the Spokane diploma mill, which was the subject of criminal prosecution.

"Unlike the Spokane diploma mill, Almeda University and the University of Berkley operators have not been convicted of counterfeiting for their operations," Bigby told the court. "By implying a link between (the troopers) and the Spokane diploma mill, the (State Patrol) has placed the plaintiffs in a false light."

Bigby also faulted the patrol for releasing the names, personnel files and photos of his clients to reporters following a public records request.

Claiming his clients have suffered "severe emotional distress," Bigby asserted the troopers are owed payment for the harm done to their reputations, their mental anguish and invasions of their privacy.

The State Patrol has not yet responded to the suit with the court.

There are dozens of websites out there from "universities" like "University of Berkley" and "Almeda University" (not to be confused with Berkeley and Alameda) where people can log on, plug in a bunch of info on their "life experience," then pay a fee and wait while the website shits out a "degree" that they can then pad their resume with. A couple years ago, nine Washington State Patrol Troopers got caught using fake online degrees in order to get pay raises. Now the troopers are suing the state, saying they were defamed when the department implied a link between their fake degrees with those of an even more egregious Spokane-based diploma mill that was busted before the troopers were.

The P-I reported the news today.

In the suit, the troopers--Bryan Ensley, Daniel Mann, Gabriel Olson, Dennis Tardiff and Spike Unruh--each claim to hold degrees from Internet-based colleges that award credit based on "life experience."

Neither school is accredited by any body recognized by the federal Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, the two organizations on which the patrol now relies to determine if a degree is valid.

Basically, the troopers are arguing that at the time they were disciplined (they were each briefly suspended without pay) the department didn't have a policy in place to determine which universities gave degrees that were valid to use for getting pay increases, and which were bullshit scams whose degrees might as well be cutouts from boxes of Cap'n Crunch.

The state has since more clearly defined its rules, which still hold that the troopers' degrees were bogus.

The case also hinges on a Spokane-based diploma mill that was issuing counterfeit degrees from hundreds of fake schools around the world, and whose owners were criminally prosecuted and sent to prison as a result. Lawyers for the troopers say the department "implied" a link from their client's fake-but-legal diplomas to the Spokane scam's fake-and-illegal ones.

The move seems rather a ballsy slap in the face by the troopers, who were lucky to keep their jobs after the incident.

Hopefully their lawyers aren't using fake law degrees, too.

Education Minister Leighton Andrews has strongly criticised the University of Wales, accusing it of bringing Wales into ridicule and disrepute.

His comments follow BBC Wales' Week In Week Out showed a Malaysian pop star with a bogus doctorate ran a college offering University of Wales courses.

It also uncovered doubts about a college in Bangkok.

Professor Nigel Palastanga, pro vice-chancellor of the university said it noted Mr Andrews' comments.

He said: "We don't think the BBC Wales programme was a fair and accurate reflection of the University's international role, and we have already responded in detail to the specific points raised.

"We have noted the comments the minister has made and our chairman will be responding directly."

Mr Andrews said the university had to "get to grips" with the issues raised. The university has been asked to respond.

Earlier Mr Andrews met Professor Marc Clement, the University's vice chancellor, at a meeting of senior figures from higher education in Wales.

The minister told BBC Wales: "We are fed up with the University of Wales bringing the name of Wales into ridicule.

"We want to see an end to this. We want to see high quality control within the institution."

The programme revealed that Fazley Yaakob, who ran the Fazley International College (FICO) in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, was claiming to have both a masters and a doctorate in business administration. He stepped down following the programme.

Bogus university

But both came from a bogus university, and Thai authorities said Accademia Italiana, a fashion college offering University of Wales validated courses in Bangkok, Thailand, had been operating illegally.

Mr Andrews said he had been in contact with the Higher Education Funding Council and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education about the revelations.

He said: "The governance of the University of Wales will be under scrutiny in my higher education governance review."

Mr Andrews said the university still had many "strong attributes".

He added: "We want to see the University of Wales as a quality benchmark for higher education in Wales and internationally.

"Associations with dubious bible colleges, associations with institutions whose leadership have bogus degrees, that brings the name of Wales into disrepute and it brings the University of Wales itself into disrepute.

"I want to see that they are serious about this issue and they are getting to grips with it."

The University of Wales announced it had suspended its involvement with Fazley International College, pending investigation

A Malaysian pop star with a bogus doctorate has been running a college offering University of Wales degree courses, a BBC investigation shows.

A Bangkok college that Thai authorities say has been operating illegally, is also offering courses leading to degrees from the Welsh institution.

Week in Week Out examined the way in which the University of Wales validated courses in overseas institutions.

The university said it was dealing "thoroughly" with the issues raised.

The programme revealed that Fazley Yaakob, who runs the Fazley International College (FICO) in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, was claiming to have both a masters and a doctorate in business administration.

But both came from a bogus university.

The pop star, who has four hit albums to his name, claimed the qualifications from the European Business School (Cambridge), an offshoot of the Irish International University, which was exposed as a sham by the BBC in 2008.

He said the University of Wales did not ask about his credentials, which were displayed prominently on the college website until he was confronted by BBC Wales' education correspondent Ciaran Jenkins in Kuala Lumpur.

No new admissions

Professor Nigel Palastanga, pro vice chancellor at the University of Wales, said the university was "concerned" about the issues raised in the programme.

"We are not happy about what is happening, we are dealing with it and will deal with it very thoroughly and will learn lessons from what has happened," he said.

The University of Wales announced it had suspended its involvement with Fazley International College, and would take no new admissions to its business administration and MBA courses until the matter had been investigated.

Professor Palastanga said there were no concerns about academic standards at the college.

Meanwhile, Thai authorities said Accademia Italiana, a fashion college offering University of Wales validated courses in Bangkok, Thailand, had been operating illegally.

Dr Sumate Yammoon, Secretary General of the Commission on Higher Education in Thailand, said last week that the matter was in the hands of the police.

However, Professor Palastanga said the situation had now changed.

'Run its course'

"My information is that the college is now operating legally within the Thai system," he said.

Jenny Randerson AM, the Welsh Liberal Democrat education spokesperson, said she believed the University of Wales had now "run its course" and that its remaining accredited institutions in Wales - Swansea Metropolitan University, UWIC, Glyndwr University, Trinity Saint David and University of Wales, Newport - could operate independently.

Universities in Wales are bracing themselves for the outcome of a review into the governance of higher education, ordered by Education Minister Leighton Andrews.

He has now instructed the review to look at the issues raised in the Week In Week Out programme.

Cardiff University left the University of Wales in 2004 while the universities of Bangor, Swansea and Aberystwyth decided to offer their own degrees in 2008.

Severed ties

In November 2008, a BBC Wales Dragon's Eye investigation showed that the University of Wales validated courses run by a controversial bible college in the United States.

The university severed its ties with Trinity College of the Bible in Newburgh, Indiana shortly before the programme was broadcast.

Professor Palastanga said it was "not good" for the university's reputation when things went wrong, however he stressed it worked continually with its partners to uphold standards.

The University of Wales validates courses in more than 100 colleges in more than 40 countries.

There are currently 70,000 students studying for University of Wales degrees worldwide.

The university said the profits from its international validation programmes were invested in Welsh higher education.

Responding to a question from Jenny Randerson AM on the investigation, First Minister Carwyn Jones told the assembly the education minister has already asked the review of HE governance to look into this matter.

"Primarily, it's an issue for the University of Wales and its reputation," Mr Jones told AMs.

"So it's exceptionally important that the University of Wales takes note of the allegations that have been made, and then of course takes steps to ensure that if the allegations are correct, that there is no opportunity for anybody to use the name of the University of Wales in an inappropriate way."

The executive director of a Malaysian college offering University of Wales degree courses has resigned after questions about his own qualifications.

Fazley Yaakob, a pop star who runs the Fazley International College (FIC) in Kuala Lumpur, has two degrees from a bogus university.

Week In Week Out examined the way in which the University of Wales validated courses in overseas institutions.

The university has said concerns relate solely to Yaakob and not the courses.

The programme reveals that Yaakob claimed to have both a masters and a doctorate in business administration. But both were from a bogus university.

Yaakob, who has four hit albums to his name, claimed to have qualifications from the European Business School (Cambridge), an offshoot of the Irish International University - which was exposed as a sham by the BBC in 2008.

He said the University of Wales did not ask about his credentials, which were displayed prominently on the college website, until he was confronted by BBC Wales' education correspondent Ciaran Jenkins in Kuala Lumpur.

In his resignation letter, Yaakob said: "My role in Fazley International College is one of an investor.

"Though I hold a director's position, I have never been a part of the academic team nor have I sat at any of the academic meetings.

"As such, you can be assured that at no stage was the academic standards or the reputation of the university put at a compromise. To be honest I have only sat in at management meetings.

"Upon further reflection, I consider that to continue as a director could be damaging to the college, its student community and the dedicated staff who have worked hard to uphold the academic standards and integrity.

"It is quite clear that this continuing public controversy will undermine the reputation and the good relations between the college and the university, which I cannot, in any circumstances, allow.

'Public confidence'

"Therefore, I have decided to tender my resignation as the executive director of the college.

"It is my intention to keep fighting to clear my name and restore public confidence of my reputation.

"I sincerely apologise for having caused the university and its officials embarrassment.

"I do hope that the matter will be laid to rest and that the link between the university and FIC can be restored."

The University of Wales has suspended its relationship with the college - one of three educational institutions it collaborates with in Malaysia - following the controversy.

The university signed an agreement with FIC in 2007 and saw the first students admitted to its validated courses the following year, having gained provisional approvals from the Malaysian Qualifications Agency.

But it has now decided not to recognise any additional admissions to its BA (Hons) Business Administration and MBA courses at the college until concerns have been fully investigated. The 35 students currently enrolled on University-validated courses will not be affected.

University vice chancellor Marc Clement said: "The principal doesn't himself teach on the course and I don't want to pre-judge the case, but I've taken this decision as a precaution to protect the reputation of the University of Wales.

"We are proud of the work we're doing internationally to take the educational values of a great Welsh institution to people who might not otherwise have the opportunity to study on validated courses, and it is important this mission isn't diluted by doubts about any of collaborative centres.

"Our validation team is experienced and highly skilled and travels regularly to collaborative centres to check the quality of the provision and work with local people to build capacity.

"Their job is to validate the courses we recognise, not the institution itself, and we're confident the university's validated courses at FIC meet our high academic standards.

"Our concern relates solely to the fact that the head of the institution has informed us of a controversy relating to his personal academic qualifications.

"This would not normally be relevant to the validation process, but we feel we have a duty to go beyond the letter of our rules so that the integrity of our courses is beyond any doubt."

The University is the second largest degree awarding body in the UK after the University of London. In 2010, it awarded 20,000 degrees and other awards and had around 70,000 people studying on its courses, of which 13,704 were on validated programmes outside the UK.

Mario Carrillo has made a fatal political error: He has claimed as legitimate two degrees from a diploma mill in the United Kingdom.

And for that, we withdraw our endorsement of his candidacy for Vista City Council.

A reporter from The San Diego Union-Tribune raised the issue in a story last week.

Monday, Carrillo told a North County Times reporter that he isn't convinced the degrees are not legitimate. "I paid tuition, I took the courses and I received my degree, just like I would do for any extension course," he said.

Carrillo said the university told him that the three classes and work performed at Palomar College in the 1970s were enough for the bachelor's degree and that his work experience as a musician qualified him for a master's degree. The university granted him the diplomas "retroactive" to 1978 and 1980, he said.

All of this is flat-out unbelievable ---- no reasonably well-educated person could buy this with a straight face.

Unfortunately, Carrillo's apparent lack of understanding about the diploma mills or the seriousness of the issue betrays a real problem: If he doesn't understand that a couple of "courses" and $1,700 doesn't a university education make, what else doesn't he understand?

The city of Vista is a complex enterprise with a $118.5 million operating budget and a complex redevelopment district. The health of a city and its residents ride on the decisions of the council.

Because of this, we withdraw our endorsement.

We have previously endorsed John Aguilera and stand by that pick.

For the second council seat, Tom Fleming has been active in civic affairs for years, including a stint as president of the Vista Village Business Association. He is fiscally conservative and understands the needs for prudent budget decisions in this economy.

We urge voters to give Fleming a look.

A Vista City Council candidate who has touted his business degree in his campaign has removed mention of it from his website after being questioned by The U-T about the schoolís legitimacy.

Mario Carrillo, 54, received his diploma from a group that the Chronicle of Higher Education in 2004 dubbed ìthe Granddaddy of diploma mill operations.î

ìI feel duped,î Carrillo said. ìThe only thing I can tell the voters is that they were a legitimate institution, and no one has ever questioned me about my degree. All I can say is that Iím human and I apologize.î

Carrillo is an accomplished musician and songwriter who owns a recording studio in the cityís downtown. He is an advocate of greater offerings for Vistaís youth and young adults, and is one of the most prominent local voices supporting Vistaís development of a new skate park.

Carrillo is running for elected office for the first time. He received endorsements from the Deputy Sheriffís Association of San Diego County and the North County Times.

On his website, he had listed a bachelorís and MBA degrees from Shaftesbury University received in 1978. He also has mentioned his MBA in City Council forums as part of his qualifications for the elected position. Carrillo also noted his MBA in his candidate statement that appears on the sample ballot. ìAfter I earned a Masterís Degree in Business Administration, I moved to Vista where I have lived for over 30 years.î

The statement conflicts with Carrilloís explanation of events that led to his receiving the diploma. Carrillo said he called the college in the early 1990s to ask how he could obtain a degree. The university explained that it would combine his previous college credits ó he took classes at Palomar College in the 1970s ó with his job experience as a musician to achieve the credits needed to obtain a degree. Carrillo said he then paid a tuition fee, and then after a short home course, mailed him his diploma and transcripts, all retroactive to the 1970s.

ìI didnít see anything fraudulent about it at all,î he said. ìThey were giving me credit for the work I had done in the professional field. This is the way they explained it to me, and I trusted them. Again, I feel ashamed and disappointed.î

The candidate statement cannot be changed because the sample ballots have been mailed to voters, Vista officials said.

Carrillo also claimed to have taken upper graduate courses at University of California, Los Angeles, but he actually took a songwriting course through the UCLA Extension, not the university. Carrillo said he didnít know there was a distinction.

Shaftesbury University is part of a consortium of unaccredited universities called the University Degree Programs run by Jason and Caroline Abraham starting in the 1990s. According to the 2004 Chronicle of Higher Education article, sales people at call centers in Romania and Israel recruited students over the telephone. In the past, recipients of their degrees have been prosecuted for fraud in connection with the use of their degree for employment.

Unlike many distance-learning education programs, such as University of Phoenix and Kaplan College, UDP students reportedly can pay for their degrees without completing course work. The operation was estimated to have sold more than 30,000 ìdegreesî and received proceeds totaling $50 million to $100 million, according to the Chronicle report.

People are not required to have a college degree or high school diploma to seek elected office. In Vista, like most municipalities, candidates are only required to be 18, registered voters and residents.

A leading political reform expert said that while Carrillo did the right thing by removing the mention of the degree from his website, he is skeptical that Carrillo was oblivious to the schoolís questionable background.

ìA legitimate school would have you attend classes and would not issue a degree retroactively,î said Bob Stern, president of the Los Angeles-based Center for Governmental Studies, a nonpartisan government think tank.

University Degree Program representatives could not be reached for comment.

When I first asked Lisa Hammond about her doctorate degree a couple of weeks ago, what mainly interested me was what she said after acknowledging she had received it from an unaccredited school.

Having a doctorate "is important to me," said Hammond, 53, who is paid a $55-per-hour consulting fee as a county contract monitor. "I plan to get another one."

She made it sound as if this was a goal like running a marathon ó ambitious, but nothing that had to disrupt her life. And I wondered, can studying for a doctorate really be a part-time gig? Can you place what novelist Henry James called "those three magic letters" ó Ph.D. ó behind your name without the traditional two or three arduous years of class work and at least that many more years writing an original, book-length dissertation?

Yeah, sure, higher education experts told me, especially if you don't care about learning. And judging from the Senate testimony of a Coast Guard officer named Claudia Gelzer, Hammond wouldn't have had to learn much to get her doctorate from Kennedy-Western University.

Gelzer enrolled at the online California school as part of a federal investigation into diploma mills. She was promptly awarded more than half the credits she needed for a master's degree in environmental engineering, based on her work experience, she told a Senate committee in 2004.

"They asked for no proof or documentation," she said. And, "as a note, I have no formal engineering training."

Gelzer quickly picked up more credits by passing open-book exams, the answers for which could often be found in the books' glossaries. George Gollin, a University of Illinois physics professor who has made a sideline of exposing diploma mills, said it appears Gelzer could have finished all of her master's degree requirements in one 40-hour work week ó even without receiving credit for life experience.

"To my mind, that makes Kennedy-Western a diploma mill, end of story," he said.

My favorite quote about the proliferation of advanced degrees came from a Washington Post story: "These days, Ph.D.'s are like opinions and pie holes ó pretty much everybody's got one." That was in 2002. Due mostly to the increased reach of the Internet, the situation is worse now, Gollin said.

He estimated in 2007 that diploma mills issued between 100,000 and 200,000 university degrees annually. About a third were at the doctoral level, a number rivaling the 48,000 legitimate doctorates issued in 2008, according to a study by the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center.

Even that figure may be inflated by questionable degrees awarded by for-profit universities that "have their roots in dog grooming and cosmetology and, over the past decade, have tried to move up the food chain," said Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers.

In Hammond's case, the questions don't stop with the quality of the institution. In a resume she sent to the Times about three weeks ago, when Clerk of the Circuit Court Karen Nicolai offered her a full-time $105,000-a-year job (she's since been bumped back down to consultant, but could still make that much money in a year), Hammond claimed a Florida teaching certificate in psychology and economics.

Her teaching qualification has since expired, Hammond said Friday, though she didn't say that on the resume.

Also, Times researcher Shirl Kennedy found the state doesn't issue certificates in those fields, and Hammond makes no mention of them in a 2009 application to serve on the Early Learning Coalition of Hernando and Pasco ó just that in 1999 she received a "temporary educator's certificate."

Weeks after it was first requested, Hammond, who also serves as chairwoman of the Hernando County Planning and Zoning Commission, still hasn't produced a transcript from the Southern Africa Policy Institute in Zimbabwe ó from which she claims a "post graduate diploma" on her most recent resume. Nor could she provide a phone number or e-mail address. Researcher Kennedy found no evidence the institute even existed.

Kennedy-Western did exist, though it changed its name to Warren National University in 2007. It closed in March 2009, which happens to be the month Hammond received her degree.

Much of Hammond's work experience checked out, as did her undergraduate degree. And she has generally been praised for her performance with the county.

So maybe it's not fair to label her a fraud. But it is fair to say that phony degrees are a way of dishonestly extracting money. That's usually the whole point, Nassirian said.

Doctorates were once mostly just for academics, he said, and the "perceived value has increased because there are now so many fields in which a Ph.D. is highly lucrative."

When the degree is fake, the employer is stuck with a worker who may be unqualified and is certainly untrustworthy. And in Hammond's case, fellow Hernando taxpayers, that employer is us.

Most of the 100,000 admirals in Nebraska's "Great Navy" hold the lighthearted honor because they've done something for the state in large or small ways.

But there's a less savory, unmerited side to Nebraska admiralships.

At least in recent years, it turns out, some people have found membership in the Nebraska Navy to be an easy way to pad rÈsumÈs and burnish reputations.

Increasingly, the admiralships are showing up in the hands of African rulers, people who work with diploma mills and others with no significant ties to Nebraska.

The World-Herald has discovered that some awards are collected and distributed through a web of non-Nebraskans who submit numerous nominations. In at least one case, there is an allegation that an admiralship was sold for $2,600.

Former State Sen. Kermit Brashear of Omaha, who is a Nebraska admiral, said he feels bad that some people are tainting the program.

"It's a long, rich tradition until it goes amok," Brashear said.

Earlier this month, The World-Herald reported that a Nebraska admiralship had been given to Yahya Jammeh, president of Gambia. Jammeh has been criticized for human rights violations.

Gov. Dave Heineman never intended to honor Jammeh. Instead, a San Francisco man requested the admiralship, and Heineman's staff processed it with little scrutiny. The Governor's Office has handled 7,000 or so certificates since Heineman took office in 2005, continuing a tradition that has been in effect since the 1930s.

Heineman has said it wouldn't be a good use of time or money to investigate each nomination, especially since the vast majority are legitimate.

Yet that leaves plenty of opportunity for non-Nebraskans to take advantage of the system.

The World-Herald examined a list of admiralships issued since Heineman took office in 2005 and discovered:

• A second African ruler, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, is on the list. A Slate magazine article in 2008 described Obiang as "Africa's worst dictator," outdoing even Zimbabwe's notorious Robert Mugabe.

• The Iranian-born San Francisco man who nominated Jammeh earlier this year, Nasser Heydarian, has nominated at least 10 other admirals. None apparently has any Nebraska ties.

• Heydarian reportedly was paid $2,600 for the Jammeh admiralship, although he emphatically denies that.

• At least 14 admirals from outside Nebraska are linked to unaccredited universities that have been criticized as diploma mills, or to groups that have endorsed some of those questionable schools.

It might be hard for Nebraskans to believe that the admiralship, which confers tongue-in-cheek authority over "seamen, tadpoles and goldfish," could be in much demand among those who have no allegiance to the state.

Nevertheless, admiralships show up on rÈsumÈs all over the world.

"It's a big thing for some people," said Robert Ray Hill of Kentucky. "Do I have it on my rÈsumÈ? I think I might."

Stephen R. Barnhart certainly does. Barnhart, who runs a security service in Kansas City, includes the Nebraska honor on his lengthy list of accolades and diplomas, including a number of advanced degrees from unaccredited schools. He also notes that he is a professor for several such institutions. Barnhart did not return telephone calls from the newspaper.

But others interviewed last week say the Nebraska admiralship ó certified by the state's governor, after all ó adds an extra bit of credibility for those who want to embellish their qualifications. It may help those who pitch higher education degrees, and it can help curry favor with foreign leaders who control business opportunities.

A number of non-Nebraskans with recent admiralships are members of the same organizations.

For example, Heydarian, Hill and Barnhart are listed as "full professorship holders" with the International University of Fundamental Studies, an unaccredited school.

Similarly, The World-Herald also found at least eight admirals have been linked to the International Parliament for Safety and Peace, an Italian organization. That includes Barnhart and Heydarian, as well as the leaders of Gambia and Equatorial Guinea, who are considered "international vice presidents."

In an interview, Heydarian said he nominated Jammeh for the admiralship at the request of Georg Reiff, a German man who works with the Italian group. Heydarian also obtained an admiralship for Reiff.

Heydarian, who said he is a medical doctor but is not licensed to practice in the United States, said the original deal was that he could go to Gambia to present the award and perhaps provide some humanitarian assistance. In the end, however, he was cut out of the Gambia trip.

"They're going over there to get some credit for themselves," an angry Heydarian said. "I did this favor because they asked me to do it. They are no good. They are using me."

Reiff could not be reached directly for comment. But Hill ó who had nominated Heydarian for his admiralship in 2006 ósaid Reiff told him that Heydarian had demanded $2,600 in payment in April for Jammeh's certificate.

According to Hill, Reiff said he had no choice but to pay because he already had told the Gambian strongman that the admiralship was coming.

"This is absolutely ridiculous," Heydarian replied. "They're playing a dirty game. I never got a penny."

Heydarian said Nebraska's governor should simply void Jammeh's admiralship.

Controversy aside, Brashear said the Nebraska Navy is intended to be a way "to wrap people together in terms of a moment of humor and honor." As speaker of the Legislature, Brashear said, he served a few hours as acting governor in 2006 and doled out numerous admiralships to friends, acquaintances and relatives, including his wife.

But he said there's no reason to name admirals who have no relationship with Nebraska or its residents. He said it is up to Heineman to decide whether the rules need to be tightened.

"After all, he is the admiral of all admirals," Brashear said. "He'll have to protect the fleet."

This too:

Nebraska Navy has 'unsavory despot', Paul Goodsell and Andrea Vasquez, Omaha, Nebraska, World-Herald, October 2, 2010.

For decades, Nebraska governors have handed out thousands of admiralships in the mythical "Great Navy of Nebraska" ó a way to honor celebrities, heroes and ordinary citizens.

Astronauts John Glenn and Clayton Anderson. Entertainers Bob Hope and Johnny Carson. Local school board members and police officers.

Now you can add African strongman Yahya Jammeh.

The new admiral, who is the president of Gambia, has been criticized for alleged human rights violations and has said he would "cut off the head" of any homosexuals found in the country.

"This is a real unsavory despot," said Frank Smyth of the Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based organization that tries to raise awareness of press freedom issues around the world.

So the group was shocked last month when a smiling Jammeh was photographed holding the gold-framed certificate from Gov. Dave Heineman.

It isn't clear whether Jammeh read the entire tongue-in-cheek proclamation, which ordered all "seamen, tadpoles and goldfish" to obey the admiral.

Or whether he knew that Nebraska has no fleet ó other than the floating covered wagon depicted on the certificate.

While the certificate declares that the honoree is "a good person and a loyal friend and counselor," Heineman doesn't know the Gambian president, never approved the admiralship and did not personally sign the certificate.

Nor did anyone on Heineman's staff give more than cursory attention to Jammeh's nomination, requested by a man in San Francisco.

It was one of more than 7,000 admiralships bestowed by Heineman since he took office in 2005.

"It's just not feasible for us to do background checks," said Jen Rae Hein, a spokeswoman for the governor. "This is in no way an endorsement from Nebraska of this person's politics."

The governor personally gives a handful of admiralships ó perhaps a dozen or so per year ó to visiting dignitaries or other noteworthy people, Hein said. Nearly all the awards are handled by staff members, who process nominations by state senators and others who want to honor people for their contributions to the state.

Guidelines posted on the governor's website say either the nominator or nominee must be from Nebraska, but Hein said any current admiral can nominate anyone else, even if neither is from Nebraska.

That was the case with Jammeh's nomination. It arrived in January from Nasser Heydarian, who described himself as a medical doctor but used a San Francisco coffee shop as his mailing address.

Hein said Heydarian did not identify Jammeh as the Gambian president but gave this reason for making him an admiral: "He is very good with poor people and always he is helping them."

Heineman had honored Heydarian as an admiral in 2006, after a nomination from Robert Ray Hill of Kentucky.

Hill has worked for organizations criticized as being "diploma mills."

And a Wikia website identifies Heydarian as president of the "Dominion of Melchizedek," a so-called "cyber-nation" that allegedly is a haven for banking fraud.

It's unclear whether Hill has Nebraska connections or whether he is a Nebraska admiral. Heydarian and Hill could not be reached for comment.

Hein said Jammeh's certificate was mailed to Heydarian at the coffee shop address in February, although it was dated Sept. 10 as requested.

Last month, the certificate was delivered to Jammeh by a representative of the International Parliament for Safety and Peace, an Italian organization that has drawn criticism for recognizing diploma mills.

The group also passed along two other "awards" to Jammeh, purportedly from President Barack Obama. A U.S. State Department official said Friday that the White House had no connection with those awards.

Jammeh's honors were publicized in the Gambian press and soon drew attention from outside groups. The Committee to Protect Journalists initially was concerned that Obama and others were giving awards to Jammeh but later concluded that no honors were intended.

The admiralship isn't Jammeh's first state award: Kentucky's governor made him an honorary "Kentucky colonel" in 2008.

Giving admiralships is a long-standing tradition for Nebraska governors. Hein said she didn't know how many were awarded under Heineman's predecessor, Mike Johanns, but staff members who worked for both governors told her the pace is about the same.

Nebraska has no process for rescinding the honor, she said.

Staffers try to catch the most questionable nominations, such as those requested for pets, Hein said. Otherwise, she said, little investigation is done, and few requests are denied. Nominations from current admirals are automatically approved.

"I don't know if it's always going to be automatic now," Hein said.

"There are going to be some people that game the system, but that is not something we endorse. We are relying on the good faith practices of Nebraskans and of those nominating their fellow citizens."

Rick Scott made it official this morning, introducing state Rep. Jennifer Carroll as his running mate on the Republican ticket for governor.

"I am honored that Jennifer is the first African-American Republican woman to be part of a statewide ticket in Florida," Scott wrote in a letter to supporters.

"Jennifer Carroll is the embodiment of the American Dream. She came to America as a young girl, decided to serve her country with the United States Navy, pursued a higher education, started a small business, and then was elected the first African American female Republican in the Florida State Legislature."

Carroll, 51, joined Scott on a campaign fly-around beginning in Jacksonville, a major hub of Republican voters near Carroll's home in Fleming Island. Stops were planned later today in Orlando and Tampa.

The campaign unfurled a "Scott Carroll" placard as Scott and Carroll stood on a platform outside the Jacksonville Naval Air Station, with a Blue Angel jet in the background. Carroll's husband Nolan and two of their three children were on hand, along with Scott's wife, Ann.

"Jennifer has an inspiring story to tell," Scott said.

Noting that Carroll was the first African-American Republican woman in the Legislature, Scott called her a "barrier-breaker."

Carroll, wearing a bright red suit, said she likes Scott's "energetic leadership," and added: "He is totally committed to turning around the economic conditions of this state." But she at first said Scott's "7-7-7" plan would create 7,000 jobs over seven years, not the 700,000 Scott is promising.

Carroll was a supporter of Bill McCollum in the primary, and said she kept her word and that his jobs message resonated with her. Scott declined to discuss the vetting process in detail.

"We're both outsiders and we both come from humble beginnings," Scott said. "Jennifer is clearly not perceived to be an insider."

Asked to cite her proudest accomplishment as a legislator, Carroll asked reporters to "look at my resume," and cited her work in lowering the burden on businesses in Florida.

In choosing Carroll, Scott, himself a Navy veteran, gets a woman with a distinctive personal story who could neutralize the gender appeal of his Democratic opponent, state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink:

• In a state where one in every seven voters is black ó and nearly all of them Democrats ó Carroll is an African-American Republican.
• As a native of Trinidad, Carroll is an immigrant who could help soften Scott's hard-line image on an issue that cuts both ways in a state with a large immigrant population.
• She packs a celebrity punch: Her son, Nolan II, is a rookie cornerback and kick returner for the Miami Dolphins, drafted out of the University of Maryland.

Carroll made Gov. Charlie Crist's short list of possible running mates in 2006. She was also among those listed as possible successors to Mel Martinez, who resigned his U.S. Senate seat last year.

Sink's running mate is Rod Smith, 60, a former state senator and elected state attorney from Alachua County who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2006.

Carroll moved to Florida in 1986. She and her husband, Nolan, have three children.

She became the first black woman elected to the Legislature in a special election in 2003.

She retired after 20 years in the Navy, where she rose to the rank of lieutenant commander aviation maintenance officer.

She has a bachelor's degree from the University of New Mexico and a master's degree in business administration from Saint Leo University in Pasco County.

Her official legislative biography notes that she is a lifelong member of both the NAACP and the National Rifle Association.

Her record is not free of blemishes, however.

Six years ago, after news reports said that she listed a degree from an online "diploma mill," Kensington University in California, she dropped the reference from her official resume.

"This causes me great concern," Carroll told the Florida Times-Union in 2004. "It's a lot of time, effort and money poured into a university I thought was a viable program."

They are safety engineers at nuclear power plants and biological weapons experts. They work at NATO headquarters, at the Pentagon and at nearly every other federal agency. And, as CBS News Correspondent Vince Gonzales reports, they're employees with degrees from phony schools.

"These degrees aren't worth the paper that they're printed on," says one insider, who asked CBS News to protect his identity.

The man worked at a so-called diploma mill where students pay a lot of money to get a degree online or through the mail for little or no work.

He says he's not surprised to know that there are people working at almost every level of government who have degrees from these types of operations.

Assistant Secretary of Defense Charles Abell has a master's from Columbus University, a diploma mill Louisiana shut down. Deputy Assistant Secretary Patricia Walker lists among her degrees, a bachelor's from Pacific Western, a diploma mill banned in Oregon and under investigation in Hawaii.

CBS News requested interviews with both officials. The Pentagon turned us down, saying, "We don't consider it an issue."

But using such a degree is a crime in some states. Alan Contreras cracks down on diploma mills for Oregon, a state that's taken the lead on this issue.

"You don't want somebody with a fake degree working in Homeland Security," says Contreras. "You don't want somebody with a fake degree teaching your children or designing your bridges."

But we found employees with diploma mill degrees at the new Transportation Security Administration, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Departments of Treasury and Education, where Rene Drouin sits on an advisory committee. He has degrees from two diploma mills including Kensington University.

Kensington was forced out of business by officials in California and Hawaii. Another Kensington alum, Florida State Rep. Jennifer Carroll, just stepped down from the National Commission on Presidential Scholars.

Both Carroll and Drouin say they worked hard and thought their degrees were legitimate.

"The students are being sold a bill of goods that really don't help them at all," the insider says. "There are slick people out there, and it's happening every day, every minute probably somewhere in America."

And taxpayers have paid for bogus degrees some workers used for hiring, promotions and raises

Kenyans have been cautioned against enrolling in five international universities purporting to offer degrees and diplomas.

Yesterday, the Commission for Higher Education (CHE) said Bircham International University, Dublin Metropolitan University and Dorcas International Theological College are not authorised to offer degree programmes.

Unaccredited programmes

Others that are operating illegally in the country include America World University as well as Nation University US. CHE boss Everret Standa said qualifications from such institutions would not be recognised.

"The public is cautioned against institutions that are offering dubious, unaccredited degree and diploma programmes," said Prof Standa.

The alert comes barely a week after The Standard exposed activities of the United Graduates College and Seminary, which has been dishing out honorary degrees to prominent Kenyans.

The institutions, Standa said, are not allowed to offer the degrees and diplomas either on their own or in collaboration with universities abroad.

According to the commission, Bircham International University is not accredited by any recognised accreditation agency in the US. It has also not been granted authority by CHE to collaborate with any institution in Kenya to offer any university education.

On the other hand, Dublin Metropolitan University is also not accredited by any recognised accreditation agency in Britain, and has also not been granted authority by CHE to collaborate with any local institution.

Authority to collaborate

Standa also cautioned that Dorcas International Theological College has not sought nor has it been granted authority to collaborate with any institution either locally or abroad to offer and award any degree level education and qualifications.

"Nations University, which it purports to collaborate with, does not appear in the list of institutions in USA accredited through any of the accrediting agencies recognised by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation in USA," he said.

Therefore, degrees issued by the theological college are not recognised in Kenya, said Standa.

There are seven public universities and 13 constituent colleges

A US-based college involved in a controversial dishing out of honorary degrees to prominent Kenyans is now the subject of a Federal Bureau of Investigations probe.

The state of Tennessee Department of Education through its education Commission has already launched investigations into the activities of United Graduate College and Seminary.

Speaking to The Standard on Sunday on telephone from Nashville US, an official from the Commissioner of Education office who requested anonymity because he is not authorised to talk to the media, said the commission has launched its own investigations to get to the bottom of the saga.

Asked whether they will involve the FBI he said, "In such cases that go beyond our borders, we definitely have to involve the local security agencies including the FBI office."

But he was categorical that the United Graduate College and Seminary has no authority to operate in Tennessee.

It also termed claims that the college is fully endorsed as "wrong and misleading".

But faced with heavy criticism, the collegesí chief chancellor Prof Clyde Rivers said the institution would dish out more than 2,000 doctorate degrees to Kenyans by the end of next year.

He said he would not be dissuaded by Press reports questioning the credibility of his institution and vowed to continue with his work. He said it should not be a crime to bring honour to many people.

"I have not come here to put up any university, but to honour Kenyans who would otherwise not be recognised," said Rivers.

New York ó A string of VIPs in Kenya and around Africa could have paid thousands of dollars to three Americans liberally giving out doctorate degrees to the unsung heroes of Africa.

The letters inviting the selected men and women for the academic honour also asked them to make contributions towards the travel and accommodation expenses of the visiting Americans.

In one instance, the Daily Nation learnt that they asked a potential beneficiary to contribute about Sh240,000 ($3,000) to arrange for the award ceremony. The college's Chancellor of Educational Development Worldwide, Prof Clyde Rivers, at first told the Daily Nation in an interview that his team paid its own way but later admitted that the group had been asking for money.

"We pay our own way... We feel so passionate about Africa that we do it ourselves," said had Prof Rivers. The Daily Nation then confronted him with details that the letters they had been sending out to potential beneficiaries would often close with a request for money and he accepted that it was indeed true.

"We do ask people to cover our hotel. We spend $2,500 to $6,000 to fly here. We ask for that to help cost share. If someone says no, we don't disregard him. I'm just here to truly honour Africa," said Prof Rivers, flanked by two of his colleagues, a mother and her daughter.

And in an ironic twist of events, the president of the United Graduate College and Seminary, Dr Dorothy Wisor, said that she did not know how many students were enrolled in the university and had admitted that they do not have a physical campus anywhere in the US.

The college president said she did not have much details about the college because she only took up her job three weeks ago and had only a short while ago married the founder, Dr Martin Wisor.

The representatives of the internet-based institution have been on a spree around Africa, giving honorary doctorate degrees to the high and mighty. The list of those who have been honoured include House Speaker Kenneth Marende and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka.

Honorary degrees are usually given by universities to men and women for extraordinary achievements and are usually conferred at university campuses during graduation ceremonies.Neither Mr Marende nor Mr Musyoka had commented on the conferment of the degrees or whether they had given any money to the Americans despite repeated attempts by the Daily Nation to contact them through their aides.

Further afield, the Americans claim to have conferred the honorary degrees to Uganda's president Yoweri Museveni and his wife Janet, Burundi president Pierre Nkurunziza, former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo and former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano.

The university has also honoured the founder of the anti-jigger campaign in Kenya, Mr Stanely Kamau, former Nairobi mayor Joe Aketch and former Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organisation chairperson Zipporah Kittony.

The university is represented in Kenya by one-time Nairobi mayor Nathan Kahara who signs correspondence as a professor with a string of abbreviated titles after his name.

It is copied to Bishop Arthur Kitonga who is designated as professor and named the Special Advisor Worldwide. Prof Rivers said the institution would honour as many Africans as deserved it and said that they had contacted "Nelson Mandela's people" for the possibility of issuing him with a honorary doctorate.

He said he had been working in Africa since 2005 and had active programmes in Ghana, Mozambique, South Africa and Ghana.Prof Rivers said he had "discovered" that African achievers were hardly honoured and had decided to fill the gap.

His team was also driven by the realisation that many pastors were operating without academic credentials even though they had devoted their life in service to the Christian ministry. He said that despite the many honorary degrees awarded, they maintained a rigorous process and that through the Internet, their reach was global.

Prof Rivers admitted that his institution's Web site did not measure up to international standards and turned the blame on "people from the Third World" whom he claimed had hacked into the site and fraudulently made money out of it.

He said the college would be building a new Web site. He was accompanied at the half-hour interview by Prof Michal Pitzl, the colleges Chancellor of Education Development Worldwide and her daughter, Prof Donella Pitzl, the Vice Chancellor for communications. In Burundi, President Nkurunziza has appointed Prof Rivers as the country's honorary consul to the state of California.

Although the three American professors said that their headquarters were in Jonesborough, Tennessee, their business cards give an address in Victorville California, which is approximately 3,500 kilometres away by road or about seven times the distance between Nairobi and Mombasa.

Though it is at the discretion of a university to confer honorary degrees as they wish, most universities jealously guard the issuance and limit them to maximise their impact. The college's founder, Dr Wisor, said the "college" was able to operate anywhere because all the courses it offered were conducted online.

He also admitted that the college did not have a physical campus. At first she was hesitant to speak, saying she didn't know much about the college's workings because she'd only recently landed the job as its head. She said she was married a little while ago to Dr Martin Wisor, named on the college's Web site as the college's founder.

According to her, the college was established in 1985. Dr Dorothy Wisor also told the Daily Nation on telephone that the college did award many honorary degrees, and those that it gave were in recognition of "humanitarian services the recipients have provided to people in their countries" and because of "their service to God."

She also said that recipients had to be Christians. Asked whether the college was fully accredited, she said it was "fully endorsed."It appears that the college was what is referred to pejoratively in the US as a "diploma mill" -- meaning students can get a degree without doing much work as long as they paid whatever was required.

On its Web site, it says that the United Graduate College and Seminary is "fully endorsed by the United Association of Christian Churches and Ministries International" (UACCMI). On the UACCMI website, Dr Martin Wisor is listed as the association's founder and CEO while Dr Dorothy Wisor is listed as president of United Graduate College and Seminary. It turns out that the college that Dr Martin Wisor founded was "fully endorsed" by the association that Dr Martin Wisor founded.

A man who worked as a psychologist for the Saratoga County Public Defenderís Office and the Saratoga County Family Court was arrested by New York State Police Friday, accused of forging his degrees and other credentials.

Steven Feldman faces four felony charges: grand larceny, scheme to defraud, falsifying business records and offering a false statement. He is scheduled to appear in Ballston Spa Village Court Monday afternoon. The case will likely ultimately end up in Saratoga County Court.

According to District Attorney James A. Murphy III, Feldman "claimed he had certain degrees o and professional certifications that he does not allegedly have. He also claims he graduated from schools that State Police have advised are diploma mills."

According to Murphy, the Public Defenderís Office and Family Court used Feldmanís services to evaluate people petitioning the court or those accused of crimes.

Murphy said he believes State Police were notified about Feldmanís suspicious credentials by a person referred to Feldman for evaluation by a Family Court judge. That man researched Feldmanís credentials and came across evidence that one of the schools, Hamilton University, is not an accredited institution, Murphy said.

As an alleged Hamilton University alum, Feldman joins the ranks of Laura Callahan, the former senior director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who purchased bachelorís and masterís degrees from the college and used them to further her career in government, according to a 2004 "60 Minutes" report.

The report described Hamilton University, located in Evanston, Wyo., as little more than an office with a few clerical workers. A former employee is quoted as saying she never saw a single teacher at the school. According to that news report, the "college" also operates a small church, which qualifies it as a tax-free institution.

In 2004, managing director of the Government Accountability Officeís office of Special Investigations, Robert J. Cramer, addressed a Congressional subcommittee on the topic of diploma mills. He mentioned Hamilton University specifically in his testimony.

"Diploma mills frequently use names similar to those used by accredited schools, which often allows the diploma mills to be mistaken for accredited schools," Cramer said. "For example, Hamilton University o which is not accredited by any accrediting body o has a name similar to Hamilton College, a fully accredited school in Clinton, New York."

Hamilton Universityís website, which has since been taken down but is available through an archival website, indicated it was founded in 1976.

The website also states that the school is accredited through the American Council of Private Colleges and Universities, which is not approved by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

The District Attorneyís Office never used Feldmanís services, Murphy said. The vetting process for psychologists and other experts used by the District Attorneyís office is rigorous, he said. "We try to find someone o who has impeccable credentials; we actually do an investigation, a kind of background check, to ensure they have obtained their degree from that particular university and that they are in fact licensed."

Murphy said he could not comment on the vetting process used by either the Public Defenderís office or Family Court. No one was available for comment at either the Public Defenderís office or Family Court by press time Saturday.

Feldman did not respond to a voicemail request for comment.

While the sitting Pakistani heads of government and state continue to patronise bogus degree holders by helping them to get re-elected despite court orders, numerous countries across the globe are taking stringent actions against the elements found guilty of submitting such phoney documents to meet the eligibility criteria for recruitment, to get salary raises, to lure clients and to win seats in the legislative houses.

The very recent conviction of a Saudi woman on charges of forging her educational qualification ó the impeachment of former Iranian Interior Minister Ali Kordan in 2008 on similar charges and the interrogation of Sven-Otto Littorin, the Swedish minister for Employment in 2007, for possessing an MBA degree issued by a diploma mill ó serve as candid examples of how intolerant the world has been in recent years in this regard.

Other eminent international personalities who are known to have been pleaded guilty of acquiring fake educational degrees include British science fiction writer Ron Hubbard, former Senior Director at the US Department of Homeland Security Laura Callahan, former member of Canadian Parliament Jag Bhaduria, Toronto Stock Exchangeís former Vice President Terry Popowich, famous international football coach George OíLeary, Irelandís Government Science Adviser Barry McSweeney and noted South Korean movie star Jang Mi-hee, who later became a theatre and visual arts professor at a prestigious college in her country on basis of forged documents.

All these afore-stated personalities had to relinquish their posts after they were found culpable.

By June 2009, more than 180 people from across the Gulf had been blacklisted for holding fake US academic certificates allegedly bought from non-accredited institutions, including 69 from Saudi Arabia and 68 from the UAE.

But in Pakistan, even federal ministers accused of possessing fake degrees continue to make hay without being questioned.

Although the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan is looking after all the activities related to the accreditation of universities and has publicised a list of recognised universities, absence of stern laws not only continues to facilitate unscrupulous characters to buy fake degrees from diploma mills functional both at home and abroad, but a virtually non-existent legislation in this context also encourages fraudulent elements to keep on procuring and falsifying their academic credentials without any fear of being penalised or convicted.

In India, where Section 22 of the University Grants Commission Act 1956 states that degrees can only be granted or conferred by a university established or incorporated by or under a Central Act, a Provincial Act or a State Act or an institution empowered by an Act of Parliament, the issue of fake educational degrees churned out by diplomas mills continues to plague the whole education system despite checks.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, the Bombay High Court thus went out ordering the powerful Central Bureau of Investigation in February 2010 to launch an investigation into the matter and curb this menace forthwith.

The Bombay High Court order had come in the back drop of a revelation that as many as 729 cases of fake degree certificates had been identified in the prestigious University of Pune by March 2, 2010 and another 237 phoney degrees were spotted by the Mumbai University earlier this year.

Faced with a rather arduous task to probe into the matter of fake documents submitted by candidates for recruitment, the Indian investigators are still meeting university officials to get closer to the culprits involved, which is a huge headache for the revered Indian universities at the moment.

In Australia, it is a criminal offence to call an institution a university or issue a university degree without authorisation through an act of federal or state parliaments.

Under the Australian Higher Education Support Act 2003, corporations wishing to use the term "university" require approval from the minister for education in Canberra.

Australia thus places strict controls on corporations wishing to use the term "university" and the name must not imply a connection with an existing university. The Corporations Regulations 2001 hence lists only 39 academic organisations, which are permitted to use the title "university."

Specific penalties covered by the provisions of the Trade Practices Act 1974, permitting fines in excess of Australian dollars 10 million.

In Canada, the Border Services Agency had reported concerns about "visa mills" in 2006; fraudulent universities operated for the sole purpose of helping foreign nationals obtain student visas to allow them to enter Canada. This of course had led to an organised government action and cartels were unearthed.

In Finland, for the purposes of professional qualification, the use of foreign degree qualifications is regulated. It goes without saying that forging degrees is a felony in Finland too.

In Germany, it is a criminal offence to call an institution a university or issue academic degrees without the authorisation from the respective stateís ministry of education. It is also a crime to falsely claim a degree in Germany, if it does not meet accredited approval.

In Hong Kongís case, anyone found using false documents with the intention of inducing somebody to accept the same as genuine, is liable for a 14-year imprisonment.

The HK law outlines that anyone who makes or possesses machines that create false documents is also liable for 14-year jail time.

In Malaysia, it is an offence under the Education Act 1996 to establish and operate a higher educational institution by the use of the word "university," except in accordance with any written law.

The Malaysian law prescribes a fine of 50,000 Ringgits or an imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years, or even both if a bogus institution is set up.

Apart from the penalties prescribed by the Act above, under the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971, anybody found guilty of promoting any activities for the purpose of establishing a university or college, unless it is being done in accordance with the provisions of this Act, may be fined 10,000 Ringgits or imprisoned for a term of five years.

In New Zealand, the Kiwi authorities announced their intention to take action against unaccredited schools in 2004 and University of Newlands, an unaccredited distance-learning provider based in Wellington, was challenged along with a few others. In Philippines, the falsification of medical certificates, certificates of merit or service is a criminal act.

The law penalises the maker or the manufacturer of such certificates, specifically a physician or surgeon in connection with the practice of his profession and a public official. It also penalises the one who procures and knowingly uses such false certificate.

In Portugal, there has been a growing effort since the year 2000 to define non-accredited universities or accredited institutions and to raise awareness about the problem. In 1999 alone, over 15,000 students enrolled in Portuguese higher learning institutions were found possessing bogus degrees.

Since 2007, Portugal has enforced more inflexible rules for all kind of public and private degree-conferring institutions.

In Romania, various universities have been listed as diploma mills.

Although these universities received accreditation from Romaniaís National Council of Academic Evaluation in 2002, their accreditations were cancelled for a large number of specialisations after scams had surfaced.

In South Korea also, it is illegal to falsely educational degrees.

In March 2006, prosecutors in Seoul were reported to have broken up a crime ring selling bogus music diplomas from Russia, which helped many land university jobs and seats in orchestras.

Consequently, people who falsely used these degrees were criminally charged.

Early 2007, a university professor was criminally charged for forging and misusing a degree from the Yale University.

In Sweden, a minister was found possessing a fake degree from a diploma mill in 2007.

After he was found guilty on this count, the employment minister tried to convince the Swedish media and people that the MBA degree was granted to him in good order. Probably due to the fact that he did not let anyone peer review his thesis, he was eventually forced to remove the reference from his official curriculum vitae, but somehow managed to survive.

In Switzerland, it is a criminal offence, under the Unfair Competition Legislation, to use any unfounded academic or occupational qualifications. At least three notable diploma mills were identified in Switzerland, but law eventually took its course against them.

In the United Kingdom, it is illegal to offer something that may be mistaken for a UK degree unless the awarding body is on a list maintained by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. This is difficult to enforce on the Internet, where a site may be based abroad. However, the UK Trading Standards officers have had notable success in countering a large diploma mill group based abroad that was using British place-names for its "universities".

In the United States, no federal law strangely exists to prohibit diploma mills.

Hence, the term "university" is not legally protected on a national level. As a result, the United States is deemed a diploma mill haven from a global viewpoint.

Some degree mills have taken advantage of a relatively lenient law on this issue by representing themselves as seminaries, as religious institutions can legally offer degrees in religious subjects without government regulation in many jurisdictions.

In 2005, the US Department of Education had endeavoured to combat the spread of fraudulent degrees and a number of states have passed bills restricting the ability of organisations to award degrees without accreditation.

Almost 10,000 people had been blacklisted by the US Department of Justice by mid of 2009 for purchasing fake high school and college degrees from a "degree mill" based in Washington.

Moreover, nearly a dozen teachers, counsellors and principals in the US state of Georgia were investigated for purchasing fake advanced degrees from an unaccredited online university in Liberia that grants masterís and doctorate degrees.

On Hickory Street in Uptown New Orleans, not far from the Riverbend area, you may not notice it, but you'll find a university.

According to an FBI search warrant, a duplex in the 8200 block of Hickory is the Internet's Columbus University. The FBI confirms that it recently raided it as part of an investigation, calling it a "diploma mill," and its business of selling diplomas, a fraud.

An FBI spokesperson would not offer any additional comment, calling this an ongoing investigation. But in its search warrant, the FBI lays out a scenario that it says is designed to deceive would-be students from all over the world, and it says the universityís operators are doing so on computers inside the house.

Columbus University would mail out diplomas, law degrees and doctorates, according to FBI agents, in courses like psychology, chemistry, nursing, biology and dozens more, even though the online university has only one professor and no one qualified to award doctorates.

Additionally, Columbus University has no state accreditation from Louisiana, Mississippi or Alabama, where it claims to operate, meaning the degrees are worthless.

According to the FBI, Columbus operators are getting help keeping it a secret from students, from a well-known person in a strange place.

The search warrant says Michael OíKeefe Sr., a high-ranking Louisiana state senator for 24 years, was providing instructions to the school's director, a Dr. Mary Martin. That includes not telling students about the true nature of Columbus University's operations, according to the FBI.

The FBI also alleges that the 78-year-old former senate president was doing so from inside of the Butner federal prison in Butner, North Carolina, where he's serving 19 years for stealing from a failed insurance company.

Former U.S. attorney Harry Rosenberg said OíKeefe could be a central figure in the university probe.

"It suggests that OíKeefe was actually the one being the mastermind behind all this, because he was giving instructions as to how to run this diploma mill," Rosenberg said.

When OíKeefe went to jail in 1999, it marked a third federal conviction, the end of a decadesí long legal battle, and a fall from grace and power.

"I am 67 years old. My life is about to end anyhow, but what they've put my family through. It's unbelievable," an emotional OíKeefe said in 1999 after his sentencing.

"His downfall was one of the most spectacular, in the sense of how big it was, how powerful he was, and how far he fell, in my lifetime," said Clancy DuBos, Channel 4 political analyst and Gambit political columnist.

DuBos said the power broker used to be called the "snowman."

"They said he could walk across a field of snow and not leave tracks. Well, that was in the 1970s and '80s. Nowadays, with technology and the federal government having all of its vast powers, itís very hard to weave webs that can't be seen," DuBos said.

Also inside of Butner prison is OíKeefe's son, Michael OíKeefe Jr. He's doing 18 months for a house-flipping scam involving the federal government. Based on the search warrant of the Hickory Street duplex, the FBI confiscated five pages worth of materials, several computers and hard drives, bank and payroll records and 25 boxes of documents. One of them was listed as bank and tax records for Michael OíKeefe Jr.

"This seems to smack of uniqueness, because you've got father and son, both of whom are serving time for federal offenses," Rosenberg said. "And now both are being investigated again for criminal activities that seem to overlap with their prior offenses."

There is a history that goes back three decades between Michael OíKeefe Sr. and Columbus University's leader, Mary Martin, who was then Mary Blacksher, and served as OíKeefe's accountant. In the early 1980s, both were indicted in a $6 million bank fraud case.

Eyewitness News went to the house on Hickory Street, looking for Dr. Mary Martin and answers about the FBI's probe and the OíKeefe's alleged involvement. A young woman working on a computer in the front room answered the door and said she would get Mary Martin, who never came.

"We're not going to comment," the woman answering the door said.

According to the FBI search warrant, the working operations of Columbus University, in business for a decade, are three women on computers, including Martin. The FBI says she has no advanced degrees. Another woman identified by the FBI is Dr. Shannon O'Brien, the schoolís lone professor for 50 degrees offered, whom the FBI says awarded herself a doctorate from Columbus University. The third woman, according to the search warrant, is Helen Anglade.

You can view the Columbus website in English, French or Arabic. The FBI says thatís because Columbus has an affiliate school in Saudi Arabia, and that a Saudi business partner sends money and a list of names to Hickory Street, then the diplomas are mailed back overseas to foreign students.

According to the website, degrees -- or as the website lists them, "degres," one of several misspelled words on the site -- range from $3,000 for a bachelorís degree, to $3,600 hundred for a masterís degree and $4,200 for a doctorate.

The FBI says the money flows from students to a company called Administrative Inc., which lists 3623 Canal St. as its official address. The building used to house the OíKeefe and OíKeefe law firm as well as Citywide Mortgage, the company at the center of the scandal that sent Michael OíKeefe Jr. to prison.

WWL went to the building to find Administrative Inc., but found no evidence of any of their businesses, only stacked up desks and file cabinets from the OíKeefe law firm, and nothing that speaks to Administrative Inc. or Columbus University.

Despite multiple e-mails and calls for a response, Eyewitness News did not hear back from any Columbus representatives.

Using an alias, a reporter applied to Columbus University for next semester, leaving a phone message, and applying online.

There was this response: "While I thank you for your interest, the university is not accepting new students at this time." It was signed by Shannon O'Brien, faculty adviser for Columbus University.

Again, the FBI says OíBrien is not only the adviser, she's the faculty.

Gov. Jim Doyle has signed into law a bill that makes it a crime to manufacture or use false academic credentials.

The bill Doyle signed Wednesday targets so-called diploma mills, unauthorized schools that issue degrees to students who pay them money and do little work.

Supporters say the new law will help prosecutors go after diploma mill operators and allow employers to take action against those who try to use fake credentials to score jobs or bonuses.

The new law also prohibits unauthorized schools from using the terms "college" or "university" in their names.

A bill signed into law by Gov. Chris Christie Thursday will prohibit school employees from profiting from degrees obtained from mail-order or unaccredited colleges.

The legislation, known as the diploma mill law, was inspired by the 2008 discovery that Freehold Regional High School District superintendent, H. James Wasser, and several current and former staff members received doctoral degrees from the online, unaccredited Breyer State University.

"This bill requires that our public school employees attend only accredited institutions if they wish to receive tuition assistance," state Sen. Jennifer Beck, R-Monmouth, said in a prepared statement. "Additional education should be rewarded, and this law ensures that those rewards only go to individuals attending accredited institutions, not some Internet-based diploma mill."

The state concluded in early September 2008 that Wasser, Assistant Superintendent Donna Evangelista and a former assistant superintendent must stop using their doctoral titles or face fines, which they complied with. Wasser relinquished his stipend and later apologized to the district.

The law requires several conditions be met for educators to receive tuition assistance and receive pay increases for higher degrees or other academic course work. The course or degree has to be related to an employees current or future job responsibilities and the institution must be accredited.

The law also requires either the superintendent of schools or, in the case of a superintendent, the Board of Education approve course work for which they're are seeking tuition assistance from the district.

"The cost of education is high enough in New Jersey, and there is far too much waste. I am personally very pleased that the governor has taken the correct action to turn off this particular leaky faucet," Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande, R-Monmouth, said in a prepared statement. "Our public school systems must be protected."

Wasser retires in June, ending 23 years in the district. He currently earns $215,000 a year in addition to benefits such as medical insurance and a vehicle.

The legislation, signed by Christie Thursday, was sponsored by Beck; Casagrande; Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini, Assemblyman David Rible, both R-Monmouth; state Sen. Richard J. Codey, D-Essex; and Assemblyman Joseph Cryan, D-Union.

Ontario is vowing to clamp down on private universities that are trying to attract foreign students by offering bogus degrees.

The changes, designed to close loopholes in existing legislation, come as the province aims to attract up to 50 per cent more foreign students to its campuses in the next five years.

New powers to be introduced Tuesday will allow the province to shut down schools that offer university degrees that have not been approved by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Until now, the only recourse for the government has been through the courts, said a spokeswoman for the ministry. "These are organizations that are calling themselves universities that have not gone through the approvals process," Annette Philips said. "They are mostly targeting international students."

At the centre of the crackdown are such schools as Hawkesbury University, which bills itself online as "an independent, co-educational business and liberal arts international institution of higher learning."

The institution, which is headquartered at Prestige Restaurant in Hawkesbury, Ont., has no approvals from the Ontario government to do business in the province as a university or as a private career college. Earlier this month, the province issued a restraining order under the Private Career Colleges Act, barring the unregistered school from advertising its unapproved programs.

Owner Ashraf Hossain Siddiky had been advertising the school on a bright yellow website, which remains up despite the restraining order handed down April 19. Efforts to reach Mr. Siddiky were unsuccessful.

The ministry says the website was tweaked during the investigation to say the school was "proposed" and that it is "not yet operating." The failure to shut down the website entirely was one reason the university was ordered to close down.

Hawkesbury Mayor Jeanne Charleboise knew something was suspicious the day she got an e-mail asking about the new university in town.

"If there was a university here I would know about it. I would have been at the opening. Itís an election year," said Ms. Charleboise, the top politician in the town of 10,870 people that sits on the Ontario-Quebec border east of Ottawa.

She alerted the province and the police, which are now investigating.

According to the ministryís report on its own investigation, a designate met with Mr. Siddiky at the school on April 13. He told the designate he was only registered in the state of Delaware, though he tried and failed to get the school incorporated as a federal corporation in Ottawa.

Hawkesbury University had been targeted by the ministry before, but only with a warning. On Aug. 12, 2009, the Postsecondary Accountability branch of the ministry sent a letter to the school telling it to stop advertising. A local news story printed earlier this month spurred the ministry to crack down, the documents read.

All Mr. Siddiky wanted to do was start up a university after his two grown children moved away from home, said brother-in-law Nazrul Talukder from the convenience store he owns in Hawkesbury.

"For a long time he was talking about starting one," he said. "He has an idea that heís going to make a university because there is no university down here."

He said Mr. Siddiky, a lawyer who got his degree in Britain, came to Hawkesbury about 12 years ago and owns and operates Prestige Restaurant.

As the province targets international students, Ms. Philips, the ministry spokeswoman, said it is import that courses offered to foreign students are legitimate.

In the case of Hawkesbury, the province also was able to take action because it was offering vocation training, which is policed by the province under its career college legislation.

Two Brownsville Independent School District administrators who made frequent and public use of their doctoral titles obtained the Ph.D.s from an online institution whose degrees are illegal in Texas.

Oscar Cantu Sr., administrator of the districtís Adult Continuing Education Department, and his son, Oscar Cantu Jr., special assignment administrator assigned to Brownsville Early College High School, both cite degrees in educational administration from Canbourne University obtained in 2005, and represent themselves as having doctoral degrees, according to documents obtained through a public information request.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board lists Canbourne on its roster of "Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas."

Both Cantus had been displaying their doctoral titles prominently on BISD websites and in e-mail and hard-copy correspondence, but all references to "Dr." Cantu now have been removed from BISD websites.

In addition, Cantu Sr. last week said he is in the process of removing all references to the degree from BISD websites, e-mail and hard-copy correspondence.

Susan Fox, the districtís assistant superintendent for human resources, said she told Cantu Sr. by telephone to stop using the title after Brett Springston took over as superintendent in January. She said she assumes the elder Cantu told his son of the directive.

ëNO WRONG INTENTIONí

Cantu Sr. defends his Canbourne degree, saying he received a Ph.D. in educational administration by submitting transcripts of post-masterís and other completed coursework.

His resume lists a bachelorís and a masterís from the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg, as well as a mid-management administrator certificate.

"They have a program out of New York City," Cantu said of Canbourne. "We submitted transcripts to the university and we were told that they accepted those."

Canbourne later certified the transcripts and the degree with an "apostille" ó a certification ó issued by Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Once the apostille was issued, the degree became "a legal document," he said.

"There was no wrong intention here at all," Cantu said. "Iím not being compensated based on that degree."

Cantu Jr. at first spoke with the The Brownsville Herald about his Canbourne degree, then said confidential information was being compromised.

On Friday, Cantu Jr. did not return a voice mail request for comment left on his phone at Brownsville Early College High School.

CANBOURNE UNIVERSITY

Online, Canbourne University seems legitimate. It lists a physical address in London and has a United Kingdom-based website.

However, on that website, the biography of its chancellor, "Paul C. Crosbie, the Lord Paul of Coleshill," is identical to the biography of Richard Vincent, chancellor of Cranfield University, a legitimate and accredited post-graduate university with two campuses in Great Britain.

When informed of the nearly identical biographies, Barbara Clack, an administrator in the vice-chancellorís office at Cranfield University, said she personally knows Richard Vincent and that the person pictured on the Canbourne site with Vincentís identical biography is not him.

"I have passed your email to our secretary/registrar, Prof. William Stephens, for further investigation, but it would seem that Canbourne is a fraudulent organization. We will contact you further once we have investigated," Clack wrote in an e-mail to The Herald.

Canbourneís website lists no telephone number ó only a fax number.

Prospective students are invited online to apply for degrees ranging from a high school diploma to a Ph.D. by submitting coursework from any collegiate institution, in addition to work and life experience that may qualify them for the degree.

Canbourneís website lists 14,407 students, mostly outside the United Kingdom, for the 2002-2003 school year ó the most recent year for which it gives figures.

DEFINING ëILLEGALí

But what makes a degree from Canbourne University "illegal" in Texas?

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, in the preface to its illegal degree list, defines a "fraudulent or substandard degree" as one that is issued by a non-accredited institution or one that was certified by an accreditor not recognized by the board.

Section 32.52 of the Texas Penal Code prohibits the use of such degrees to obtain employment or an employment promotion, "regardless of whether the actor receives compensation for the position."

Diploma mills like Canbourne typically are unaccredited schools or colleges that grant relatively worthless diplomas for a fee.

The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree and the organization is motivated by making a profit. These degrees are often awarded based on vaguely construed life experience. Some such organizations claim accreditation by non-recognized / unapproved accrediting bodies set up for the purposes of providing a veneer of authenticity

THE DISTRICT RESPONDS

Administrators receive no additional compensation for having a doctorate under Brownsville school district policy. Teachers, however, earn more for having a Ph.D.

Despite that, the districtís employee handbook does provide for truthful disclosure of credentials.

"It shall be the responsibility of the applicant to furnish accurate information and any falsification of either information or credentials shall be cause for dismissal or refusal to employ," according to the handbook.

Susan Fox, school district human resources administrator, said the Cantus submitted their degrees in 2005, when Johnny Pineda was administrator of the districtís Human Resources Department. Pineda is now superintendent of the Raymondville Independent School District.

Fox said former superintendent Hector Gonzales asked her to check on the degrees in December 2008. She spoke to the Cantus about the questionable nature of the degrees back then, she said, but they continued to use the credentials.

When Springston took over as superintendent, Fox asked him if he wanted her to continue to work on the situation. He told her to proceed.

Charles Lackey, dean of graduate studies at the University of Texas at Brownsville, said diploma mills undermine higher education. He said the university does not accept the fake degrees and checks to ensure prospective students and staff do not try to use them.

"Thereís nothing we can do to prevent people from getting them, but they undermine the integrity of education in the U.S.," Lackey said. "Certainly, UTB discourages people from using this type of thing as an ego booster or to deceive themselves."

De naam universiteit en de Nederlandse graden krijgen een betere bescherming van de overheid. Staatssecretaris Van Bijsterveldt schrijft in een brief aan de Tweede Kamer dat ze de voorbereiding hiertoe inmiddels ter hand heeft genomen.

Nu is het nog zo dat elke instelling die dat wil de naam universiteit, hogeschool of university (of applied science) kan voeren. Ook de bachelor- en mastergraden en titels zijn vrij, zodat iedereen zich bijvoorbeeld Bachelor of Arts (BA) of Master of Science (MSc) kan noemen. Dit leidt tot onduidelijkheid bij studenten en werkgevers, oneerlijke concurrentie en regelrechte diplomafraude.

Om hier een einde aan te maken wil Van Bijsterveldt de naam universiteit reserveren voor instellingen die erkend zijn op grond van de Nederlandse wet. Titels en graden mogen dan alleen worden afgegeven door opleidingen die zijn geaccrediteerd door de Nederlands Vlaamse Accreditatie Organisatie (NVAO). Personen mogen de Nederlandse titels alleen gebruiken als ze zijn verleend door geaccrediteerde opleidingen.

Onderzoek heeft aangetoond dat een verbod op het dragen van de naam universiteit door een instelling die deze naam niet verdient, goed mogelijk is. In de onderzochte gebieden (Vlaanderen, Baden-W¸rttemberg, Noordrijn-Westfalen, Oostenrijk, Verenigd Koninkrijk en AustraliÎ) gebeurt dit al. Een uitzondering wordt gemaakt voor buitenlandse instellingen in Nederland die in het eigen land erkend zijn, en de titels en graden van een dergelijke instelling.

---

Google translation:

The name and the Dutch university degrees have better protection from the government. Secretary Of Bijsterveldt wrote in a letter to the House that they do now to prepare has undertaken.

It is still true that any institution that is the name of university, college or university (or Applied Science) can perform. The bachelor's and master's degrees and titles are free, so everyone such as Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Master of Science (MSc) can call. This leads to confusion among students and employees, unfair competition and outright fraud diploma.

To find an end to them will of Bijsterveldt the name of university reserved for institutions approved under Dutch law. Titles and degrees may only be issued by programs that are accredited by the Dutch Flemish Accreditation Organization (NVAO). Persons Dutch titles may only be used if they are provided by accredited training.

Research has shown that a ban on wearing the name of university by an institution of that name does not deserve the best. In the investigated regions (Flanders, Baden-W¸rttemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Austria, UK and Australia) this is done al. An exception is made for foreign bodies in the Netherlands in the country recognized, and the titles and degrees of such an institution.

A month after West Linn city councilors censured her for unprofessional conduct, a state official contends West Linn Mayor Patti Galle may have broken Oregon law by presenting a nonaccredited "degree mill" certificate as a legitimate college degree.

The Oregon attorney general's office is investigating, but Alan Contreras, administrator of the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization, which is charged with monitoring candidates' postsecondary accreditations, said there is no wiggle room in assessing Galle's purported English degree from Redding University.

"It is a total fake," Contreras said "It's a civil violation for which she can be fined."

Galle did not return phone calls seeking comment. Her attorney, Jeffrey Seymour, said Tuesday he was not familiar with the law cited by Contreras and that he and Galle believe she will be found innocent of any wrongdoing.

The controversy, the latest for West Linn's first-term mayor, involves Voters' Pamphlet material Galle submitted before the 2008 general election. Among other accomplishments, Galle listed "degreed in English with emphasis on teaching."

Under Oregon law, it's a class B misdemeanor for someone to assert in an official document such as the Voters' Pamphlet that they have received a postsecondary degree unless it comes from an accredited institution.

$395 degree

Redding University appears to exist primarily as a Web site, advertising diplomas in 48 fields awarded for four years of work/life experience related to a major.

"Please do not get the impression that by simply applying, you will qualify for a Ph.D. in a field that you have no knowledge of or experience in," according to the Web site. "On the other hand, if you have a substantial amount of life or work experience, you might qualify for every degree available."

A bachelor's degree costs $395, with master's and doctorates going for $425 and $475, respectively. Frames and shipping are extra.

This isn't the first time an Oregon elected official has run into trouble over Voters' Pamphlet statements, which by law must be truthful and accurate.

Former Oregon Rep. Wes Cooley was convicted in 1997 of claiming that he had served in Korea. In fact, he never left the United States. He was sentenced to two years' probation, ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service. And in 1984, voters swiftly recalled then-Rep. Pat Gillis after he stated, incorrectly, that he had earned a master's degree.

In Galle's case, her attorney maintains that the mayor's Voters' Pamphlet statements were truthful.

Redding University may not be accredited in the same way that Oregon State University and the University of Oregon are," Seymour said, "but she has a college degree in English. That's what she said in the Voters' Pamphlet and it's true."

He added that Galle is not required to have a degree of any kind to hold the office of West Linn mayor.

"She could have an eighth-grade education and it wouldn't make any difference at all," Seymour said. "We believe that, in the end, this will work out in her favor."

The secretary of state's office first began reviewing the matter after receiving an inquiry. The office's elections division, after meeting with Galle and Seymour, referred the matter to the state Department of Justice.

Tony Green, an attorney general's spokesman, declined to elaborate on the investigation or say when it might be concluded.

String of accusations

The incident is just the latest roiling of West Linn City Hall, where the embattled mayor has rarely been seen in months.

The Feb. 8 censure resolution, passed by a 3-0 vote, claimed, among other things, that Galle has violated the confidentiality of executive sessions, exhibited unprofessional behavior, created a hostile work environment and filed false allegations about city officials to the Oregon attorney general's office.

Galle, in turn, ended up asking the state attorney general to look into allegations of what she called corruption in West Linn. After reviewing Galle's allegations, the attorney general's office rejected her claims

State officials seize West Linn Mayor Patti Galle's computer during search, Yuxing Zheng,, West Linn, Oregon, The Oregonian, April 2, 2010.

Oregon Department of Justice officials seized West Linn Mayor Patti Galle's computer from City Hall on Thursday afternoon as part of their ongoing investigation into whether Galle knowingly provided false information on her Voters' Pamphlet statement.

State justice officials arrived at City Hall around 4 p.m. Thursday with a search warrant, said Kirsten Wyatt, city spokeswoman. Galle also notified City Hall that the investigators had been at her house.

"City staff is unaware of the details of the investigation," Wyatt said.

The justice officials also requested the city to back up e-mails, she said.

A state official with the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization said last month that Galle may have broken Oregon law by presenting a nonaccredited "degree mill" certificate as a legitimate college degree.

Alan Contreras, administrator of the agency, which is charged with monitoring candidates' postsecondary accreditations, said there is no wiggle room in assessing Galle's purported English degree from Redding University.

Galle had listed a '"College Degree in English" under the educational background portion of her Voters' Pamphlet statement. In an August 2008 form she filed to run for mayor, Galle listed she was "degreed in English with emphasis on teaching." She did not name a school in either situation.

Under Oregon law, it's a class B misdemeanor for someone to assert in an official document such as the Voters' Pamphlet that they have received a postsecondary degree unless it comes from an accredited institution.

The investigation is just the latest in a series of disruptions involving West Linn officials. On Feb. 8, city councilors accused the mayor of unprofessional behavior and other problems, and asked her to make changes or resign. Galle has asked everyone from the state attorney general to the FBI to investigate what she called corruption in West Linn government.

West Linn Mayor Patti Galle resigns amid state investigation, Yuxing Zheng,, West Linn, Oregon, The Oregonian, April 17, 2010.

West Linn Mayor Patti Galle resigned late Friday afternoon, two days after The Oregonian detailed court records indicating Galle bought a college degree online and backdated the diploma to support campaign claims that she was "degreed in English."

Patti Galle"I believe that it is in the best interest of the city of West Linn and all concerned parties that I tender my resignation as mayor, effective immediately," she wrote in an e-mail to City Manager Chris Jordan at 5:05 p.m. Friday. "I do this with much regret, but I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve the citizens of the city."

Galle also said she had sent to City Hall a certified parcel containing a signed copy of her resignation, office keys and a debit card.

The West Linn City Council will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Monday to discuss how to proceed.

"We will research and prepare information for the City Council to review on Monday, and at that time the Council will decide how to address the vacancy," Jordan said.

The Oregon Department of Justice is investigating whether Galle misrepresented her education credentials when she claimed she was "degreed in English with an emphasis on teaching" while filing to run for mayor in 2008.

Knowingly making false statements on an official election document is a Class C felony punishable by as much as five years in prison and a $125,000 fine.

"The investigation is still ongoing" despite Galle's resignation, Tony Green, a Justice Department spokesman, said late Friday.

Galle and her attorney, Jeffrey Seymour, did not return messages seeking comment Friday evening.

The criminal investigation is the latest in a series of disruptions involving West Linn officials.

On Feb. 8, city councilors censured Galle, accusing her of unprofessional behavior and asking her to make changes or resign.

Galle previously had asked the state attorney general and the FBI to investigate what she called corruption in the West Linn government. The attorney general's office found no basis for Galle's allegations.

On April 1, state investigators searched Galle's home and city office and seized two laptop computers, a cell phone, the diploma and financial records. Galle quietly cleaned out her city office April 10.

The Oregon Department of Justice disclosed preliminary findings of its investigation to a Clackamas County judge last month when it requested the search warrants.

According to the affidavit, Galle's diploma from Redding University was dated 1973, but investigators said the "diploma mill" operation was not established until 2003. Court records indicate investigators also seized a computer receipt showing Galle bought the diploma Feb. 12 of this year.

Representatives of Redding University told investigators that Galle had applied for a degree Feb. 5, according to court documents. The university awards degrees in 48 fields based on life and work experience.

A week later, Galle paid Redding University for an associate of arts degree, which Redding's website lists as costing $375.

The Oregon secretary of state originally launched the investigation of Galle's education credentials after receiving a citizen complaint in January 2009. It forwarded the case to the attorney general's office in March

For only $963, anyone can get a high school diploma, an associate degree and a bachelor's degree based solely on "life experience."

The problem? All three degrees are fake.

With 53 diploma mills -- organizations that issue bogus degrees -- Texas ranks fifth in the United States, according to the British company Verifile, which tracks diploma mills. California tops the country with 134 companies, followed by Hawaii, Washington and Florida.

Some mills issue medical and other degrees that help individuals land jobs that could put people's lives at risk, according to a report co-written by Eyal Ben Cohen, Verifile's managing director.

Others worry that fake diplomas could provide terrorists an entryway into the United States.

Diploma mills tend to locate in areas with the least regulation, Cohen said. And they have become an international, $100 million-plus annual business, with the United States at the epicenter, he said

People only need to tap into online job networking sites to see the evidence.

"The threat is huge," Cohen said. "If you go to LinkedIn and do a search, you will find thousands of people who happily are boasting that they have an education from diploma mills."

Price list

Verifile defines diploma mills as mostly online companies that offer degrees without the legal authority to grant them. Prices range from $100 to thousands of dollars. Some will grant a "degree" based on a rÈsumÈ detailing life experience and let applicants choose their majors and year of graduation. Others might ask applicants to write an essay, Cohen said.

Belford University, for example, will give students a bachelor's degree based on life experience for $449 and a doctoral degree for $549. Majors include civil and aerospace engineering, psychiatry and medicine, according to Belford's Web site. Package deals are also available, such as a high school diploma, an associate's degree and a bachelor's degree for $963.

Belford claims on its Web site to be accredited by the International Accreditation for Online Universities, which Cohen said is not a recognized accreditation agency. Belford states it will provide complete verification of a student's credentials by phone should an employer need them.

As is typical of such schools, Cohen said, the school provides no address, just a phone number. The Better Business Bureau places the school in Humble, north of Houston.

Ashwood University's Web site says that there's "no need to take admission exams, no need to study." You can "receive a college degree for what you already know!" Ashwood claims to be accredited by the World Online Education Accrediting Commission and the Board of Online Universities Accreditation, neither of which is recognized by the U.S. Education Department. The school has a mailbox listing in Humble, according to the Better Business Bureau

A bachelor's degree can be obtained for four years of life experience relevant to the major, according to Ashwood's Web site. A doctorate requires eight. Lifetime experience includes job experience in any field, military training, educational achievements and "independent reading, viewing, listening or writing," the Web site says.

A bachelor's degree costs $479, a doctorate, $599. The bachelor's degree recipient receives 10 documents: one "accredited degree," two transcripts, four verification letters, an award of excellence, a certificate of distinction and a certificate of membership, the Web site states. A 3.0 grade-point average (a B average) is free. A 3.9 or 4.0 GPA costs an extra $60.

"If you know anything about education, you would know that education is not something [for which] you only need your credit card number," Cohen said.

Dire consequences

The danger is that not all employers take the necessary steps to verify a degree's authenticity, Cohen said. Sometimes they just look at the document that states a person has a bachelor's degree, or they call the "university" and get confirmation that indeed a person "graduated" from it. Sometimes diploma mills give their university a name similar to those of legitimate schools.

The reputable Regis University in Denver, for example, sued in 2004, alleging that the diploma mill St. Regis University and its principals infringed on its trademark. The lawsuit was settled when the defendants agreed to cease using "St. Regis" or any name that could cause confusion with Regis University, said Donnie Veasey, Regis' director of media relations.

The deception about a person's education can have dire consequences. In North Carolina, a Laurence Perry created a doctor's office, wore a white coat and collected bogus credentials to convey that he was a legitimate medical professional, said Sam Constance, a former investigator for the Buncombe County Sheriff's Department.

In 2002, Perry was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and practicing medicine without a license in North Carolina and sentenced to 12-15 months in prison, according to court documents. He was accused of telling the mother of an 8-year-old diabetic girl, Helena Rose Kolitwenzew, to stop her insulin treatments. The girl died Oct. 21, 1999, from diabetic ketoacidosis. The complication occurs when the body cannot use sugar as a fuel source because it has no insulin or not enough insulin.

In Texas, David Karam of El Paso claimed that he had a medical degree from the St. Luke School of Medicine, a diploma mill with ties to California and the West African countries of Ghana and Liberia, said George Gollin, a physics professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who researches diploma mills.

In a 2004 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Bio-Life Labs claimed that it had acquired exclusive rights from Karam to "Carcinoderm, a topical ointment that destroys skin cancer cells" without harming the surrounding healthy tissue. The statement says that Bio-Life paid Karam $250,000 plus company stock valued at $29,610. Another filing listed Karam as director of doctoral programs and an adjunct professor in neurosciences at St. Luke and said he received "his Doctor of Medicine degree from St. Luke School of Medicine."

Karam could not be reached for comment. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved no drug known as Carcinoderm, FDA spokeswoman Erica Jefferson said. A 2007 SEC report says Bio-Life "has not engaged in any material business operations for approximately the last two years." The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board lists St. Luke's as having no accreditation from a recognized authority and notes that it was disowned by the Liberian government.

'Lack of oversight'

So why are these diploma companies allowed to operate? Texas law bans the use of fraudulent or substandard degrees "in a written or oral advertisement or other promotion of a business; or with the intent to: obtain employment; obtain a license or certificate to practice a trade, profession, or occupation." Violations are considered a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by a fine up to $2,000 and 180 days in jail.

Diploma mills are also subject to fines. Under state law, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board must identify the company and then refer the case to the Texas attorney general's office. The attorney general then can file a lawsuit, seeking penalties of up to $1,000 a day for each violation.

The Coordinating Board knows of no diploma mills currently operating in Texas. In January, the board sent a letter to Ashwood but did not receive a response, agency spokesman Andy Kesling said. The letter to Belford was returned, address unknown, but the agency has sent another letter after identifying a potential Houston address, Kesling said. The attorney general's office reported that no case had been referred in recent memory.

Diploma mills change locations all the time, Cohen said.

"The authorities should go after the money, not the addresses," he said. "In the same way as they track down the money trail helping terrorists, they should do with these institutions. They have bank accounts; they accept credit cards."

Cohen expressed hope for a bill introduced Jan. 27 by U.S. Rep. Tim Bishop, D-N.Y., that would give the Federal Trade Commission authority to shut down diploma mills nationwide. The FTC would help make the rules. Aside from having unqualified people in crucial jobs, Bishop notes, diploma mills bring the risk that foreigners, possibly including terrorists, can get student visas or visas for sought-after job skills to get into the United States.

"It's all a sham," Bishop said. "If it's all a sham, that really leaves us very exposed."

Bishop notes a 2004 Government Accountability Office investigation of a sample of federal employees that found 463 held degrees from diploma mills and other unaccredited universities. The investigation also found that federal agencies paid more than $150,000 in tuition for fake degrees on behalf of federal employees. Employees simply submitted requests for reimbursement, said Andrew O'Connell, the GAO official who oversaw the investigation.

"It's just a lack of oversight," O'Connell said. "I don't think a whole lot has changed."

A lifelong con man imprisoned in Wisconsin worked with associates outside the walls to operate a suspected diploma mill that was recruiting students for at least two years until authorities uncovered the scheme, The Associated Press has learned.

Kenneth Shong, 44, helped to run "Carlingford University" while he was behind bars, according to interviews and documents obtained by AP through the state open records law. Prison authorities uncovered the scheme in late 2008, but Carlingford's Web site was taken down only this month after AP interviewed its designer.

The school was apparently just a phony moneymaking venture, according to state regulators. Its Web site claimed Carlingford had an office in Mobile, Ala., and a "regional training center" in Green Bay, but both were merely post office boxes.

Web designer Brian Truckey acknowledged in an interview that he ran Carlingford's Web site and that it contained inaccurate information he was told to post. He said Shong, an inmate at Racine Correctional Institute whose criminal career has spanned the globe, was in charge.

"We don't move forward until I get instructions from him," said Truckey, president of a small business in Green Bay called Serpent Technologies.

But Truckey insisted Carlingford was largely legitimate and added he was earning a graduate degree in exchange for running the site, which he said was his "thesis." Hours after the interview, the site was suspended.

Higher education regulators in Wisconsin and Alabama had already sent letters to Carlingford representatives asking them to cease and desist operations.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into Carlingford, which boasted of "delivering knowledge at the speed of thought" and offering degrees that were accepted worldwide.

"It has become apparent that Carlingford University is likely part of a criminal scheme being conducted by one or more inmates or ex-inmates," David Dies, executive secretary of the Wisconsin Educational Approval Board, wrote DOJ last year in asking for the probe.

The investigation comes as Wisconsin lawmakers consider a bill that would make it easier for prosecutors to press charges against so-called diploma mills and their customers. The bill would make it a crime to issue and use false academic credentials.

Shong, who has several aliases, including Kenneth Onapolis, has not been charged in connection with Carlingford. But he was put in isolation for 45 days as punishment after prison officials uncovered his role in late 2008 by reading his mail.

A prison investigation found Shong's main partner was David Kaster, a convicted sex offender he met while serving time. Kaster, a former high school swimming coach convicted of sexually assaulting female students, was released in 2007.

He wrote to Shong on Carlingford letterhead to discuss plans to set tuition rates, design degrees and class rings for "CU" and spend money to advertise online.

At least three inmates applied to Carlingford while the prison was investigating and Kaster cashed two $35 checks covering their initial fees. The prison stopped payment on the third. Kaster also contacted groups to market the school to other inmates, the investigation found. It's unclear how many, if any, diplomas were issued or how much the scheme netted.

Investigators obtained a letter sent from Carlingford's "dean of students," another Shong associate, that congratulated inmate Kenneth Fleming for being admitted and noted he had paid $1,740 to enroll.

"Should I just send Fleming a course completion certificate with his 'grades' for the last course he took?" Kaster asked Shong in one letter. "He is looking for something like that."

Fleming wrote to an investigator last year that he considered himself a victim of the scheme and wanted restitution.

Kaster could not be reached for comment, but authorities ordered him to not have any contact with Shong or anyone associated with Carlingford.

In a telephone interview from prison, Shong acknowledged that he had advised others on how to run Carlingford but downplayed his role in the scheme.

"I would not say I'm the driving force behind anything," he said.

He claimed Carlingford was part of a legitimate London-based outfit that offered academic degrees around the world, a claim the prison investigation found untrue. Its London address was an empty storefront, it found.

Shong has been convicted of bank fraud, theft and other financial crimes and has a history of "outwitting, outplaying and outlasting authorities," as one judge wrote in 2005. After years on the run, he was captured by U.S. marshals in Vanuatu, a small island near Australia, in 2002 and returned to the United States to face federal fraud and tax evasion charges.

After his prison term ended, Wisconsin authorities brought him back to finish serving a 12-year sentence on a 1989 sentence on forgery charges. He had escaped while on parole in 1993.

Department of Justice spokesman Bill Cosh declined comment on the investigation. But Dies said investigators were poring through "a fairly large volume of material" they obtained, including bank records.

At a court hearing in 1989, Dane County prosecutor Ann Sayles said Shong used fake checks, obtained bank credit to buy an expensive car, and defrauded companies to buy plane tickets under a fake name. She called him "a professional con man" and said his shady business activities were continuing in jail. "I'm not so certain," she said, "the public is safe even with him in prison."

The New York Times published a story this week exposing the loose regulations governing the certification of medical equipment inspectors.

Norman Fenton, a well-respected medical physicist, spent three decades inspecting radiological equipment, developing safety procedures, drawing up shielding plans for X-ray rooms and teaching other professionals. He also assisted in the prosecution of Perry Beale a man who used fake credentials to pose as a medical physicist at more than 50 medical facilities, reports the Times.

In 2007, John L. Brownlee, the United States attorney who had used Fenton to help incriminate the imposter, received information that Fenton had actually bought his undergraduate degree from an online diploma mill. Despite claims that he received more than 700 hours of classroom instruction over 25 years, Fenton never formally got his undergraduate degree.

Both Fenton and Beale are currently serving prison sentences for providing false credentials to comply with a federal law that requires certification for inspecting medical equipment.

In response to the fraud cases, the state of Virginia now requires a bachelor's degree for placement on the state's approved list of medical physicists; a high school diploma was required before.

The warning bells were going off everywhere, but no one seemed to care.

Ontario's College of Psychologists had a complaint as far back as July 2008 about a Whitby man now charged with fraud for impersonating a psychologist in court during child custody battles.

But the College only recently decided to "caution" Greg Carter after accusations he was making diagnoses ó even though his registration prevented him from doing so ó and calling himself a doctor.

Carter is registered with the College as a psychological associate with a master's degree, and not a psychologist with a recognized doctorate in psychology. Instead, he has a PhD from Pacific Western University, the now-defunct school that awarded degrees based on "life experience" and was branded a "diploma mill" in a report by the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs.

"Mr. Carter has made frequent use of the title 'Doctor' in his reports and correspondence," agreed the College in their decision of May 2009, almost a year after the initial complaint. "He should ensure that his letterhead, business cards and signature blocks in his report and correspondence do not make any reference to the title "Doctor."

The woman who brought the first of at least three known complaints to the College lost sole custody of her daughter in April 2008 after Carter ó accepted by family court in Durham as a qualified psychologist ó submitted a report saying her child suffered from a "mild to moderate oppositional defiant disorder" and that her mom is a "remarkably narcissistic individual."

His diagnosis of narcissism is one popular with Carter ó he made it in at least two other disputes where the court removed sole custody.

Durham Regional Police charged Carter, 63, with fraud, obstructing justice and perjury. He also faces a charge of professional misconduct by the College.

"Carter will respond to these allegations in court and it will be clear that he never did anything to mislead anyone," says lawyer Gregory Lafontaine.

"His work was good work and was far from the only evidence that led to the results in the court cases at issue.

"An obvious concern is that the publicity surrounding these charges will encourage false allegations by losing parties who try to profit from this tragedy by using it to attack the results in their own cases," he says.

Sandra insists she should never have lost custody of her daughter based on the assessment of a man everyone in court believed was a qualified psychologist.

After she'd accused her ex-husband of sexually molesting the child, she thought Carter was being paid $10,000 by CAS to determine the safety of their daughter, not to determine who should get custody.

At the time, the little girl lived full-time with Sandra while her father had supervised access. But after "Dr. Carter's" damning assessment was entered into court, Sandra's daughter was suddenly placed solely in her dad's care, with the mom allowed to visit every second weekend.

"They ripped her out of my home," says the broken woman. "If I was on drugs or alcohol or mistreating her, I would understand. I'm a good mom. This should never have happened. How could they just take your kid just because this guy said so?"

Carter told the court Sandra should lose custody because she encouraged her daughter's alienation from her father and the child was too attached to her.

So naturally, the good "doctor" recommended wrenching the little girl away.

It was only after exhausting all her savings ó again, a refrain repeated by the others affected by his assessments ó that Sandra won more access, so she's now with her 47% of the time.

"I'm broke or I'd still be fighting for more," she says.

In the meantime, she launched her complaint with the College after being shocked to discover the man who cost her custody of her daughter was not the psychologist everyone in court assumed he was.

"Nobody checked," Sandra says angrily. "It's meant three years that have messed up my life. How do you get compensated for that? What are they going to do for my daughter?"

Wisconsin International University could be forced to change its name. So might Heed University. And a job applicant who recently tried to claim a phony degree from Madison Business College could be criminally prosecuted.

State lawmakers are considering a bill that would crack down on the manufacture and use of phony academic credentials in Wisconsin by criminalizing both practices. It would also prohibit unauthorized schools from using the words "college," "university," "state" or "Wisconsin" in their names.

The goal is to stop the spread of diploma mills, which essentially sell phony academic degrees to students who perform little work. Higher education officials say such outfits pop up occasionally in Wisconsin, and the bill would give regulators and law enforcement officials more power to stop them.

What's more, the bill would allow employers to more easily fire and press criminal charges against workers who use fake credentials to get jobs, bonuses and professional licenses. Supporters say the bill would ensure Wisconsin does not become a haven for diploma mills as they are driven out of other states.

"I think it's a problem everywhere in the country and yes, in Wisconsin, too," said former University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor John Wiley. He said diploma mills undermine confidence in higher education and help unqualified people get jobs as engineers, accountants, and even doctors.

The Assembly's colleges and universities committee will hold a hearing on the bill Wednesday.

If approved by the Legislature, Wisconsin would become the 12th state to make it a crime to use a bogus academic degree, said George Gollin, a University of Illinois professor who is an expert on the issue.

The problem is also getting attention nationally.

A bill introduced in Congress last month with bipartisan support would prohibit the federal government from hiring anyone with bogus credentials and give the Federal Trade Commission more power to regulate diploma mills.

Wisconsin regulators say they've had problems taking action in the few such cases they've investigated.

David Dies, executive secretary of the Educational Approval Board, said the law could give his agency the power to force Florida-based Wisconsin International University to change its name. Regulators have succeeded in convincing the university to stop using pictures of Milwaukee on its Web site and add a disclaimer that it is not connected to UW.

"The name still gives this image to foreign students and others that somehow Wisconsin has endorsed this school," he said.

Dies said he believed the school was "on the borderline" of being a diploma mill.

John Buuck, the university's president, disputed that notion, saying he started the school to promote higher education and form partnerships in countries including Estonia and Ghana. He said he kept the Wisconsin name because that's where he originally founded the school in the 1990s.

Buuck said the school never granted degrees to U.S. students and was turning over its programs to overseas partners. He said he had no problem with the Wisconsin bill because "we're phasing out anyway."

"And if it's an issue that someone thinks there's some confusion there, we could easily change the name," he said.

Dies said his agency has also investigated suspected diploma mill Heed University, which lists Milwaukee as its location on one of its Web sites. He said it is unclear whether the school, which offered degrees in law, business and other fields, remains active. No one returned a phone message left at a number on its site.

The bill would help employers take action when they are burned by employees with fake credentials. One business recently called the approval board to check an applicant's claim that he had a degree from Madison Business College, a once-legitimate school that closed in the 1990s.

Dies said his agency immediately knew it was a fake credential because the transcript and college seal looked nothing like the originals.

"Somebody paid an online service to generate a fake transcript," Dies said. Under the bill, that would be a misdemeanor that carries up to 9 months in jail.

REP. BISHOP ANNOUNCES BILL TO STOP DIPLOMA MILLS, from Congressman Bishop's web site, January 28, 2010.

Washington, DCóToday Congressman Tim Bishop (D-NY) unveiled new legislation to shut down fraudulent "Diploma Mills" across the country. These fraudulent businesses market worthless degrees, tricking students out of hard-earned dollars and deceiving employers by falsely claiming an attained level of skill or achievement. Moreover, diploma mills create critical issues of personal and national security via their issuance of fraudulent scientific degrees that can be utilized to obtain entrance visas into the United States.

"Diploma mills have proliferated rapidly in recent years, creating dangerous vulnerabilities to our national security, while simultaneously undermining legitimate American institutions of higher education," said Bishop, a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, who has worked on this issue for several years. "The Federal government can do more to protect the American public by preventing the expansion of these fraudulent enterprises. This is why I introduced the Diploma and Accreditation Integrity Protection Act."

During the press conference, Dr. George Gollin, a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, told how he aided a federal investigation into a multimillion dollar diploma mill called "St. Regis University," which ran a network of bogus universities and fake government agencies.

"We learned that St. Regis had sold ten thousand degrees to customers in over a hundred countries," said Dr. Gollin. "We do not want untrained engineers designing our airliners or untrained physicians running pharmaceutical research programs. And we certainly do not want our children taught by teachers with purchased credentials."

"CHEA applauds this legislation as a measure to protect the integrity of credentials offered by legitimate institutions, which will benefit students and employers," said Judith Eaton, President of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. "We need this legislation. This is legislation that everyone should support."

An alarming Government Accountably Office investigation of the credentials of a sampling of Federal employees revealed that, of the Federal employees selected for examination, 463 Federal employees held degrees from diploma mills and other unaccredited universities. The investigation also found that federal agencies have paid more than $150,000 in tuition payments to diploma mills and other unaccredited universities on behalf of Federal employees. More recently, an investigation undertaken in 2008 by federal authorities, including the Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security, discovered that at least 20 military personnel and an additional 10 federal employees either pursued or attained degrees from unaccredited diploma mills.

Diploma mills are clearly not a new problem; however expansion can be traced to inconsistent laws across states as well as to technological advances, such as the Internet and electronic mail. Recent criminal investigations of suspected diploma mills have exposed a tangled web of fraudulent behavior spanning across state lines and the United States border.

To prevent the expansion of these fraudulent enterprises, yesterday Rep. Bishop introduced the Diploma and Accreditation Integrity Protection Act (HR 4535) to

• Legally define what it means to be a degree-granting institution
• Legally define what it means to be a legitimate accrediting agency
• Grant additional authority to the FTC to crack down on diploma mills.

The bipartisan legislation is cosponsored by Reps. Michael Castle (R-DE) and Betty McCollum (D-MN).

Background:

This WHNT/CBS investigative series provides further information on the dangers of Diploma Mills: http://www.whnt.com/news/whnt-fake-diplomas-soldiers-51209,0,5264841.story.

This Wired Magazine story details Dr. Gollin's involvement in the St. Regis investigation: http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/12/ff_fake_physics/.

The press conference was held during the 2010 CHEA Annual Conference and International Seminar in Washington, D.C. More than 300 participants from 32 countries met to hear leaders from government, U.S. and international higher education institutions, accrediting organizations and higher education associations address a range of issues including accreditation, quality assurance and accountability; combating degree mills and accreditation mills; and quality assurance practices in countries around the world.

Also:

New Bill in Congress Would Make Diploma Mills a Federal Concern, Tom Bartlett, Chronicle of Higher Education, January 28, 2010.

People buy fake college degrees and use them to get jobs and, in some cases, visas. It's a problem that some states have tackled but that, for the most part, the federal government hasn't addressed.

Rep. Timothy H. Bishop has been trying for years to change that. Today the New York Democrat announced that he had introduced the Diploma and Accreditation Integrity Protection Act (HR 4535), a bill that would define diploma mills and accreditation mills. It also would instruct the Federal Trade Commission to take action against entities that fit those definitions and to report its findings to the Department of Education. The bill has two co-sponsors: Betty McCollum, a Democrat of Minnesota, and Michael N. Castle, a Republican of Delaware.

Representative Bishop has been pushing for such a bill since 2005. That's when a Government Accountability Office investigation found that more than 400 federal employees held degrees from unaccredited colleges. At one point, legislation to reauthorize the Higher Education Act contained language similar to that found in Mr. Bishop's bill, but that provision was later stripped out. Representative Bishop said he had no idea why anyone would object to cracking down on diploma mills.

So why is Mr. Bishop interested in the issue? In part, he said, it stems from his background in academe ó he is a former provost of Southampton College of Long Island University. "I know how hard people work to earn their credentials," he said.

The news conference at which the bill was announced was held during the Council for Higher Education Accreditation's annual conference...

Taking Aim at Diploma Mills, Doug Lederman, Inside Higher Ed, January 29, 2010.

It's not easy to find fans of diploma mills -- advocates for institutions that award bogus degrees for no work don't tend to make their feelings known in polite company. But in the United States and abroad, the phony diploma industry has remained remarkably resilient, fed by often weak regulatory oversight, a ready market of workers looking for easily attained credentials needed for career advancement -- and, not unimportantly, unclear definitions of what a degree mill is that can make it difficult to crack down on them even when they are prosecuted.

While they portrayed it as far from a panacea, a U.S. Congressman and several supporters unveiled legislation Thursday that aims to make at least some progress on all of those fronts. The bill, sponsored by Reps. Timothy Bishop (D-N.Y.) and Michael Castle (R-Del.), would (1) cement in federal law definitions of "diploma mills" and "accreditation mills" (the unauthorized agencies from which the phony institutions claim to derive their authority to operate), (2) bar federal agencies from using degrees from diploma mills to provide jobs or promotions that depend on candidates' educational credentials, and (3) give the Federal Trade Commission more authority to define and crack down on deceptive practices by dubious institutions.

"We have an obligation to see to it that people have confidence in our institutions, particularly our institutions of higher education, and in the credentials they provide," Bishop said Thursday at an international forum sponsored by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, which has undertaken a series of efforts to rein in unauthorized colleges and degrees. "I don't presume that our bill will solve all the problems," but it's a start, said the New York representative, a longtime administrator at Southampton University, on Long Island.

Defining the exact scope of the diploma mill "industry" and the extent of the havoc it wreaks is difficult precisely because of the underground nature of many of the institutions, which one audience member at Thursday's meeting described as "chameleon-like" and another compared to the "Shmoo," the L'il Abner characters that "multiplied at such an incredible rate." George Gollin, a physics professor who has developed a growing side interest in unaccredited degree-granting institutions and advised Bishop, estimated that such entities award as many as 200,000 credentials a year and that the federal government spends roughly $300 million a year on raises alone for employees who got jobs or promotions using fraudulent degrees or certificates...

Assembly bill A-3671 doesn't have one of those catchy names sometimes attached to legislation. If it did, it should be called the "H. James Wasser Fake Ph.D. Prevention Act." On Monday, the final day of the lame-duck session, both the Assembly and Senate versions of the bill are expected to be voted on and ó thankfully ó approved.

Co-sponsored by Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande, R-Monmouth, it would prohibit school employees from receiving tuition assistance or compensation for either academic credits or completion of a degree unless certain conditions are met, including the blindingly obvious ones: namely, that the institution has to be an authorized institution of higher education, not one that sells degrees out of the back of a pick-up truck, and that coursework and degrees have to be related to the employee's current or future job responsibilities.

Casagrande has introduced an additional bill, to be taken up in the next legislative session, that would expand these rules to all public employees. That, too, deserves passage.

The shame of it is that such laws are necessary at all. Educators, of all people, should be models of dedicated scholarship and not shy away from the hard work necessary to obtain an advanced degree. And school boards and superintendents shouldn't be reimbursing teachers or administrators for college work that isn't directly related to what they are, or will be, doing as educators. But then along came the discovery in 2008 that Freehold Regional High School District Superintendent H. James Wasser and several current and former staff members received doctoral degrees from a dollars-for-degrees diploma mill.

There will always be those who are tempted, like Wasser and his ilk, to take the easy way out. This bill will deny them any such opportunity.

DEGREE mills that churn out 'graduates' at the drop of a hat are the sort of dodgy outfits we link with shadier parts of the world, but the problem is a lot closer to home and threatens to harm Singapore's name as an education centre.

Small as it is, the country appears six times on a list compiled by Oregon's Office of Degree Authorisation (ODA).

The American state has strict laws regarding the use of qualifications from unaccredited institutions and those dubbed 'degree mills' or 'degree suppliers'. It requires that a person's business cards, CV and letterhead declare if his degree is from an unaccredited university.

The term - degree or diploma mill - has been used in the United States and around the world to refer to 'substandard or fraudulent colleges that offer potential students degrees with little or no serious work'. They range from those which are simple frauds - an address to which people send money in exchange for a degree - to those that require some nominal work from the student but do not require the college-level study normally required for a degree.

Oregon's laws make its list one of the most comprehensive compiled by a state government body in the United States.

It names six institutions here as offering unaccredited qualifications: Cranston University, Templeton University, Trident University of Technology, Vancouver University Worldwide, Westmore University and Lee Community College.

Names of institutions go on the list if there are queries made by members of the public. Checks are carried out on the status of the university both in the US and with foreign governments before they are put on the list.

Checks by The Straits Times found that Westmore University's website is hosted by a company operating out of Science Park.

Vancouver University Worldwide, which was ordered to be shut by the Canadian government two years ago, had offered its courses here for a few years.

Several insurance industry professionals have MBAs, while some even have doctorates, from the university.

A few Singaporeans were also found to have degrees from Cranston University and Templeton University. Both are listed as online universities, based in Singapore and possibly Nevada.

The Palin School of Arts and Design in Bras Basah lists Trident University of Technology degrees, but Palin officials say that currently they are not offering the degree programme in advertising and design.

ODA's list says Trident was denied approval by the state of Wisconsin and it was never legal in New Jersey as claimed.

But what was surprising was the presence on the list of Lee Community College. The private school has a CaseTrust for Education quality mark and is popular for its diploma courses in counselling and psychology.

The Straits Times found that the school, in Maxwell Road, also offers a degree from the American University for Humanities (AUH), which a staff member said is accredited by the American Academy for Liberal Education.

ODA's website has this to say about the American university: 'New name for American University of Hawaii, which was closed by court order. Operations claiming accreditation from The American Academy for Liberal Education in Lebanon do not meet Oregon legal requirements and degrees are not valid here. Degrees issued from Delaware are not valid in Oregon.'

Although the school has been offering degree courses for years, a check with the Ministry of Education (MOE) revealed that Lee Community College is not approved to offer any external degree programmes.

An MOE spokesman said the matter would be investigated.

It warned that new regulations require all private schools to seek permission from the new statutory board, the Council for Private Education (CPE) before offering external degree programmes, including online programmes.

Non-compliance may lead to deregistration of the private school and prosecution of its officials.

Lee Community College's chief executive, Dr Frederick Toke, said the school spent over $100,000 to seek accreditation for the degree programme, which was from the American University for Humanities in Tbilisi, Georgia.

It was accredited by the American Academy for Liberal Education, a recognised accrediting agency in the US for liberal arts institutions, but was rejected by the MOE.

Dr Toke did not explain why the school continued to offer the degree despite the MOE rejection. He would only say that the school is now seeking MOE approval to run other degree programmes from the US.

Mr Alan Contreras, the administrator for Oregon's ODA, said Singapore never used to feature on the ODA's list.

'The problem Singapore has is that it opened the door to private post-secondary education without establishing a serious governmental oversight process to make those providers prove that they are legitimate,' he said.

'In effect, your government has allowed its name to be used inappropriately because only government authorised colleges can issue genuine degrees.'

Mr Contreras also warned: 'Without enforcement of standards by the government, anything goes. This is why the reputation of degrees issued in Singapore is falling.'

The MOE said that under the new laws that will come into effect by the end of the year, the Council for Private Education will run checks on these claimed partnerships.

'These measures will help ensure that dubious programmes offered by degree mills will not be permitted by CPE to be offered in Singapore,' said the spokesman.

But the new laws have come too late for a 26-year-old who attended evening classes and did course work for over three years for an AUH degree from Lee Community College.

The administrative manager hopes the new laws for private schools will ensure that only valid degrees are offered here.

'I took up the degree because I was interested in a counselling career. I spent more than $20,000 of my hard-earned money to study for the degree. Now I find out that it is worthless.'

It was a piece of paper that was supposed to give Carrie McCluskey a second chance.

Just 10 questions, one week and $250 later, she says the high school diploma stamped with a gold seal was mailed to her Flint home.

Except, she says, it wasn't real.

Now the Baker College student is among three people suing a reported diploma mill in a federal lawsuit to try to shut it down.

"Getting a GED can really help you start your life," said McCluskey, 26, who is studying human resources at Baker. "People who want to give you fake ones are saying they don't care where your life will go. They're just out for your money."

The lawsuit is against www.belfordhighschool.com ó whose controversial diplomas have made national headlines and been called worthless by the Council of Better Business Bureau Inc.

A representative who answered a toll free number for the Humble, Texas-based www.belfordhighschool.com disputed claims that the online school is a scam. The counselor, who identified himself as Dom Wright, said the site does not claim to award GEDs ó it awards actual diplomas based on life experience or testing.

"If this diploma was not accredited or recognized do you think we would still be in business?" Wright asked.

Despite a warning issued by the Better Business Bureau in August that the diplomas awarded by Belford and other online companies weren't worth the paper they were printed on, Wright contended the school has had 87,000 graduates and is accredited by the International Accreditation Agency for Online Universities and the Universal Council for Online Education.

But the Googasian Firm, a Bloomfield Hills-based law firm representing McCluskey and two other students from Arizona and California is calling Belford a "massive rip-off."

McCluskey, who attended Holly High School but never graduated, said she only recently had an opportunity to go back to school.

She was advised that online GEDs were faster and cheaper, so she typed keywords on the Internet ó and that led her to Belford's Web site, which prominently displays the word "GED" on its pages, although it claims it awards actual diplomas.

Her Belford diploma came with a 3.9 GPA.

McCluskey said it was a Baker official who gave her the bad news.

"They told me they couldn't accept that because they had never heard of that school and it wasn't accredited," she said. "I was pretty upset. I had just paid $250 for something, and now I had to pay more. Most people getting their GEDs don't have that kind of money.

"You're trying to move forward and someone out there is trying to make you move backwards. I was doing all this to make a better life for me and my family."

The engaged single mother of two ended up pursuing the GED process again ó this time taking an in-person test at Carman-Ainsworth High School.

Belford's Wright contended that Baker College was among a handful of colleges in Michigan that previously had accepted Belford graduates.

Baker College officials declined comment on Belford and the case but said the college does not accept Belford High School diplomas.

"It is an actual high school diploma that is accredited," Wright said. "If they provide us with the rejection letter, we will give them a refund."

But many local colleges say these types of companies are on their radar.

MCC officials said they didn't have any students in their system that listed Belford as their high school, but diploma mills were a concern.

The University of Michigan-Flint also watches for red flags but officials note that students don't necessarily have to come from a high school with specific accreditation ó some were home-schooled or attended an international school.

Transcripts combined with ACT or SAT scores is what's most important, said admissions director Kimberly Williams.

"It is a concern," Williams said of mills. "But the bigger concern is that students are prepared academically. They have to show us they are prepared for the rigor of our curriculum."

This isn't the first time Belford High School and Belford University ó which is also based in Humble, Texas and also has been accused of selling bogus degrees ó have made the news.

George Gollin, a professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, made headlines last year for his crusade against diploma mills after being offered a doctorate in thoracic surgery at Belford University based on his experience reading newspapers and watching the news.

In 2008, Gollin helped authorities unravel a global operation that led to a list of 9,600 people who possibly purchased phony degrees ó including government employees.

Along with McCluskey, students Evelyn Reisborff of Arizona and Jaime Yanez of California are also named in what could become a class-action lawsuit against Belford.

The lawsuit, which does not ask for a specific dollar amount and demands Belford be shut down, accuses the online school of fraud among other charges

"If you look around the state of our economy, especially in Michigan, people are really hurting," said Dean Googasian, of the Googasian Firm. "A lot of folks are out of work and they're looking for a way to take that first step toward a better job and better life.

"It's frankly offensive that there are people out there willing to just rip off folks who are looking to better themselves and we're hoping to put a stop to it."

Freehold Regional High School District school board has subpoenaed a news organization's Web site for the names of people who have criticized the district leadership in postings.

According to the subpoena, the district wants to identify forum posters before the board in a disciplinary hearing -- an indicator officials are hunting for district employees.

The board is demanding the full name, address and e-mail addresses registered for about 20 user names on the site, New Jersey Online, nj.com.

Listed user names have criticized Schools Superintendent H. James Wasser's obtaining a doctoral degree from an unaccredited online school. The degree had meant the district paid tuition and a $2,500 annual stipend to the superintendent. Some posts also include unconfirmed allegations about Wasser and district officials.

Howell representative William Bruno on the school board said he was in favor of the Aug. 31 subpoena.

"If they have nothing to hide, what's the problem?'' Bruno said.

But residents say this is the last in a line of attempts to intimidate and silence residents, including one residents' claim he was assaulted by a district security guard and the board's refusal to officially extend public speaker time limits from three minutes to five at meetings.

"(District officials) rule by fear and terror and this is part of it,'' said Jim Sage of Marlboro, a frequent critic of the board. "If it's true (a subpoena has been filed) I think this is a waste of taxpayers' money yet again. Is it an attempt to silence the critics? Absolutely.''

Three years ago, an Erie man pledged to pay $75,000 and move his business out of the state to settle investigators' claims that he was running an illegal online diploma mill.

The state Attorney General's Office says the defendant, Dennis J. Globosky, has not kept up his side of the bargain.

Senior Deputy Attorney General Carm Presogna has gone to Erie County Court to ask a judge to cite Globosky for contempt of court and order him to pay $130,035 in civil penalties and costs.

No hearing has been set in the matter.

Globosky, whose last known Erie address was 204 German St., has not filed any response, according to court records.

The case stems from an investigation that began in 2005 and a settlement that was reached in 2007.

The state Attorney General's Office Bureau of Consumer Protection in July 2005 filed a complaint alleging that Globosky was selling bogus degrees online in violation of consumer protection laws, the Private Licensed Schools Act and the Fictitious Names Act.

Investigators claimed that Globosky, through entities called "The University of Berkley" and "The University of Berkley Online," sold bogus online degrees, which cost between $2,065 and $4,995. The degrees were based on life experience rather than exams.

Globosky also provided customers with contact information for their employers to "verify" the authenticity of the degrees, the Attorney General's Office said.

They alleged Globosky made as much as $34 million selling the degrees. Globosky countered that his students did complete a required curriculum before earning their degrees.

To settle the complaint, Globosky agreed in 2007 to no longer conduct business with Pennsylvania residents and to post a notice on his online education Web sites that the operators of the sites were barred from doing business with Pennsylvanians.

He also agreed to pay a civil judgment of $75,000.

The state Attorney General's Office now says that a review of Globosky's several Web sites in November 2008 revealed that three of them failed to post the notice, as required, that the Web site operators were barred from doing business with Pennsylvanians.

Presogna has asked the court to order Globosky to pay a civil penalty of $15,000 for those violations, plus $34,335 to cover the costs of the state's contempt proceedings.

She also said that Globosky has failed to keep up with a schedule to pay the $75,000 judgment entered in 2007.

She wants a judge to order Globosky to pay the arrearage, $30,700, plus a $50,000 civil penalty for failing to make payments on time.

Globosky should not be permitted to operate any business in Pennsylvania or conduct business with Pennsylvania residents until the matter is resolved, the state Attorney General's Office said.

One of the bills signed by the Governor is AB 48 by Assemblymember Anthony Portantino (D-Pasadena) - Private postsecondary education: California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009.

Click here to see the text of the bill

For immediate release: September 28, 2009 (09-155)

Contact:
Media inquiries: Gordon MacCracken, Communications Office 360-236-4072
Public inquiries: Health Systems Customer Service 360-236-4700

State revokes, suspends licenses, certifications, registrations of health care providers

OLYMPIA: The Washington State Department of Health has revoked or suspended the licenses, certifications, or registrations of health care providers in our state. The department has also immediately suspended the credentials of people who have been prohibited from practicing in other states.

The department's Health Systems Quality Assurance Office works with boards, commissions and advisory committees to set licensing standards for more than 70 health care professions (e.g., medical doctors, nurses, counselors).

Information about health care providers is on the agency's Web site. Click on "Provider Credential Search" on the left hand side of the Department of Health home page (www.doh.wa.gov). The site includes information about a health care provider's license status, the expiration and renewal date of their credential, disciplinary actions and copies of legal documents issued after July 1998. This information is also available by calling 360-236-4700. Consumers who think a health care provider acted unprofessionally are also encouraged to call and report their complaint...

Pierce County

...In July 2009 the Registered Counselor and Chemical Dependency Professional Programs indefinitely suspended the credentials of David Charles Larsen (RC.RC.00021390, CDP.CP.00000530). Larsen purchased a Doctor of Psychology degree from St. Regis University, an online "diploma mill". He misrepresented his education and training on a resume he submitted for a counseling position...

In May, WHNT NEWS 19 exposed several people passing off bogus diplomas. They were all connected to the military or missile defense. Chief Investigative Reporter Wendy Halloran broke the story and promised to stay on top of it and get answers for viewers. But in some cases, that has been more challenging than we expected.

You may wonder what's the big deal? There are a lot of reasons. Among them, it's not fair to those people who got degrees the hard way and may have gotten passed over for a promotion by someone who took a shortcut. And, in a field where honesty and integrity are expected - in fact demanded - it's ultimately a breach of trust.

Our investigation exposed enlisted members of the military in Alabama who presented degrees they bought for a fraction of what it really costs and got a return on the investment with an increase in pay grade. Your tax dollars footed that bill.

Sergeant Major Tom Gills of the Army Human Resources Command told us, "To have someone who would go and do something like this sickens me." His office responded swiftly. "I can tell you that what it has caused is a great opportunity for change and we couldn't have done this without your help in discovery," he said.

We turned over more than 200 names to the Army's Human Resources Command. A number we described in our initial report as a "battalion of others who potentially flew under the radar."

Gills said, "One is too many. And, each and every one we're going to identify we're going to turn it over to their commanders for appropriate action."

As a result of our investigation, the Army is examining all records in order to identify soldiers who bought fake degrees and transcripts and turned them over for promotions. They even sent out an all-Army message from the Pentagon to raise awareness and reinforce the Army's standards.

"Each case, it is significant and it just smacks at those core values that we live by," stated Gills.

We also exposed a defense contractor with two bogus degrees.

James Samuelson works for Applied Data Trends and has security clearance. He admitted it was wrong and explained what prompted him to buy the phony credentials.

"To be 100% honest, what prompted me to get it was that my daughter was about to graduate from college and I have dealt with years of being highly experienced and not having a degree," he confessed.

We promised to follow up with his employer. ADT CEO Derrick Copeland sent us a statement which indicated the following:

'ADT has and continues to take appropriate action regarding the situation. On the advice of ADT's legal counsel, ADT does not publically discuss internal matters such as this.'

The probe widened to the Department of the Army civilian side after we exposed Army Aviation and Missile Command's Director of Readiness Chris Oleyte. He bought and used a fake degree in a resume he turned in for a promotion and got.

Our report triggered a Commander's Inquiry at Redstone Arsenal. But, getting straight answers about the Oleyte matter and the 15 other names of AMCOM employees we turned over with questionable credentials has been an uphill battle.

For weeks, we've asked for an interview with Redstone Arsenal's Commanding General Jim Myles. Instead, we received a pre-taped statement from Major General Myles supplied to us on a DVD.

In it, Myles states, "One thing I want to say right up front is that this Command is all about integrity."

We were told by e-mail that the three-minute DVD "appropriately addressed these concerns."

In the DVD, Myles went on to say, " There are no operational security issues surrounding false diplomas that anyone has. There are quite simply none."

We responded, letting them know it didn't answer all of our questions and in some cases fueled even more. But still, they wouldn't agree to an interview and relied solely on the DVD.

"Out of the 2,300 employees we looked at, there were only six that we found that still had a false diploma."

We know the actual number of people possessing fake degrees at Redstone Arsenal is a very small percentage of the workforce. A point Major Myles made in his taped remarks when he said, "99.8% of all employees are doing things properly and as they should be in accordance with what our polices are and in place."

We made it perfectly clear in our initial report that we were not suggesting Mr. Oleyte is not qualified for the job he currently holds. But, we still have questions about security, integrity, and a potential double standard. We couldn't pose those questions. All we have to go on is the prepared response in which Myles stated, "I fully support that the chain of command did what it should have done in July 2002. And quite frankly, this is old news."

Our quest for the full story has put us at odds with the Commanding General at AMCOM. He sent out a memo to Team Redstone discrediting our reports - calling them inaccurate, misleading and speculative at best.

We vigorously defend the accuracy of our reports. You can watch Major Myles' entire pre-taped response here.

We're also sharing his memo to the workforce at Redstone Arsenal about our investigation.

YOU do not have to study, seek admission or attend lectures ñ starting from a few hundred ringgit, you can get a degree of your choice online in a matter of minutes.

A quick Internet search by the Starprobe team resulted in a long list of alleged degree mills worldwide such as Hill University, Rochville University and Buxton University.

All these institutions of higher learning claim to be accredited, but none is recognised by the Malaysian Qualifications Authority (MQA) or the local accreditation body's respective foreign partners.

Whether to boost their career development or to improve their social standing, many Malaysians have taken the easy way of buying their paper qualifications online.

And among the holders of these dubious qualifications are some prominent people, including lawmakers from both sides of the political divide.

When the Washington-based newspaper Spokesman Review exposed a bogus degree scam in the United States in July, a list of 10,000 buyers was made public.

Phoney degrees

More than 50 Malaysians contributed to the US$7.3mil (RM25.6mil) generated by the Spokane-based syndicate, which issued phoney and counterfeit high school and college degrees from institutions such as Concordia University, St Regis University, St Lourdes University, All Saints American University and Heartland University.

However, several people who are suspected to be holding these bogus degrees declined to comment or furnish the Starprobe team with their curriculum vitae when contacted.

As the diploma mill trend shows, almost anyone can get a degree.

The standard prerequisites needed are experience, skills, knowledge or expertise in a given field of study, all which the buyer easily meets by declaring so in the registration form without needing to provide any documentary proof.

The buyer can even specify a past date or year of graduation to be stated in the degree.

These sites offer a wide and comprehensive range of qualifications, from high school certifications, Bachelors and Masters degrees to doctorates.

Buyers are promised a traditional-looking degree, which means none of the certificates contain words like online or life experience.

The offers are so comprehensive that some even provide an academic transcript, a certificate of distinction and an award of excellence, plus verification from the university's registrar to boot.

Some even offer packages, which means you could obtain your Bachelors, Masters and PhD at one go at a discounted special rate.

These syndicates promise to deliver your graduation package, which starts from US$150 (RM525), between five and 14 days by courier.

One website even goes to the extent of offering buyers the option to pay in instalments.

Many dubious organisations passing themselves off as universities are legally registered business entities.

Some even submit their annual tax returns in the country they are registered at, but do not conduct any shady dealings in their "home" country, thus not breaking any law in the nation they are registered in.

According to the Irish Embassy, the Irish International University (IIU) is registered as a private company in Ireland, while Dublin Metropolitan University (DMU) had a business address in Cyprus.

According to its website, the IIU, which is now known as the Isles International University, has its main international office in Petaling Jaya even though it was blacklisted by the Malaysian Government in 2005. Its head is executive president Hardeep Singh Sandhu, a Malaysian businessman.

In January last year, a BBC London investigation team exposed IIU as an international education scam that targets foreign students who went to study in the British capital.

"The bogus Irish International University (IIU), which offers sub-standard and worthless degrees, has been allowed to flourish in the UK ñ virtually unchecked by Government ñ for the last seven years," said BBC in the report.

Many of its programmes and courses are offered via the Internet to "students" from various nations without the need for it to set up a base in those countries.

As Irish ambassador to Malaysia Eugene Hutchinson shares, the embassy frequently gets enquiries from potential employers or students on the "dubious" institutions.

"They are not recognised as a university or as any other form of academic institution in Ireland. Any awards that they offer are not recognised by any statutory awarding bodies in Ireland and therefore have no academic standing whatsoever in our country," he says.

He adds that the Irish authorities do not view them as universities although their names were clearly intended to convey so. "As can be seen from their websites, these enterprises continue to use the term university in their business names, in contravention of Irish law.

"The IIU and other similar business enterprises are endeavouring to exploit the good name of Irish education for their own ends. Their claims of 'validation' and 'accreditation' deserve very careful critical examination," he points out.

Dubious methods

These organisations are aware that they are being monitored by the Irish authorities, and they try to keep tabs by contacting the embassy in return.

"Frequently, they call to see what we know. Sometimes they pretend to be making enquiries as a third party. We try to keep correspondence with them to a minimum as we do not want them to claim that they were in correspondence with the Irish authorities (thus making it appear as endorsed by them)," he says, adding that Ireland had distanced itself from the IIU and DMU.

Interestingly, Irish deputy ambassador to Malaysia Eoin Duggan highlights that these enterprises do not conduct any of their operations in Ireland.

"They are a registered business in Ireland. They make a tax return annually, hence they are not illegal. I have not heard of any Irish who has obtained degrees from them," he says.

To make themselves even more attractive, some of these "universities" would set up or become a member of an equally dubious "accreditation body".

Many provide hotline numbers and e-mail addresses of the "universities" and "accreditation bodies", which are usually passed on by the "graduates" to their potential employers should these companies want to verify the qualifications of their prospective employees.

Former vice-chancellor of Sunway University College Prof Jarlath Ronayne concurs, also citing the BBC report on IIU, which had claimed that its programmes were accredited and quality controlled by QAC-UK Ltd ñ a Quality Assurance Commission based in London.

Further investigation, however, revealed that the people behind the "university" were also co-directors of the accreditation body.

"There are a few of these accreditation agencies that are not Government sanctioned or authorised. They are 'private' accreditation bodies and cater to institutions that are not accredited by their respective governments," he says.

Echoing this, a source from the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) shares that the formal or legal national accreditation or quality assurance agency of a particular country would be a member of International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE).

Prof Ronayne highlights that one of the ways for bogus universities to gain credibility was by inviting prominent people such as politicians and business leaders to be the guests of honour at their convocations. He adds that the convocation ceremonies can sometimes be quite grand.

"They have their convocation ceremonies in Oxford and Cambridge where they rent the universities' halls. That would give students a false impression," he says.

Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange (Macee) advises students to check with the particular country's educational office to verify if the programme or institution is authentic before signing up.

"If it's an American degree or institution, they should contact Macee as we provide information on all accredited universities and colleges in the United States (US)," says Macee Educational Advising Center coordinator Doreen John.

Students could also check with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (www.chea.org) website as it has a database of institutions and programmes accredited by recognised US organisations, says John.

"If students want to opt for distance learning, they have to be extra cautious. "If the programme they want to do is such a bargain in terms of cost, and they don't need to do any work for it then it is probably fake," she adds.

British Council Malaysia Education and Programmes Director Peter Clack also advises students to check if the British course or institution they are interested in is authentic and officially recognised before signing up.

Students can take several steps, he says, including meeting the institutions' representatives at the Education UK exhibitions organised by the British Council; and logging onto the Education UK website (www.educationuk.org.my) for lists of institutions and courses.

They could also check if the name of the institution appears on the Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS) website (www.ucas.com), and if the institutions' own website address ends with .ac.uk.

To ensure that the institutions were empowered to offer degrees, students could check the UK's Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills' website (www.dcsf.gov.uk/recognisedukdegrees).

As for accreditation, Clack says the official quality assurance bodies were the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education website (www. qaa.ac.uk) or the British Accreditation Council website (www.the-bac.org).

Students planning to take up Irish courses are advised to consult the list of higher education providers on www.educationireland.ie or refer to Ireland's National Framework of Qualifications at www.cao.ie.

National Association of Private Educational Institutions (Napei) president Assoc Prof Elajsolan Mohan advises employers who were unsure of any prospective employees' qualifications to verify them.

"An individual once applied to my college to become a lecturer but when we checked his qualifications, we discovered the university where he claimed to have done his PhD did not exist," he says.

SO you have been accepted into California Southern University? Don't celebrate yet.

Although the university may sound like the renowned research institution University of Southern California, it is not accredited by the official accreditation agencies in the United States. It may even be a degree mill.

Similarly, University of Hawaii is a major university. Honolulu University, however, is not. Try to figure out which of the following is legitimate: the European Business School in London or the European Business School in Cambridge?

It is difficult to work out which institutions are genuine and which are bogus because the names are similar. The same applies to accreditation bodies ñ the Council for Higher Education Accreditation is a respected body; not so the Council for International Education Accreditation.

To complicate matters further, today's quick-buck degree mills have more sophisticated operations, complete with "professors" and alumni. Here are a few of the infamous organisations:

Irish International University

Soon after Malaysia's Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) blacklisted the institution in July 2005, it changed its name to Isles International University. It has been operating for about a decade and boasts a long list of faculty and students stretching from Europe to Asia. It still maintains an office in Petaling Jaya.

Dublin Metropolitan University

It also has an international office in the Klang Valley. It was investigated by the Irish government for illegally calling itself a university without the approval of Ireland's Department of Education and Science. The Irish government is looking at measures to deregister institutions like this, which are legally registered as business entities.

Cambridgeshire University

In 2005, an MBA student was refunded her tuition fees of RM13,672.34 by education provider NetAcademy Sdn Bhd, which offered courses from both Irish International University and Cambridgeshire, after she won her case at the Consumer Claims Tribunal. Cambridgeshire University has been blacklisted by the Government.

Preston University

Preston University is a private for-profit unaccredited university with allegedly 30 affiliated campuses throughout the world. Preston was based in Wyoming but moved to Alabama in 2007 after the state's crackdown on diploma mills. In 2009, the Alabama state administration ordered it to cease operations for failing to meet its educational standards. Preston University is now based in Los Angeles, California.

Newport University

Newport University claims to be based in California and has more than 20 branches all over the world, including Belgium, China and Malaysia. It is not recognised by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Pacific Western University

Pacific Western University (Hawaii) was closed in 2006 by the State of Hawaii for not being accredited by any accreditation body recognised by the state. Its degrees and credits might not be acceptable to employers or other institutions.

Malaysians are so caught up with degrees that many would go to any lengths for one.

And degree mills ó bodies that award degrees with little or no study ó are ready to hand out the awards to many who want to boost their business position, social status or political standing.

The Starprobe's search reveals that many Malaysians are buying dubious Bachelor's, Master's and even Doctorates from popular degree "conferring" bodies, among them the American-based Preston Uni-versity and Newport University; Dublin Metropolitan University (DMU) and Irish International University (IIU).

Other dubious institutions which are not in recognised accreditation registries include Connaught University, Pacific Western University, American Northeast State University, Western University, European University, Hill University, Rochville University and Buxton University.

When the Starprobe team conducted a search, including on the Internet, for the "alumni" of these degree mills, the list included prominent personalities in different sectors:

(Photo caption) Cambodian premier Hun Sen (right) receiving his honorary degree from Irish International University head, a Malaysian called Hardeep Singh Sandhu, in 2007.

> a Selangor Umno division chief who is also chairman of a local publishing group (MBA, Connaught University, UK);

> a Kedah Umno division head and Umno Supreme Council member who became a self-made millionaire after school (MBA, Preston University, US);

> a Perak DAP state assemblyman (Bachelor of Business Administration, Paramount University of Technology, US) ;

> a retired Royal Malaysian Police department director who is now serving in a government body (MBA, Newport University, US);

> a leading Chinese educationist with three PhDs (PhD, Kensington University, US);

> a celebrity motivational speaker who has set up a private college (MBA and Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA), European Business School Cambridge of European Union);

> a top entrepreneur and chairman of one of Malaysia's leading manufacturers (DBA, Irish International University); and

> a chairman of a local IT media company who was charged with furnishing false statement to the Bursa Malaysia (Bachelor of Science in Building Construction and Management, Connaught University, Ireland; MBA, North West London University, UK; and Doctorate of Philosophy in Business Administration, Pacific Western University, US).

The questionable "qualification" is evident in the official resumes of these public figures which the Starprobe team obtained from their offices or official websites.

When contacted, some were genuinely surprised to find out that they had been duped but others evaded questions and refused to comment.

One person with two alleged doctorates did not deny receiving the bogus doctorates but simply urged Starprobe to quote his third doctorate from the Southern Cross University, Australia, which is legitimate.

All the universities mentioned claim to be accredited, but none is recognised by the national accrediting body Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA) or its foreign accrediting partners.

The IIU was blacklisted by MQA(then known as National Accreditation Board) in July 2005.

A disturbing trend is that these dodgy institutions offer prominent personalities degrees so they can gain credibility with the "qualifications".

This is the standard practice for many of these bogus universities, said a senior Irish academic attached to a local private university who declined to be named.

"These institutions go to another country, especially in the less developed and developing world, and offer local prominent personalities doctorates and other degrees. These are not honorary degrees but they don't ask the VIPs for money either.

"They just invite the important people to put in a 1,500-word essay or write something about themselves, and they 'award' them their degrees.

"It becomes an endorsement of sorts ó when the institutions get complaints from parents and students, they will simply point out the important people who have their degrees," he explained, adding that it is prevalent because it is win-win for both parties.

"The institutions get the chance to be set up and the important people get their paper qualification."

Republic of Ireland deputy ambassador to Malaysia Eoin Duggan highlighted another device for these universities to gain credibility.

They would invite VIPs, including politicians, to their convocations and sometimes confer on them honorary degrees.

"Their presence gives the ceremony importance. Having, say, a junior minister's name on their list meanwhile would add credibility to the institution's name," he said.

For example, IIU's previous honorary luminaries include a senator who is famous for championing minority rights, the president of one of Barisan Nasional's component parties and the director of a local think tank.

Although most have wised up and dropped the dubious qualification from their resume, a few still list it in their academic credentials.

Education blogger Tony Pua believes that half of those holding bogus degrees knew that their "qualifications" were not bona fide.

"It lends credence to the university to have VIPs on their list. But if you can get a doctorate without doing any research, it is a fake one. It is impossible to get a credible doctorate via a long distance learning programme, especially if you are studying part-time," said Pua, the Petaling Jaya Utara MP.

British Council Malaysia Education and Programmes Director Peter Clack agrees, pointing out that a degree is intended to reward academic excellence and requires hard work and commitment as that is what gives it its value with employers.

"If a degree course sounds too good to be true, then it is more than likely to be a bogus one," he said.

Unfortunately, there is nothing much that authorities can do to stamp out this fraudulent practice.

Although the respective governments are aware of these dubious institutions, they have not been able to fully eliminate them as many are legitimately registered as business entities or exist mainly in the virtual world.

Many can only advise the public about the "bogus" institutions, like Ireland, which is distancing itself from the institutions claiming to be Irish.

However, these "bogus" bodies are experts in evading authorities; further checks revealed that IIU had changed its name to Isles International University. It has even maintained an international office in Petaling Jaya.

The degree mill issue has become such that the United Nations declared a war on this worldwide industry of fraudulent qualifications in June.

Calling it "an emerging academic corruption", the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) has issued a guideline for countries around the world to help eradicate these degree mills.

Seven Arab universities have recently been established in The Hague. Some of them train pilots, others offer courses in Islamic sciences or nuclear physics. But far from everybody is convinced that the degrees the universities offer hold any value.

Dr Khalil, an Iraqi man in his mid fifties, is visibly proud of the Free University in The Hague of which he is the vice-rector. He describes it as a 'non-profit organisation' providing education for Arabs who migrated to the Netherlands for economic reasons. Only a handful of people work at his office in a modern building in The Hague; there are no students to be seen. According to Dr Khalil, the actual teaching takes place at another location that is not accessible at the moment of the interview. He adds that his university also teaches by mail and through Paltalk, an internet chat programme.

All teaching at the Free University is in Arabic. "Most of the books written in the English language are translated from the Arabic anyway", explains Dr Khalil. This year, he says, 150 bachelor students, 32 master students and 25 PhD students will obtain their degrees in various subjects, including political science, philosophy and law.

'Friends'
The Free University is not the only one of its kind. There are six more in The Hague, all established by Iraqis in the past few years. In fact, Dr Khalil happens to be the rector of one of them: La Haye University, which is located in the same building. He has established this university himself, he says, because the Free University could not accommodate certain subjects. The website of La Haye University mentions an agreement with the Royal Jordanian Aviation College, to train 100 pilots and 200 aviation engineers.

Another member of the board of directors of the Free University has his own university as well, which is called the Dutch University for Science and Arts. Each of the three universities calls itself the 'friend' of the other two.

Warning
Outside the Netherlands, this mushrooming of Arab universities has already caused some commotion. Some time ago, the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education reported that a certain 'Open University' in the Netherlands sold high academic degrees to Iraqis who did not have any academic training. Some of these degrees, it said, were in very specific fields such as nuclear physics. More recently, the Swedish Ministry of Education issued a warning against fake universities, mentioning in particular the Free University of Sweden, an affiliate of the Free University in The Hague.

Dr Khalil is not concerned about the Swedish warning, saying it is based on a misunderstanding. But in the Netherlands, too, doubts are growing stronger. The Free University was recently expelled from the Dutch organisation the Platform for Recognised Private Educational Institutions (PAEPON) 'for the misleading information it distributes on its website'.

Life experience
Dr Khalil himself holds no fewer than three PhD degrees. One is from the Free University of which he himself is the vice rector. According to a publication of his university, he further obtained a PhD in Administration from the United States, but no particular university there is mentioned. And in his CV, Dr Khalil finally mentions a PhD from Suffield university. This American institute - not to be confused with the well-known Sheffield University in the United Kingdom - issues degrees on the basis of 'life experience'.

In the Netherlands anyone who takes the trouble to visit to the local Chamber of Commerce and pay about 50 euros can put a sign on his door that reads 'university'. That is not to say, of course, that this 'university' and the degrees it offers are recognised by the Dutch authorities. But Dr Khalil is optimistic. Dutch law, he knows, stipulates that a university can only apply for official recognition four years after it is established. So the recognition of the Free University is "only a matter of time."

Cheaters beware. It is now a misdemeanor in Missouri to use a fake degree or one from a diploma mill to apply for a job, admission to a college or in connection with any business, job or public office.

Gov. Jay Nixon is scheduled to sign a bill today that will make it so. In doing so, Missouri joins about a dozen other states that have similar laws on the books.

The Missouri Department of Higher Education had pushed legislators to create such a bill to make sure Missouri is not a friendly place to phony diplomas and transcripts that are readily available on the Internet.

The department discovered a couple of cases in Missouri ó including a St. Charles couple who tried to pass off fake degrees from St. Charles Community College and Lindenwood University to get teaching jobs in Florida. (See my story from December that I have pasted below for more on this.)

Leroy Wade, an assistant commissioner of higher education, noted in a news release that most often the use of fake degrees goes undetected.

"Unless an employer has a reason to be suspicious, they often accept documentation at face value," he said. "The new legislation calls attention to the problem and puts people on notice that using phony documents is a crime."

A company awarded an important role in the Government's attempt to shut down hundreds of bogus colleges is run by a man who was dismissed from his post at a university, The Times has discovered.

Maurice Dimmock is the director and chief executive of an organisation that inspects and accredits private colleges which want to admit foreign students. The Accreditation Service for International Colleges (ASIC) has given 180 institutions the stamp of approval since he set it up in 2007.

Among them is a Manchester college that The Times exposed last month as the front for an immigration scam which helped 1,000 fake students to enter or stay in Britain.

The head office of ASIC, one of seven government-approved accreditation bodies, is a semi-detached house in a village near Middlesbrough. The company has five staff. Its directors are Mr. Dimmock, 59, and his wife, Margaret, 52. The company secretary is her 78-year-old father.

Until 2003 Mr Dimmock was the director of international operations at Northumbria University, with responsibility for overseas students. He and the university have refused to discuss why his employment was terminated, but The Times has established that the Home Office received, and ignored, concerns about ASIC and Mr. Dimmock before it granted the company a contract. Northumbria University wrote to the Home Office in May 2007 to question the role the company was about to be given in distinguishing between genuine and bogus colleges. Two months later Universities UK, representing Britain's 133 universities, wrote to Liam Byrne, the Immigration Minister, to "express concern about the decision to approve ASIC as one of the accreditation bodies within the new immigration system".

In a letter to the Home Affairs Select Committee, which has responded to articles in The Times by holding an inquiry into bogus colleges, Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe, chief executive of Universities UK, raised further doubts about ASIC. She said: "There is a lack of information and transparency about (ASIC's) management, governance and financial structures. Several of the colleges that it accredits have been associated with inappropriate activities."

In November, ASIC accredited King's College of Management, Manchester, which claimed to have 67 students. The Times disclosed last month that it had enrolled 1,178 foreigners and was offering places to another 1,575. Individuals at the college were selling diplomas and faking attendance records to fool the authorities into granting students leave to stay in Britain.

Mr. Dimmock told The Times that ASIC had rejected 15 of the 195 colleges that it had inspected, including Manchester College of Professional Studies. It claimed to have 50 students, but secretly enrolled 1,797, including 8 of the 10 Pakistani citizens arrested in April for suspected involvement in an al-Qaeda terror plot.

Mr. Dimmock said that ASIC used 25 inspectors, many of them former university professors experienced in international education. Their attempts to separate genuine colleges from those involved in immigration fraud were hampered, he said, by the Home Office's refusal to tell ASIC how many student visas were issued for each college it inspects. "We don't see ourselves purely as acting as policemen. We are there to identify those colleges which are genuine, as far as we can see," he said.

A UK Border Agency spokesman confirmed that concerns about ASIC had been passed to the Home Office, but said that the Home Office relied on the recommendations of Ofsted in determining which accreditation bodies should receive contracts.

An Ofsted spokewoman said that it had assessed ASIC before it became an approved accreditation body in 2007 and was "satisfied that it was operating in a satisfactory manner".

There is no suggestion that most of the 180 colleges accredited by ASIC are linked to immigration scams.

DETROIT - A Dearborn resident who submitted phony college transcripts to universities in order to get bogus transfer credits to gain students admission to graduate and medical school programs, and who helped foreign students obtain U.S. student visas based on false documents, was sentenced to two years in federal prison today, United States Attorney Terrence Berg announced.

Berg was joined in the announcement by Andrew G. Arena, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI and Brian Moskowitz, Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Nazeer Hamadneh, 40, of Dearborn, Michigan was sentenced today to 24 months in prison by United States District Judge Lawrence P. Zatkoff in Port Huron, Michigan.

"This sentence reflects the serious nature of these crimes. Individuals who gain entry into the United States and into a college or university through fraud undermine the vetting process and could put the public at risk," said Brian M. Moskowitz, Special Agent in Charge of the ICE Office of Investigations for Michigan and Ohio. "ICE will continue to work with our partners to close this vulnerability."

According to court records, Hamadneh pleaded guilty on March 10, 2009 to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud and Visa Fraud. Co-defendants Abbas Obeid aka Adam Obeid, 34, of Ontario, Canada, Roni Aoub, 27, of Southfield, and Majed Mamo, 40, of Wixom, Michigan all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Abbas Obeid also pled guilty to conspiracy to commit visa fraud.

According to the indictment filed in this case, from August 2000 through August 2008, Hamadneh and his co-defendants conspired to defraud educational institutions such as Lawrence Technological University in Southfield and Madonna University in Livonia by submitting fraudulent undergraduate transcripts so that individuals, who paid a fee to the conspirators, would fraudulently obtain transfer credits from those institutions.

These credits were applied toward undergraduate degrees. Fraudulent transcripts were also submitted so that individuals would be accepted for enrollment in graduate programs. The indictment alleges that, in exchange for money, the conspirators submitted fraudulent undergraduate transcripts to medical schools located in the Caribbean and Belize on behalf of students who otherwise had insufficient undergraduate credits to enter medical school.

The indictment alleges that as a result of the defendants' actions, otherwise unqualified students were admitted to medical school based on the submission of fraudulent undergraduate transcripts. In addition, the indictment alleges that defendants Nazeer Hamadneh and Abbas Obeid conspired to submit and submitted fraudulent documents on behalf of foreign students in order to obtain student visas. The indictment further alleges that defendants Nazeer Hamadneh and Majed Mamo tampered with witnesses in an effort to prevent witnesses from providing truthful information to law enforcement.

United States Attorney Terrence Berg said, "The whole of society is victimized by a scheme that allows unqualified persons to pay for phony transcripts and college credits that will get them into a graduate or medical school where they do not belong. Of greater concern is any scheme that permits student visas to be obtained under false pretenses. We will be vigilant to protect against the abuses demonstrated in this case."

"Individuals who buy and sell fraudulent college credits not only cheat the educational system; but when used for medical school admissions may endanger public health. Additionally, this undermines the student visa program by allowing individuals into this country who fail to follow through on their obligation to continue their higher education," said Andrew G. Arena, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office.

The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cathleen Corken.

Timothy Johnson, the newly elected vice chairman of the state Republican party, is listed as "Dr. Johnson" on his and the state GOP's Web sites. But he's not a medical doctor or dentist. And he won't disclose where he earned his Ph.D., leaving the impression that he got it from a now-defunct school once notorious as a diploma mill.

The Indy contacted Johnson to ask whether his claimed "Ph.D., Concentration in Total Quality Management, LaSalle University (2000)" was issued by the defunct LaSalle in Louisiana, the accredited La Salle University in Pennsylvania or another LaSalle.

Johnson responded in an e-mail, "I hope you understand when I say I am not going to answer any more questions about my military experience, education background or personal history."

He added: "It just doesn't matter at this point. I am sorry, but enough is enough. Have a great weekend."

His e-mail signature read: "Timothy F. Johnson, Ph.D."

The accredited La Salle University, a Catholic institution with three campuses in Pennsylvania, confers a doctoral degree only in clinical psychology, according to its Web site.

The LaSalle in Louisiana, however, as the authoritative Chronicle of Higher Education reported in 2001, operated as a diploma mill from 1986 to mid-1997, essentially selling degrees (it advertised heavily on matchbook covers) until the FBI raided and shut it down. Its owner, Thomas J. Kirk, was imprisoned for mail and tax fraud, among other charges. That "university" employed no faculty, only secretaries to handle the paperwork and the money.

In late '97, according to the Chronicle, the Louisiana LaSalle was purchased by seemingly "serious" owners including the then-chairwoman of the Louisiana Republican party. They later folded LaSalle's assets into their newly formed company, the Orion Education Corp., after failing to win accreditation for LaSalle from the Distance Education and Training Council in 1999.

Johnson's rÈsumÈ is included on the Web site of Leadership 101, a company that offers him as its CEO and "lead consultant." Leadership 101 lists its business is "training leaders for success in the 21st century."

Johnson, the Web site promises, is "entertaining, thought-provoking and inspiring."

Johnson is also employed as an adjunct faculty member at Shaw University's Asheville campus. He was in the U.S. Army from 1984 to 2007 in active and reserve roles, starting as an enlisted soldier and retiring with the rank of major, according to a document he released prior to the state GOP convention when his military service was questioned.

The 1,600 delegates to the GOP convention in Raleigh this month chose Johnson as their No. 2 official, despite the newsówidely circulated by his opponents and broken publicly by the Asheville media the week before the conventionóthat he'd pleaded guilty in 1996 to a felonious assault on his first wife. A resident of Cleveland, Ohio at the time, Johnson received an 18-month suspended sentence contingent on his relocating to Toledo, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. (Johnson was then seeking an Ohio legislative seat as a Democrat.)

Johnson asked convention delegates to forgive his past mistake and, in accordance with his slogan ("It's Time"), make him the first African-American officer in the state GOP since the 19th century.

On the floor of the convention, Johnson campaigned wearing his "Dr. Timothy F. Johnson" name tag despite the rumors already circulating that his doctorate was bogus. At the time, the rumors took a backseat to his criminal record, though, and most delegates seemed to be unaware of questions about his educational background when they voted.

Their attention, moreover, was on the hotly contested race for party chairman, won by former Raleigh Mayor Tom Fetzer. (See "The very, very, very small tent," June 17.)

When he was elected chair of the Buncombe County Republican party in 2008, Johnson did not disclose his criminal record because, he told the Indy in an interview at the convention, it was "nobody's business" except his second wife's, and he did tell her.

Chris McClure, executive director of the state GOP, did not return a phone call or answer an e-mail asking the basis for the party's listing of Johnson, its new vice-chair, as "Dr. Timothy Johnson."

Last year after writing We have our own heroes, we don't need other people's in The National I received an e-mail from a director in the Watani programme that began: "Dear Dr Sultan." I must admit that I thought it was a nice compliment, but the thought stopped there and I promptly emailed him back, thanked him and pointed out that I do not have a PhD.

More recently, one of my students from the Dubai Men's College invited me to lecture at a young professionals network he is part of at a real estate development firm. I decided to focus on ethical and moral dilemmas in life and in the business world such as the "Trolley Dilemma" ñ look it up on Wikipedia.

The truth is there are plenty of moral dilemmas that confront us in the UAE, many of them dealing with education and credentials. For instance, an acquaintance of mine had casually purchased his degree from a foreign university and is currently running a branch of a major financial institution. Should I inform the authorities and "do the right thing" and potentially harm his young family's interests? There is no easy answer.

One of the most embarrassing moments in the first administration of the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came when the country's parliament voted to impeach the former Interior Minister ñ the former head of the very same ministry that announced Ahmadinejad's recent "landslide victory." The minister, Ali Kordan, was accused of lying about his credentials and holding a fake degree from what he called "Oxford University in London ."

The most notorious case facing the UAE was when The Spokesman-Review, a newspaper based in Washington state, exposed more than 9,600 people who had purchased their degrees from a fraudulent diploma mill. The list included dozens of individuals based in the UAE. These "students" had names that appeared to be Arab, European, African and Asian and they may or may not be currently employed in the UAE or in the region, possibly in influential positions.

A total of 68 Emiratis were among these naive "degree holders" as well as scores of other GCC nationals. These young Emiratis may have travelled abroad with the intention to study but in some cases found themselves spending too much time basking in their freedom. With limited follow up from their families or their embassies abroad, particularly in large countries such as the US and Australia, it would not have been difficult to succumb to this temptation.

This is by far not a challenge specific to the UAE. Last year Singapore announced that it had caught 400 locals and expatriates working there who had falsified their degrees. According to a report published in The Straits Times of Singapore, there are three groups of people who resort to buying degrees. The first is young people who were not successful in their studies and want to prove that they have achieved an academic qualification to get a job and support their families. The second group is comprised of employees who seek to get a raise at their current job or who are trying to find a new one. The third is a group of businessmen ñ who are already successful ñ who want the prestige of a qualification that can also help them in their business dealings. For instance, recently The New York Times profiled a UAE personality who had been referring to himself as a doctor. The newspaper discovered that the university where he studied does not even offer PhDs. His spokesperson said that even though he might not have a PhD he does in fact have two MBAs.

In the UAE the greatest danger of the practice of buying degrees is in the fields of construction and medicine. A few years ago I was looking to hire a project engineer for a construction project and the gentleman I interviewed seemed to be very capable and possessed the right qualifications. I was surprised that he was willing to leave a reputable firm to work on a relatively small project. I called his firm one day and asked for the engineering department in that construction firm. I was told that although a person with that name worked in the firm, this gentleman wasn't a project engineer at all but had a much more junior position. I thought to myself how potentially dangerous it would have been had we hired him to oversee a project for which he wasn't qualified.

Buying degrees can be very lucrative but very dangerous in the medical industry. Many people in the Gulf succumb to what amounts to witchcraft and sorcery but feel comforted in being told that these sorcerers are qualified doctors who can cure them from a disease or can save a loved one. Many victims of these tricks are too shy to admit that they have been paying for ineffective medicine. They choose silence over unwanted publicity. So sadly, in the UAE this practice can still pay.

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi is a non resident fellow at the Dubai School of Government

In the past few years many young people aspiring to obtain a university degree have been duped by glamorous and flashy web-based educational advertisements. After taking the bait, they find themselves entangled in legal, professional and ethical dilemmas arising from an affiliation with a bogus institution of higher education, better known as a "diploma mill."

Such organisations award academic degrees and diplomas for substandard or no academic work at all. Their "degrees" are awarded without any official educational accreditation.

Last week, the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research issued a statement warning prospective undergraduate and graduate students looking into academic study abroad against falling victim to such fraudulent practices.

Like money laundering and drug trafficking, the multimillion industry in fake diplomas is a global challenge that has dire consequences for local communities. As a global challenge, the diploma mill fraud can only be combated through building up a culture of achievement and excellence not only within local educational systems, but within the community at large.

For those of us who were old enough to experience higher education in the 1970s, bogus universities were rarely an issue. The rise of the internet with its capacity to reach a global audience and to present something virtual ñ or fraudulent ñ as real has made these practices viable. In cyberspace, I have come across scores of counterfeit diploma websites that instantly "award" a wide variety of degrees for fees ranging from $300 to $5,000 without the need to attend any programme of study.

In the Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning, John and Mariah Bear report that there are more than 700 diploma mills that generate more than $500 million annually. In many situations, those degrees are often awarded based on vaguely construed "life experience", suggesting, for example, that a person with 25 years of experience in field crop production should receive a doctoral degree in agricultural studies.

I am dismayed to learn that as much as the United States prides itself on having the finest educational institutions in the world, it is perceived by others to be a haven for a large number of bogus schools and universities. In the 1980s, Operation DipScam, an FBI-led investigative force, led to the closing of many diploma mills across the United States. Yet, the lack of further action by law enforcement agencies, uneven state laws and the difficulty with policing the internet have militated against making any substantive progress.

Four years ago, the US Department of Education launched www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation to combat the spread of fraudulent degrees. A number of states have passed bills making degree awarding contingent on accreditation from certified bodies. But the root of the problem derives from the fact that the United States does not have a federal law that would unambiguously prohibit these practices, and the term "university" is not legally protected or defined.

During my 25-year academic experience in different Arab countries, I remember having had only one or two first-hand experiences with fake degree holders. The bleak side of the story is not just about the potential devastation of fake degrees on a person's reputation, but the irreparable damage they cause to the integrity of their profession.

The story of Marion Kolitwenzew in North Carolina illustrates additional risks. She learnt that her daughter was a diabetic and took her to a specialist for care. According to media reports, the physician seemed impressive, with an office full of medical supplies and a slew of medical degrees on the wall. His advice to her was to take her daughter off insulin. The immediate result was the death of an eight-year-old girl. His degrees were bogus and he had no expertise.

While fingers have often been pointed at those who run the bogus operations that award degrees, I also believe that the responsibility to limit their influence must be shared by the media, by the law enforcement agencies that too often show leniency towards those perpetuating these frauds, and by the people who intentionally purchase these degrees.

Because of the current financial crisis, there may be a surge in this type of fraud that preys on people's aspirations and their desperation.

At its core, however, the issue is ethical. To combat this problem, we need a public culture that encourages merit-based promotion and rewards achievement demonstrated through hard work.

More than 60 former students are suing the now-defunct Warren National University, saying it misled them about its accreditation status.

Warren National ó better known under its previous name, Kennedy Western ó went belly up in March after a failed accreditation bid. For years it had been one of the most prominent unaccredited distance-education institutions in the country.

The 67 students who are suing Warren National say the university told them that it would be accredited soon or that accreditation didn't matter, according to the Associated Press.

In 2008 information on Warren National's Web site under the heading "Licensure and Regulatory Compliance" stated that the university was accepted by "business, professional, and academic communities." It also stated that the university was licensed by the state of Wyoming. That license was revoked this year, after the university failed to achieve accreditation.

A contractor was convicted Thursday on a host of federal violations involving his work with the Pantex Nuclear Facility.

Roy David Williams, 57, was found guilty of 29 separate counts, including wire fraud and false claims regarding contracts with the plant near Amarillo. He appeared in U.S. District Court in Amarillo before Judge Mary Lou Robinson.

A jury found Williams defrauded the government of nearly $170,000 by submitting falsified timecards and expense claims for contract work.

Williams engaged in unauthorized bid preparations and other management activities for his technical services company, WAATTS Inc., while he was at Pantex and then billed the plant for those hours.

As part of the scheme, Williams listed a business address in Tennessee as his business address, but Williams did little or no business in Tennessee. Williams also listed Oak Ridge, Tenn., as the permanent mailing address on his Pantex badging documents, but he and his family have lived in the Amarillo area since 1992.

Federal court records show Williams submitted 28 false or counterfeit billings to the plant from August 2007 to June 2008.

He was convicted on one count of wire fraud, 11 counts of contractors bonds, bids and public records, 16 counts of false, fictitious or fraudulent claims and one count of theft of public money.

Williams faces about 200 years in prison and $8 million in fines. He remains free on bond until sentencing, which has not been scheduled

Here is the text of the U.S. Department of Justice press release announcing Williams' indictment.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2009
WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/TXN
MEDIA INQUIRIES: KATHY COLVIN
PHONE: (214)659-8600
FAX: (214) 767-2898


CONTRACTOR INDICTED FOR DEFRAUDING PANTEX OF NEARLY $200,000

AMARILLO, Texas ó A federal grand jury in Amarillo returned an indictment today charging Roy David Williams, 57, of Amarillo and Lake Tanglewood, Texas, with various offenses related to his defrauding Pantex from August 2007 through June 2008, announced acting U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. The 29-count federal indictment charges Williams with one count of wire fraud, 11 counts of contractors bonds, bids and public records, 16 counts of false, fictitious or fraudulent claims and one count of theft of public money. Williams is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Clinton E. Averitte on Thursday, April 30, 2009, at 9:30 a.m. for his initial appearance

The Pantex Nuclear Facility is a nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility owned by the U.S. Department of Energy. Pantex is managed and operated by Babcock and Wilcox (B&W Pantex) for the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration. B&W Pantex routinely employs subcontractors to perform services for Pantex.

Roy David Williams owned and operated WAATTS, Inc., from an office at the Amarillo National Bank Plaza II in downtown Amarillo. On August 28, 2007, B&W Pantex and WAATTS, entered into a contract for WAATTS to provide technical services to B&W Pantex. WAATTS' staff included Williams, his wife and daughter, and several other individuals.

As part of his scheme to defraud Pantex, Williams listed a business address in Lenoir City, Tennessee, for WAATTTS, however that business address was actually the residence of an acquaintance of Williams; Williams did little to no business in Tennessee. Williams also listed an address in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, as his permanent mailing address on his Pantex security badging documents, however, he and his family have lived in the Amarillo area since 1992 and he has no relatives or acquaintances who reside at the Oak Ridge, Tennessee, address he provided to Pantex. Williams even provided Pantex a Leonard, Texas, (approximately 350 miles from Amarillo) address for one of his employees, however, that employee has resided in Amarillo since 2004.

Additionally, as part of his scheme to defraud Pantex, Williams engaged in unauthorized future bid preparations and other WAATS management activities, while he was at the Pantex plant and off site, and billed Pantex for those unauthorized hours. Williams submitted payment requests for hours he and his employees worked at the Pantex plant, when Williams knew that neither he nor his employees were at Pantex during those hours he billed. Williams also inflated the hours he and his employees worked, claimed per diem expenses he was not entitled to, and claimed per diem expenses for an employee that he was not entitled to claim.

The indictment alleges that Williams requested that Pantex send wire transfers to his bank account that he maintained in Tennessee and then requested the bank send corresponding wire transfers from the Tennessee bank to a bank account he maintained in Amarillo, all designed to 1) conceal the fact that he resided and did business exclusively in Texas, and 2) to claim fraudulent per diem payments. Williams submitted false, forged, altered, and counterfeited time cards to Pantex in support of service invoices that included hours not worked and hours spent on non-contract work.

According the indictment, Williams fraudulently received approximately $169,858 of public money from Pantex.

An indictment is an accusation by a federal grand jury and a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. Upon conviction, however, the wire fraud count carries a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Each of the contractors bonds, bids and public records and public money counts each carries a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Each of the false claims counts carries a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case is being investigated by the Department of Energy - Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Drake of the Amarillo, Texas, U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting.

Thousands of young Pakistanis exploited a hole in Britain's immigration defences to enrol as students at a network of sham colleges, The Times can reveal.

The gateway, opened by fraudsters who have earned millions from the scam, has allowed in hundreds of men from a region of Pakistan that is the militant heartland of al-Qaeda and the Pakistani Taleban.

Eight of the terror suspects arrested last month in Manchester and Liverpool were on the books of one college.It had three small classrooms and three teachers for the 1,797 students on its books. Another college claimed to have 150 students but secretly enrolled 1,178 and offered places to a further 1,575 overseas applicants, 906 of them in Pakistan.

The investigation has also revealed:

ï those running the scam charged at least £1,000 for admission places and fake diplomas. They created their own university to issue bogus degrees;

ï they also charged £2,500 for false attendance records, diplomas and degrees that were used to extend the students' stay in Britain;

ï one wealthy associate, Mir Ahmad, linked to two murders in Pakistan, was arrested yesterday after The Times gave the Home Office a dossier implicating two of the colleges.

The Times has uncovered close ties between 11 colleges in London, Manchester and Bradford, all formed in the past five years and controlled by three young Pakistani businessmen.

Each of the three men entered the country on a student visa. One has fled to Pakistan after earning an estimated £6 million from the scam. Fayaz Ali Khan and another man are in the UK.

All but two of the ten students arrested last month over an alleged al-Qaeda bomb plot were enrolled over an 11-month period at Manchester College of Professional Studies. Two Liverpool universities admitted last night that they had given places to four of them, who had used a diploma from the college when they applied.

The massive fraud has fuelled a surge in student arrivals from Pakistan, which the Prime Minister has identified as the birthplace of two thirds of terrorist plots in the UK.Between 2002 and 2007, the number of Pakistani nationals with permission to enter or remain in the UK as students jumped from 7,975 to 26,935.

Manchester College of Professional Studies, set up in 2006, sold places to more than 1,000 students, including hundreds of men from North West Frontier Province, where a battle is raging between Taleban fighters and the Pakistani Army. Others came from mountainous tribal areas near the Afghan border, described by President Obama as "the most dangerous place in the world."

The college was removed from an official government register of education providers last summer but those who ran it have set up other colleges.

Tougher rules on the admission of international students, introduced last month by the UK Border Agency, aim to weed out bogus colleges and close the immigration loophole. The Times has evidence, however, that those involved in some abuses are already seeking to exploit the new system.

Phil Woolas, the Immigration Minister, said last night: "The information provided by The Times has been passed on to the UK Border Agency, which is investigating."

It has been more than a year since the last of eight defendants pleaded guilty in a federal fraud case spawned by a Spokane diploma mill. But the legal gears grind on, as they should.

Some 10,000 people worldwide paid millions of dollars for meaningless college and high school diplomas in a scheme masterminded by a 58-year-old high school dropout. Using a variety of aliases, Dixie Randock dreamed up several phony universities and operated them out of offices in Spokane and Kootenai counties. Randock and seven accomplices, including her husband, were prosecuted and sentenced.

Meanwhile, however, thousands of bogus diploma holders around the globe continue to profit from the fraud that gained them jobs and promotions, many at taxpayer expense.

Among those who acquired bogus degrees, and in some cases counterfeit diplomas from legitimate colleges and universities, were employees in such federal agencies as the CIA, the National Security Agency, the U.S. Department of Health and NASA ñ even the White House staff.

In February 2008, a former deputy U.S. marshal in Spokane, David F. Brodhagen, pleaded guilty to lying on a federal job promotion form because he used a sham degree to qualify him for a pay raise.

Now we learn that the Army is matching the list of the Randocks' customers against its personnel records. About two dozen Army, National Guard and Army Reserve members are facing disciplinary action over invalid academic credentials used to advance their careers. Military officials say it's a laborious process, but a thorough investigation is in order, and not just to prevent lazy soldiers from pulling a fast one. There are at least three reasons it's in the public interest for the military and other agencies to continue the search for opportunists who engaged in the masquerade.

ïIt's theft of public funds.

ïPutting unqualified people in sensitive jobs may endanger public safety.

ïSince a degree makes it easier for a foreigner to enter the United States, it could be a tool for terrorism.

With tuition levels soaring, diploma mills will be as tempting as ever. But by tracking down and dealing with service members who collected undeserved benefits, the Army lets unscrupulous and lazy people know that the shortcut isn't worth the risk, which in turn makes the scheme less attractive to potential con artists.

In the meantime, the military, the government and our public school systems need to scour their records and tighten their personnel practices against fraudulent academic credentials.

The State Health Department has accused a social worker and two counselors of using phony degrees from diploma mills. All are accused of buying doctorates.

State regulators accuse Michael Strub, a licensed social workers, with buying a doctor of philosophy in psychology degree diploma and transcript in March 2004. They came from Hamilton University, which the Health Department calls an online diploma mill.

He is accused of misrepresenting his education and training to clients and insurance companies. He worked at Cornerstone Counseling Services in Puyallup.

David Larsen, a registered counselor and chemical dependency professional, is accused of buying a doctor of psychology degree in October 2002. The Health Department said he got it from another online diploma mill, St. Regis University. He was known as "Dr. Larsen," the Health Department said.

He is accused of misrepresenting his eduction and training on a resume he submitted for a counselor job.

He worked at Crossroads Treatment Center in Tacoma and CiviGenics of Tacoma.

He has since retired, according to the Health Department.

Taylor Danard, a registered counselor, bought a doctor of philosophy in psychology degree from St. Regis University in January 2003, the Health Department said. She is accused of misrepresenting herself as a Ph.D. and providing false information to a Health Department investigator.

Investigators also looked into four other providers who got credentials from diploma mills, but they didn't use the degrees in their practices or in the application to get a state license.

She worked at the Madison Park Counseling Center in Seattle.

All three health providers have 20 days to respond to the accusations.

HUNTSVILLE, AL - A WHNT NEWS 19 Investigation into fake diplomas has exposed phony college degrees on resumes of members of the military and powerful people in missile defense.

The bombshell is sending shockwaves through Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, and has touched a nerve across the Tennessee Valley.

WHNT NEWS 19 viewers have responded passionately by posting comments on our website and sending dozens of emails.

One viewer wrote:

"It's all about integrity. Anyone who would try to pass off a fake degree is capable of anything. What has this person not done? I wouldn't want him in charge of an outhouse if he passed off a fake degree as a legitimate degree."

Another praised our reports, writing:

"Great work!!! Now, move in for the kill. This has gone on long enough. Many people already knew this and did nothing."

But, some of you also took direct aim at our investigative reports.

"Your idea of 'finding out the truth' is something to be embarrassed of, not proud."

Another viewer writes:

"I think this is a witch hunt. You should stop because you are going to hurt these people's lives and make it to where they can't get a job in this city again."

Chief Investigative Reporter Wendy Halloran broke the story and continues to uncover new information.

We exposed soldiers, a high-ranking civilian on the Army Aviation and Missile Command and a defense contractor. They all have one thing in common. It's not their military background. They bought bogus degrees. We exposed their secret and now it's making national headlines.

Newspaper after newspaper around the country printed the story. The Associated Press picked it up. It went worldwide with the web, including CNN.com.

What's the big deal, you ask?

Secrets, lies, security clearance and access to classified informationo it's a recipe for disaster that presents a threat to national security and defrauds you, the taxpayer.

Brigadier General David Grange told Wendy Halloran, "Trying to get information from government employees by foreign agents is a reality that we have to understand and face."

Our 'Taking Action' investigation uncovered a key, essential leader on Redstone Arsenal at the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command with a fake college degree.

AMCOM's Director of Readiness, Chris Oleyte, a powerful position with a lot of responsibility, and now there are calls for his resignation.

Brigadier General David Grange told Halloran, "The honorable thing to do is to step down be removed from that command."

We exposed a defense contractor, James Samuelson, who when confronted, admitted the degrees were phony and practically apologized.

When confronted Samuelson said, "Sometimes all of us do things that are not real bright."

Our fake diploma investigation, 'Breach of Trust' triggered an Army probe after revealing soldiers in the Army, National Guard and Army Reserve.

Now the soldiers we exposed may face discipline because they bought fake degrees and counterfeit transcripts. What's worse? They used them to secure promotions. Instead of doing the hard right, they did the easy wrong.

Sergeant Major Tom Gills told Halloran, "They've had years and years to learn and understand what's right and what's wrong. And, to do something so heinous or egregious as to buy a degree when the Army is willing to pay for it for you pay for your tuition assistance so that you can go actually get the education is just a terrible thing."

Sergeant Major Tom Gills is the Chief of enlisted promotions at the U.S. Army Human Resources Command. He said, "From the Army's point of view, the Human Resources Command's point of view, we're very happy that you brought it to our attention because we want all of our soldiers to live and operate within those Army ethics and values that they are taught. And, you bringing this information to us allows us to respond to it to correct that action and to insure that we educate all of our HR professionals and their commanders to be on the lookout for it."

Many of the soldiers we exposed have decorated backgrounds - medals, awards, commendations. It begs the question, "why?"

Wendy asked, "What would prompt a soldier to buy a degree? Is it competitiveness? Why do you think they would take the easy route?" Gills said, "Well, I think it's competitiveness. But, it's also misinformation." He continued, "I travel quite a bit around the Army to teach the soldiers about what they need to do to get promoted. And, I let them know that the evaluation report they get each year is the single most important thing for getting a promotion in the senior ranks. Unfortunately, this myth that getting a diploma equals getting a promotion is not true, yet it's still some, obviously, believed in some quarters."

For a promotion a soldier is rated in five broad categories, including competence, physical fitness, leadership, training, responsibility and accountability. There are 15 total areas where they get points. Higher education is only a fraction of the criteria.

Gills said, "Getting a degree is critically important. I don't want to misstate that it's critically important." He continued, "Education is one of our biggest investments we have in our soldiers, along with military training because that education empowers them with an academic capacity that allows commanders to delegate more authority to them larger missions because they have a better understanding of the world around them."

The Army says it's harder than the armchair naysayer might think to ferret out a fake. Gills said, "Every time we squash one type of institution, they're going to pop up with a different name attempting to lure soldiers to do the wrong thing."

Among the worst is Saint Regis University, a diploma mill operated out of Spokane, Washington.

It was a operation masterminded by Dixie and Steven Randock. A phony degree and diploma-granting racket that sold counterfeit credentials based on life experience to 9,612 buyers around the world. No coursework, no classes. Just cash! The ringleaders raked in millions. Then the Feds shut them down and prosecutors sent the Randocks to prison.

Unfortunately, they're not the only ones cranking out counterfeit credentials. Halloran asked, "Do you think diploma mills, in general, are becoming an even bigger problem in this country?" of Judith Eaton, the President of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, based in Washington, D.C.

"The press for credentials at the higher education level is so great. It is tied to so many jobs," said Eaton. "It is such an advantage to have a higher education credential in seeking employment and getting ahead, that 'yes,' there are a number of people who will say, 'Well I can do this an easier way than going to school for four years. I can go online and buy a degree.' And, they'll do it."

Eaton said, "You don't get a legitimate master's degree in two months. You don't get a legitimate doctorate by paying $2,500."

Halloran asked, "Is enough being done by lawmakers?" Eaton replied, "No." She continued, "There are negative consequences associated with having and using a fraudulent degree. People lose their jobs. People don't get promoted. People may be fired. But, right now the negative consequences are minimal. And, we need to pay more attention to it."

Ten states have passed laws making the use of a fake credential a crime and there are restrictions in Michigan and Indiana. Alabama has no laws on the books.

"I think that diploma mills are a very, very serious problem," said Congressman Tim Bishop. Bishop is a Democrat from New York. Halloran spoke with him from Capitol Hill.

"If a bogus credential is being used to acquire a particular position, whether it be an entry level position or promotion and taxpayer dollars are being used to fund that position or fund the promotion, that points once again to the fact that action must be taken," Rep. Bishop said.

Bishop sits on the House Education and Labor Committee. In that role, he's made modest gains in the effort to crackdown on counterfeit degrees. Bishop co-sponsored legislation that became law last year and for the first time, provided a federal definition of a diploma mill. But, by his own admission, that's not enough.

Bishop said, "I think that this diploma mill problem has grown more pronounced as a result of emerging technology. And, now it is the responsibility of the government to deal with a much more pronounced problem than had once been the case."

So, we made him go on record with a promise to get results. Halloran asked, "I just want to hear your commitment to getting a federal law passed that makes this a crime." Bishop replied, "I can commit to you that I will re-submit the legislation that Congresswoman McCollum and I offered now about a year and half ago and I will work as hard as I possibly can to see to it that it becomes law."

Congressman Bishop said he's interested in meeting with Army leaders to discuss the issue. The Army is taking this matter very seriously. Lieutenant Colonel Richard McNorton is the spokesperson for the Army's Human Resources Command. He said if Army leaders or soldiers who are in leadership positions purchase fake degrees, it's a career ender.

Now that we've brought this to the attention of the Army, it's in the process of identifying soldiers who conducted business with diploma mills. They're also warning soldiers about predatory diploma mills and steering them to legitimate colleges.

The issues at Redstone Arsenal are separate from the enlisted soldiers because it involves Department of the Army civilians. We've made the senior command at Redstone Arsenal aware of this problem. And, we've made them aware of additional employees who may have purchased fake degrees.

We requested an on camera interview with AMCOM Commander Major General Jim Myles. He declined our request and instead issued a statement which stated:

"An investigation is currently working to determine the truth about all the circumstances surrounding these allegations. When that effort is complete, we will be able to exactly determine any future action." -Maj. Gen. Jim Myles

We're hopeful Major General Jim Myles will respond to us.

The U.S. Army is investigating soldiers who bought degrees from an illegal diploma mill that was based in Spokane and resulted in prison time for its operators.

It's also warning soldiers to be wary of phony diploma schemes when they sign up for education and tuition assistance.

The Army's Human Resources Command is using a list of customers of the diploma mill operated by Dixie and Steve Randock obtained and posted online last summer by The Spokesman-Review.

"We're doing an inquiry into all of our records," Lt. Col. Richard McNorton, public affairs officer for the Human Resources Command headquarters in Alexandria, Va., said Friday. "It's a very laborious process."

So far, the investigation has turned up about 25 soldiers in the Army, National Guard or Army Reserve who face discipline because they bought fake degrees, and in some cases fake transcripts, and used them to secure promotions, McNorton said. Others have been found who have fake degrees in their files but have since retired.

Retirees might face some administrative action, although the Army's authority is limited after a person retires, he said.

The investigation was triggered by a series of stories by a Huntsville, Ala., television station about diploma mill customers who worked at a local military base and weapons arsenal. Reporter Wendy Halloran of station WHNT asked the Human Resources Command about some Huntsville soldiers, and the office opened an investigation using the customer database compiled by the U.S. Justice Department in the case against the Randocks, McNorton said.

They also used The Spokesman-Review's online version of the database, which lists customers alphabetically and by some e-mail addresses, including military e-mail addresses that end in ."mil." But those were the "low-hanging fruit," McNorton said, and the Human Resources Command quickly moved on to the full list.

The Army's investigation turned up one soldier who purchased eight degrees or certificates from the Randocks. Thurman Towry, a former guardsman and Army Reserve officer who submitted degrees to obtain promotions, faced administrative action short of a court-martial and opted to retire, McNorton said.

"Obviously, with something like this, your career is completely over," he said.

The Army now is concentrating on anyone who obtained a degree from one of several fake institutions, including St. Regis University, which the Randocks created. That fake school prompted a civil suit against the Randocks when Regis University, a Jesuit-run institution in Denver, sued them for damaging the real school's reputation.

Regis University is accredited by the Army and is listed in a "drop down box" on a form that education officers fill out when a soldier is reporting a degree. Some soldiers who bought St. Regis degrees may have told the education officer that it was the same school as Regis and the form was filled out accordingly, McNorton said.

A college degree is not a requirement for promotion within the enlisted ranks, but it can be the factor that leads to advancements when two soldiers are equal in all other categories. It is a requirement for promotion in the officer ranks.

Each case will be investigated by the soldier's commanding unit to see what action is warranted. Some soldiers may have purchased a degree without completing any course work and submitted it to gain a promotion, knowing it was fake, McNorton said. Others may have supplied the diploma mill with transcripts from several other schools, along with a work history, and legitimately thought they were earning a degree. "Not everybody is corrupt. Some may have just been dumb," he said.

The Human Resources Command is also concerned about soldiers, and the taxpayers, being swindled by diploma mills. The military pays soldiers to get more education but requires the education to be from accredited schools ñ or the costs won't be reimbursed.

They could lose hundreds of dollars of their own money, McNorton said.

This week, the Army posted a "buyer beware" admonition about diploma mills on the Web site that helps soldiers sign up for education and tuition assistance. It advises soldiers to make sure a school is accredited and warns about punishment for entering a fraudulent degrees into personnel records.

"Don't get caught with a 'bogus degree,' " advises Thursday's Tip of the Day from the Army's education Web site.

A follow-up to a Taking Action Investigation we brought you last October. At that time, we exposed three people who had bought fake diplomas.

Following that report, several people emailed WHNT NEWS 19 who said we only scratched the surface. One viewer claimed buying fake degrees is condoned and rewarded at the highest levels on Redstone Arsenal.

We dug deeper, and indeed, found more deception. This investigation has captured the attention of top leaders from Huntsville to Washington, D.C.

Our investigation reveals the use of counterfeit credentials has infiltrated all levels of the military and missile defense, the core of Huntsville's community. This breach of trust is costing you, the taxpayer, and it could put our nation's security at risk.

This week on WHNT NEWS 19 at 10:00, we'll expose soldiers, civilians and even defense contractors who possess fake degrees.

Our investigation in October 2008 started with retired Master Sergeant Albert Finley, Jr.

"I only inquired, no, I never bought nothing," said Finley.

Finley's military record testifies to a patriotic man, willing to put himself in harm's way for his country. His distinguished record shows he's done everything to be all he can be, from earning the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Kuwait Liberation Medal and the Global War On Terrorism Service Medal.

These campaign medals, decorations and awards speak volumes. Among the honor, there's another accolade Finley takes credit for: a master's degree in Sociology with a minor in Counseling from Saint Regis University.

His diploma looks official. His transcripts reflect he was an almost straight-A student. But there's one problem, it's all a lie.

The lie was good enough to fool the U.S. Army, until we brought it to their attention. Our investigation essentially shows when soldiers can't be all they can be, they buy it.

Finley told WHNT NEWS 19 he only inquired about buying a fake degree. We traveled to the nation's capitol for answers. The U.S. Army says that's not the case.

"Did Master Sergeant Albert Finley Junior, Retired, turn over a fake degree to the United States Army?" we asked of Sergeant Major Tom Gills.

"He did," said SGM Gills. "We've verified that and I have a copy of it right here for you."

SGM Gills is the Chief of Enlisted Promotions for the U.S. Army. The office is headquartered at the Army's Human Resources Command in northern Virginia.

The fake degree from now-defunct Saint Regis University cost Finley $731. It's one factor in his promotion from Sgt. First Class to Master Sergeant. The promotion meant a bump in pay for him. You've been footing the bill.

"You have a master's degree through Troy University out of Dothan, Alabama, so you know what it's like get the higher education -- the blood sweat and tears -- when you heard of Finley's case what ran across your mind? What entered your mind?" we asked SGM Gills.

"In a word, disgust," said SGM Gills.

"When I think of the hard work, and not just for myself, setting an example for our young soldiers to see what right looks like and to spend those nights and the weekends missing family events and all the other things that all of us do to achieve the degree had to go through, it's not easy of course," said SGM Gills.

"It's very worthwhile, so as you work to make that example for your subordinates and your peers hoping to inspire them, to have someone who would go and do something like this, it sickens me," he added.

"It just adds insult to injury that a senior NCO would take that, that route to go outside of what the Army authorizes as an accredited institution and pay money out of their own pocket again when the Army will pay for their tuition and books 100% to go and actually get the education," SGM Gills added.

The Army's promotions board approved it. However, Master Sergeant Albert Finley's far-from-genuine degree isn't the only fake that slipped through the cracks of the Army's screening process. There are a battalion of others who flew under the radar.

WHNT NEWS 19's Taking Action Investigation has uncovered Major Eliza Watson of Birmingham bought a fake bachelor's degree in Business.

The comment section on the Saint Regis University buyer's list reveals Major Watson took measures to make sure her secret stayed a secret.

Her post said "I am Captain in the Army Reserves and I need a degree to retain my commission; no transaction on e-mail."

Major Thurman Towry of Homewood also engaged in a covert operation, purchasing a total of eight degrees and certificates, including a bachelor's in Business Management, a master's in Management and a PhD in International Management Strategy.

Towry turn all three degrees over to the Army, and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Taxpayers paid for his salary raise.

WHNT NEWS 19 has uncovered more than 200 soldiers, Department of the Army civilians and government contractors around the world who bought fake degrees.

"Each case, it is significant, it is egregious and it just smacks right at those core values that we live by," said SGM Gills.

The group who bought fake diplomas includes dozens fighting right now on the front lines. They submitted these degrees into their official military file for consideration for promotion.

"When you're in combat, you've got to trust that man on the right, that woman on the left and certainly that leader who's behind you or in front of you telling you this is the action we're gonna take, and as soon as you give that integrity away by doing something like this, you have now chipped away at a trust factor," said SGM Gills. "How many senior commanders can trust you again or how subordinates can trust you?"

With the Army's strict codes and strict conduct, how does this happen?

"One would never expect that a seasoned leader would do something like this, so you could see how they could slip through the cracks," said SGM Gills.

"There are some civilians and people who are critical of the Army, saying that the Human Resources Command doesn't do enough to stop these bogus degrees from slipping through the cracks. What would you say to people who feel that way?" WHNT NEWS 19 asked Gills.

"Now that this command is aware of it, at this time were going to educate the Human Resources Specialists throughout the Army," said SGM Gills. "We're going to send a message out to the commanders within the Army that same message."

We also spoke with retired U.S. Army Brigadier General David Grange about our investigation.

"I think most of these cases are people getting these credentials in order to obtain a job a higher pay scale," said Grange.

Grange has three silver stars, two purple hearts and one real master's degree in public service from Western Kentucky University.

He serves as the military analyst for CBS and CNN, and spoke with WHNT NEWS 19 via satellite from Chicago.

"Does it concern you, or how concerned are you with fake academic credentials and people defrauding the United States Government?" we asked him.

"Because they're a government person, they belong to the public, in other words that this is an issue I think that the military will crack down on this immediately and weed out anyone that does have bogus credentials," said Grange. "It's not tolerated. I'm sure those that did it wittingly will be punished."

Since the start of WHNT NEWS 19's Taking Action Investigation, we have turned over 12 names of military members in Alabama who bought fake degrees from bona fide diploma mills.

The U.S. Army says it is taking the matter very seriously, conducting a review of all of their records to see if they turned over their fake degrees as part of the promotions process.

One is too many," said SGM Gills. "And each and every one we're going to identify we're going to turn it over to their commanders for appropriate action."

Gills also thanked us for the investigation.

"I just want to say God bless you for bringing this to the Army's attention, for me, at least, to find out about this at this scope or level so that we can take the action," said SGM Gills. "We couldn't do it if you hadn't have brought it to us, so that's the starting point of fixing any problem is knowing you have one."

The punishment for turning over a fake degree ranges from a general officer letter of reprimand, up to an Article 15, which is a non-judicial punishment that allows a commander to take rank, forfeiture of pay, restrict a soldier's activities to the barracks, all the way to a court martial.

If a soldier is court martialed, it becomes a matter of public record. However, because Retired Master Sergeant Albert Finley, Jr. was not court martialed, we'll never know what punishment he was given.

Our Taking Action Investigation is getting more results, too.

The U.S. Army is now auditing all of its records. It is revamping its Human Resource Command to better detect fake credentials, and it is also encouraging those who purchased fake degrees to step forward.

Those who don't come clean could face a court martial.

The Army is also launching an educational campaign that will be broadcast over military radio and television, on web sites, and in newspapers and other print publications.

HUNTSVILLE, AL - It's graduation season all across the country. Thousands of students spent years to get their bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees.

However, many people have bought phony diplomas. In Part 1 of our Taking Action Investigation, WHNT NEWS 19 showed you how fake degrees have infiltrated the enlisted ranks of the U.S. Army.

Now, our investigation reveals this breach of trust goes all the way to the top civilian ranks at Huntsville's Redstone Arsenal.

The fake degree is in the hand of a key essential leader at the U.S. Army's Aviation and Missile Command, AMCOM. The bogus diplomas are against policy, put a person's integrity in question, and make them a potential target for blackmail.

As Director of Readiness for the Army's Aviation and Missile Command, Chris Oleyte carries the weight of America's missile defense readiness on his shoulders. He's also carrying other baggage.

WHNT NEWS 19's Chief Investigative Reporter Wendy Halloran confronted him. "Did you buy a degree from that diploma mill?" we asked.

"Uh, nothing to talk about," Oleyte replied.

Oleyte has top secret clearance, and access to classified information about missile defense. He would probably rather you not know about this secret he's hidden.

"It's on your bio," we say. "Yeah," he replies. "So, I don't even understand why you're talking to me about it," Oleyte said.

Did the system promote him, despite his bogus degree? Does the Department of the Army care that he has a fake credential?

"You have an obligation to talk to us," we say. "No, I don't, you're on my property," Oleyte replies.

Oleyte's secret potentially compromises the integrity of AMCOM and certainly defrauds you, the taxpayer.

"Taxpayers pay your salary," WHNT NEWS 19's Wendy Halloran says. "You don't want to talk about a degree from a degree mill? You're a key essential leader, and that's from a diploma mill."

"I don't appreciate [this]," Oleyte says. "Put the camera down. Please, please the camera."

In 2001, Olyete's impressive government resume boasted a Bachelor's degree in Human Resource Management from Trinity College and University out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

"To be fair, in a description of Trinity College and University, it's something that lives in a metal box 'that big' that you could use to store cat food basically in, it's completely fake," said George Gollin, an expert on diploma mills. More from him shortly.

Oleyte's resume lists that he got that bachelor's degree in 2001. The next year, he got a big promotion, to Senior Command Representative in Korea... a promotion that moved him up from a GS 13 to a GS 14, and likely afforded him a sizeable increase in salary.

Oleyte had the authority over all AMCOM issues, personnel and equipment in that country and reported directly to the AMCOM commanding general in Korea.

By the government's standards, it's a very important position. That began Oleyte's rise through the chain of command. Two years later, he was reassigned to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville as the Deputy Director of Readiness. He was later promoted to Director of Readiness.

WHNT NEWS 19's Wendy Halloran further confronted Oleyte about his bogus degree and the position he holds.

"I don't list that as a degree," Oleyte said.

"But you did," we replied.

"It's way back when," he said.

"Yes, but it's still from a diploma mill," said Halloran.

The promotions process in the U.S. government is very stringent. A complex matrix is used to score applicants. Three screeners judge the applicants on eight criteria. Applicants earn points for everything from aviation or missile systems experience to supervisory experience and even higher education degrees.

When Olyete applied for that promotion in Korea, his initial score was 263. A Freedom of Information Act request shows how 6 points were shaved off from the scoring for that bogus bachelor's degree and his total score corrected. It also shows how Olyete fared against 34 other candidates for the Senior Command Representative position. Despite the reduction, his point total still ranked him third on the list and he still retained the promotion. Without a doubt, someone higher up knew about the bogus degree. Chris Olyete's only 4-year degree is the phony one he possesses from Trinity College and University.

The U.S. Army's policy clearly states an employee who intentionally lists bogus educational credentials on a resume or other form of application for merit promotion calls his trustworthiness and integrity into question. It goes on to say when the employee's current supervisors become aware, he or she will notify the AMCOM Security Intelligence Directorate and it will determine what if anything should be done regarding the employee's clearance and access to classified information.

It's all about trust. To WHNT NEWS 19's knowledge, Olyete's bosses swept it under the rug. Nothing was ever done about it.

How could we know? The U.S. Army at Redstone Arsenal has not answered many of our questions. At first, request after request for an interview was met with excuse after excuse.

But, in the waning hours before we went to air with this story, Redstone Public Affairs Specialist Dan O'Boyle was authorized to answer only a few questions we submitted in advance.

"Does AMCOM Commander General Jim Myles know about Chris Oleyte's fake degree from Trinity College and University?" we asked O'Boyle.

"We are aware of the allegations and we have convened a Commander's inquiry now, that's a group of senior key leaders who are looking at the facts surrounding these allegations and are charged with the responsibility to determine the truth and then come up with a course of action based upon the findings that come out of the inquiry board," said O'Boyle.

"On a government resume, he lists that degree. Are you aware of that?" WHNT NEWS 19 asked.

"We are conducting this inquiry and we'll make a course of action based upon the facts that come out as a result of our findings," said O'Boyle.

"Chris Oletye, the Director of Readiness for AMCOM, did he list the degree on his security clearance application?" we asked.

"We are currently working with Defense Security Services Personnel to obtain all the paperwork and documentation that surrounds these allegations and the circumstances and once we have that piece of the puzzle in place we'll be able to make a determination," O'Boyle replied.

This is a very serious matter, and WHNT NEWS 19 thinks you have a right to know answers to questions, for example, does this make Olyete a potential target for blackmail? Does it pose a threat to national security?

With few answers from Redstone Arsenal, we had to go elsewhere.

"So here we have someone in Missile Command who is responsible for very hi-tech, very important, very sensitive information who is a possessor of qualifications that are bogus," said George Gollin.

Gollin is an expert on diploma mills. He worked with federal prosecutors, going after the ringleaders of Saint Regis University, a diploma mill operated out of Spokane, Washington. Saint Regis sold fake degrees to nearly 10,000 people around the world.

Gollin is also a professor at the University of Illinois and a board member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. That is this country's standard when it comes to accrediting universities and colleges.

"What if the fellow has a mortgage, what if he's really not in a position to take a pay cut, have to move into a different position because his credentials are not legitimate -- it really does seem to me like someone in that position is very vulnerable to pressure when they really have to choose between giving up their ability to support their family to pay for their home and providing initially what seems like harmless information," said Gollin. "But really, once you provide harmless but classified information, then you've done something that's illegal and that can be used against you," he added.

As a matter of fact, Oleyte does have a sizeable mortgage. Records show his Madison home was worth more than $330,000 when he bought it in 2006. Oleyte's name is also on the mortgage for a condominium in Honolulu, Hawaii. It's worth $433,400.

Keep in mind that you, the taxpayer, are paying his salary. But there is more at stake than just taxpayer money.

"Do you think the blackmail issue is a very real threat?" WHNT NEWS 19 asks Retired Brigadier General David Grange.

"Those that have issues financially, those that have issue having to have some type of academic achievement or other awards things like this in order to raise their status and that, are subject to manipulation by enemy agents," said Grange.

Grange serves as the national security expert for CBS NEWS and CNN. He spoke with WHNT NEWS 19 via satellite from Chicago.

"Could this put our troops in harm's way?" WHNT NEWS 19's Wendy Halloran asked.

"Any time someone has accessibility to classified information and has a character flaw, the results could be putting our troops in harms way, absolutely," said Grange.

General Grange says this matter is so serious, there's really only one solution.

"It's disturbing that the individual would in fact do that, not all the checks and balances catch all these types of things, the individual admitted it, the honorable thing to do is to step down be removed from that command and move on, because it's not tolerated," said Grange.

WHNT NEWS 19 believes there are more top leaders at AMCOM installations worldwide with bogus degrees. The Department of the Army is investigating the names that we have turned over.

WHNT NEWS 19 is not saying that Oleyte is not qualified to hold the position he has. He may be qualified, but this is a breach of trust, a question of honor and integrity, and sets a bad example because it flies in the face of the Army's policies and values.

All across Alabama students are celebrating the satisfaction of graduating from college and that they've got their diploma in hand.

For most people it's not easy to get a bachelors, masters or doctoral degree. It takes years of studying, tens of thousands of dollars in student loans and endless stress from exams.

What does that diploma get you? The potential for a better profession, higher pay, pride and prestige.

WHNT NEWS 19 has exposed how people in high positions in the military and missile defense have purchased their degree without spending all the time, energy and money that you did.

Chief Investigative Reporter Wendy Halloran has revealed how some people tried to take a shortcut, paying a fraction of what it costs to go to school and purchased counterfeit credentials.

In Part 3 of the WHNT NEWS 19 Taking Action investigation we put a man who works for a defense contractor under the microscope.

Jim Samuelson is the Director of Contracts, Proposals and Pricing for ADT (Applied Data Trends).

His job is to get his company awarded contracts with the Department of Defense. He has security clearance on Redstone Arsenal, access to classified information about the software his company makes for the Warfighter and he claims to be an International Traffic in Arms Regulations Empowered Official.

He also teaches continuing education courses in government contracting at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Wendy Halloran confronted Samuelson and asked him what University he got his bachelor's in business administration and his master's in business from?

"I really got to go. Please?" replied Samuelson. Halloran then asked, "Does your employer know where it's from?" "Yes, ma'am they do," he said. "And, what university is that sir?" "Please turn that off, turn it off," Samuelson said.

Many people aspire to achieve an MBA. But, Samuelson took a shortcut by buying one from Saint Regis University, a diploma mill. There were no classes and no course work. All it took was cash.

"When I did it, I was requested to fill out enormous amounts of paperwork to justify experience," claimed Samuelson.

The Saint Regis buyer's list we obtained shows he paid $2,917 for the two higher education degrees. Saint Regis University concocted credentials that looked legitimate. But, aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

Halloran asked him if he turned the degrees over to get his job at ADT. Samuelson replied, "No ma'am. I did not."

Samuelson's profile on the social networking site, Facebook, provided a wealth of information about his background. He proudly posted details about his decade in the United States Marine Corps, several tours of duty including assignments in Vietnam. He listed his more than 20 years of work experience and his own government consulting business. And, he showcased his higher ed degrees - a bachelor's supposedly earned in 2002 and a master's two years later.

He posted so much detail, but had one glaring omission.

Halloran stated, "Your resume currently lists Regis University." "Then I must have had something mess up," replied Samuelson.

The posting on his Facebook profile indicates his degrees are from Regis University, a legitimate University in Denver, Colorado.

Halloran asked, "Did you drop the 'Saint' on there? Because Regis University has no record of you, sir." Samuelson just sighed deeply.

"We checked with Regis University. The Jesuit University was quick to clarify that it had no record of this James Samuelson attending its institution," said Halloran.

What's the harm you wonder?

"Do you have security clearance onto Redstone Arsenal?" Halloran asked. "Yes, ma'am I do," he replied.

A powerful position, access to classified information and a secret that could be used against him.

"So, I really worry about secrets getting out," stated George Gollin. He's an expert on diploma mills. He worked with the federal government to prosecute the leaders of Saint Regis University.

Gollin said, "We have holes in our ability to keep information secure that this opens up. So here we have a contractor responsible for handling very sensitive information. Information that, if it gets out, puts our armed forces at risk. The person is susceptible to pressure to blackmail to being told that he needs to provide some information or else they're going to nail him. They'll make him lose his job and this is a person in a position of great responsibility. It's really, really frightening."

But, don't just take George Gollin's word for it.

"Any corrupt individual would be harmful to the defense of the United States of America whether it would be this issue or other issues," said Brigadier General David Grange.

Grange spent nearly three decades serving our country. Now, he's a national security analyst for CBS and CNN. He spoke to Wendy Halloran from Chicago.

Halloran asked Grange, "Could this put our troops in harms way?" Grange said, "Anytime someone has accessibility to classified information and has a character flaw the results could be putting our troops in harms way. Absolutely."

Grange said the potential for blackmail is a reality, "Depending on the level of security clearance they have that would be the level of information they could obtain and give to a foreign agent."

Samuelson's Facebook profile indicates he got the job at ADT in June of 2003. Remember, he got that bogus bachelor's in business in 2002 and the phony MBA in 2004.

Halloran asked Samuelson again, "Does your employer know about these degrees?"

He replied, "I'm not. No, the only people who would know about it are thanks to you the whole city."

ADT is a multi-million dollar defense contractor. We requested an interview with ADT's CEO about this matter. We even provided a set of questions in advance. Instead, ADT's CEO Derrick Copeland sent us a statement that said ADT is aware of the WHNT NEWS 19 investigative report. It went on to say "ADT takes seriously such matters and is currently assessing the facts of the situation to determine what action by ADT, if any, is warranted."

A college degree isn't a requirement for a lot of jobs posted at ADT. Samuelson said he didn't use the degree to get the job and now worries it could cost him dearly.

Halloran said, "I'm giving you the chance to tell me exactly what happened here." Samuelson replied, "What you're doing for a living could cost me my living."

With so much at stake and plenty of professional experience, the nagging question remains why?

"Let me ask you why you would get these types of credentials after your years in the service in the Marine Corps. Then, all of a sudden you wind up with a bachelor's and a master's in business administration and government contracting. Is it the pressure to get a job? What prompted you to do it?" asked Halloran. "To be a 100 percent honest, what prompted me to get it was that my daughter was about to graduate from college and I have dealt with years of being highly experienced and not having a degree," said Samuelson.

He went on to say, "There's some discussion that's going to go on. They're going to say 'how could somebody who does what he does be that dumb?' But, you know sometimes all of us do things that are not real bright."

Samuelson said he was taken advantage of, scammed by Saint Regis University. His attorney told WHNT NEWS 19 that Samuelson thought Saint Regis was legit and that he knew nothing of its accreditation status when he applied for the degree online. Samuelson also told us he's trying to get his degree the right way and he is currently enrolled at the University of Phoenix which is an accredited institution.

Samuelson and his lawyer stress that he never got a job or promotion because of the degree and he never represented the degree to be anything it was not. Samuelson's lawyer says he never received personal financial gain as a result of the degree certificate and in fact the attorney said Samuelson "has simply lost money."

A college degree is not required for the continuing education courses that Samuelson teaches at UAH. He is not a faculty member at the school and the people who take his class do not receive academic credit.

There have been few more personally satisfying story endings than what has happened with the bogus degree sellers that once made Cheyenne their home. While it remains embarrassing that the Wyoming Legislature was so slow to act, when it finally did, the exodus was swift and certain.

When unaccredited degree sellers had to move toward accreditation or leave town, almost all left immediately. Only one took a legitimate stab at accreditation. That was the newly named Warren National University (the same business had been known for over 20 years as the infamous Kennedy-Western University).

After the recent story here about Warren National withdrawing their application for accreditation because the Higher Learning Commission, a USDOE-approved accrediting agency, denied WNU candidacy for accreditation, a former senior administrator of Warren National University contacted me by e-mail...

When the founder of KWU/WNU (Paul Saltman) visited the accrediting agency, Higher Learning Commission (HLC) in Chicago, accompanied by this chief academic officer (CAO), his pitch to HLC was the strength of his board of directors. HLC had no interest. "Paul had told me that he had an inroad with HLC and that we were going to get this because he 'greased the skids, so to speak'." ...

"The University (Warren National) would admit anybody," she told me, "if you could write the check, you could come to school." WNU admitted people "who were truly not university quality candidates. So, if you're only modestly prepared to do any of the work, you might have to work really hard to do any of the work." (Note: That might explain Bob Fecht's contention that he worked harder for his bogus Lacrosse degree than he did for his bachelor's degree at SIU.)

Students could also do mediocre work and get good grades, she said.

About exams: Students could log onto a website and pull up the test they were to take. Even tests for master's and doctoral degrees were multiple choice. The exam was graded immediately. A student could then get exam results, along with all of the answers, immediately print it out, and if they did not pass, they could call the exam coordinator and say, "I'm ready to re-take that exam."

What was supposed to happen was that the second exam was supposed to be an "alternate exam" - a different exam. KWU/WNU did not do that. They allowed a retake of the same exam and the student would have the printed answers in front of them when they retook the test.

Every test could be taken twice. The neat thing about the second time is that the student had the answers. Printed out from taking it the first time and having or choosing to take it again...

The credentials of Naperville Unit District 203's next superintendent are being called into question by critics just days after he was hired.

Mark Mitrovich, scheduled to take the helm of one of the state's largest school systems July 1, holds a doctorate from the University of Santa Barbara, but the institution is not nationally accredited. Readers responding online to the news of his hiring criticized it as a result.

Both Mitrovich and the search firm that recommended him say the degree is legitimate and the issue will not affect his ability to lead Naperville schools...

District 203 school board President Suzyn Price directed questions about Mitrovich to Hank Gmitro, an associate with Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, the search firm the district employed to help it find a new superintendent.

Gmitro said the firm was aware of what school Mitrovich attended and learned during a routine check several days ago that it was not accredited. He was unsure of whether the firm learned before or after the board approved hiring the new leader and said it's typical to focus discussions with candidates more on their experiences.

Gmitro said there is no requirement to hold a doctorate at all in order to be a superintendent. He believes the board made a good selection in Mitrovich, who has both an education and business background...

Mitrovich, 63, begins his new post July 1. He has signed a three-year contract with the district with a starting annual salary of $203,000.

A senator has filed a bill to address the problem with fake degrees that higher ed reporter Kavita Kumar wrote about in December.

Sen. Matt Bartle, R-Lee's Summit sponsored a bill that would make it a class C misdemeanor to use or attempt to use a false diploma.

The Senate Education Committee has heard the bill, and could vote on it as early as next week.

Bartle said in the committee that the bill would not address "diploma mills" that offer a degree for nothing more than money.

The bill is SB 182.

Thousands of words have been printed on the pages of the Cheyenne Herald over the past nearly four years on the subject of unaccredited "institutions" that had set up shop in Wyoming over the past several years.

For years, Wyoming has been the target of nationally criticism based on the State's willingness to allow businesses chased from other states to operate with impunity here. For some reason, there were those who had no qualms about welcoming illegitimate and undesirable businesses elsewhere to set up shop within our borders and ply their fraudulent business all over the United States and world, using a Wyoming address.

Instead of shutting the scoundrels down as the 2006 legislation accomplished, Wyoming first imposed the rather timid requirement of "having a presence" in Wyoming, with at least a single employee here. These outfits rake in hundreds of thousands to several million dollars a year - renting a $350.00 a month office and a minimum wage employee to meet that requirement was no problem.

Basement offices in the Downtown Mini Mall, the old J.C. Penney Building and the Mossholder's Building and second story offices in the Majestic Building and the Tivoli, in addition to office space at the former Aero Tech Building by the airport runway, presented no challenge.

When some in the Legislature tired of being ridiculed nationally, they passed legislation requiring these unaccredited institutions to gain, or at least seek, accreditation or get out of Dodge. Like rats from a sinking ship, most immediately scurried. They were not going to become accredited. They couldn't. They weren't providing an education with merit or value - they were selling hope to the unsuspecting.

Kennedy-Western University has been in business for almost 25 years. "Kennedy." Just imagine how that resonated around the world. Our hero to the free world, John F. Kennedy, had his name usurped by a business that for the past several years could not peddle their product in the state they called home - California.

Degrees from unaccredited universities aren't meant for citizens of the United States. They are designed to give false hope to those in foreign countries. To those who crave an "American" degree. They don't know Lacrosse University of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi - the notorious degree seller - from University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse - a legitimate campus in the highly-respected University of Wisconsin system.

Many of the degree peddlers, more often referred to as diploma mills but I don't think that begins to cover the damage they've done, took grandiose names to fool the students who lived far away, most often overseas, into believing the peddler had a connection with something far better than just a bank account to deposit their ill-gotten gains. American Global University. American Capital University. American City University.

Paramount University of Technology. Three exaggerations in three words.

Trusting foreign students and their parents didn't know these were scammers. But we did. Employees at the Wyoming Department of Education visited these basement and second floor offices. They knew they weren't conducting classes - they weren't providing an education - from these tiny offices. There were no "professors" there to grade papers or accept calls for assistance. But, our people tolerated this charade. This scam perpetrated on unknowing and trusting students far distant from Wyoming - in particular, from Cheyenne was ignored.

Junkets were provided legislators and WDOE employees. When you can go to the United Arab Emirates or London, are you going to blow the whistle on these frauds? Does the reputation of Wyoming mean less to these public officials than travel to exotic destinations? Obviously, it meant far less. In one of the stories readers can link to with this story, I made a terrible mistake. I identified Jayne Mockler as one of those who traveled at Preston University expense. It should have been Kathryn Sessions. A career educator, Sessions went to bat for that scammer. Preston was one of the first rats to abandon the sinking ship of unaccredited institutions - they fled to Montgomery, Alabama before the ink dried on the Governor's signature to the new legislation.

Perhaps the largest of the money takers has been Kennedy-Western University, lastly known as Warren National University. It was not enough to link itself to Kennedy, they grabbed the "Warren" name when they attempted to gain accreditation. Maybe there were less than honorable reasons to take another name after fleecing students for two decades. Maybe they were aware that input from students would be diminished if they didn't realize Warren National was one and the same as Kennedy-Western.

In the long run, nothing they tried worked. They were not recommended for eligibility for accreditation and they will now pull the plug on their nefarious operation.

The subject of Warren National University has heated up considerably in recent days. The Cheyenne Herald has been contacted by students who were concerned about the future of WNU, including one who had been trying to get a refund. Further research uncovered even more disconcerting news about WNU. National forums found the Cheyenne Herald's front page story about former superintendent of public instruction Judy Catchpole serving on the boards of both WNU and its parent company, L3, Inc. Over 500 visits were made to that website on a single day last week.

Another e-mail came from a guy in Illinois. He was upset with that story about Judy Catchpole. He said he had a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering from WNU and had worked hard for it. He called my story "horrible." I informed him that it was illegal in Illinois to use a degree from an unaccredited "university" to obtain a job, advancement or higher pay. He didn't know that.

Oregon passed a law in the last couple years that requires anyone using a degree from an unaccredited university like Kennedy-Western or Warren National to show a discrediting statement with it. Read this from Oregon:

"So now Kennedy-Western grads can proudly proclaim their degrees o sort of. Under the new law, those graduates will have to follow mention of their degree by saying that their alma mater "does not have accreditation recognized by the United States Department of Education and has not been approved by the [Oregon] Office of Degree Authorization," the official language dictated by the legislation. The bill, which received only 3 "nay" votes in the 60-member House and 30-member Senate, says that the "disclaimer shall be made in any rÈsumÈ, letterhead, business card, announcement or advertisement in which the person is claiming or representing to have an academic degree" from an institution that is not either accredited, or licensed to give degrees by the state.

People who do not use the disclaimer will face up to a $1,000 fine for every violation. They could also face criminal prosecution if the omission is a potential public threat, such as in the case of a public health worker."

Looks like that would have made it hard to get many jobs in Oregon with a KWU or WNU degree.

So now that Warren National has failed in its bid to become legitimate and has announced its closing, what about its students? Those with "degrees" should know by now that they could have gotten a comparable degree from a Cracker Jack's box but those who were in the middle of their pursuit are up the creek. Will WNU refund unearned deposits? Probably not. One "Online Degree" forum poster suggested that Wells Fargo Bank was providing loans for students to take the WNU courses. Will they forgive those loans? Probably not.

KWU continues to treat its students with disrespect. In the closing announcement (http://www.wnuedu.com/ or follow the prompt from the Cheyenne Herald Home Page ), WNU told students they could continue their studies at Preston University. You remember Preston, don't you? Another unaccredited scammer that bolted from Wyoming. PU have no intention of becoming accredited. Did WNU make this transfer to avoid litigation for abandoning students in pursuit of a degree? Did they refer students to an equally reprehensible scammer to perpetrate one final injustice to students who trusted them? That story will follow. (According to the Alabama Department of Post Secondary Education website, Preston University's license expired on 12/1/2008.)

A Cheyenne-based online university that at one point had nearly 2,000 students has announced it will close at the end of March.

Warren National University says it has not been accepted as a candidate for nationally recognized accreditation. A state law enacted in 2006 requires all colleges and universities operating in Wyoming to at least be candidates for accreditation.

In a statement on its Web site, Warren National says the Wyoming Department of education has revoked its registration. The statement says Warren National is appealing that decision.

However, the statement says March 31 will be the school's last day of instruction and students need to turn in all remaining work by then if they wish to graduate.

A phone message left at Warren National wasn't immediately returned Monday.

With the internationalization of higher education, the world of accreditation and quality assurance is likewise becoming increasing interconnected. An international seminar hosted by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation this week drew participants from around the world to discuss challenges in regulating diverse higher education systems ó and weeding out illegitimate players (i.e., degree mills) wherever they set up shop.

In a presentation that opened the two-day seminar on Wednesday, Carolyn Campbell, assistant director of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, in the United Kingdom, outlined three "Rs" that she sees as hot topics in quality assurance internationally: ranking, regulation and reform. Pursuit of top spots in international rankings is "becoming a national aspiration, almost a badge of honor," Campbell said. "One of the more serious issues around this desire for institutions and countries to identify their universities as 'world class' is [that] by estimates only 3 percent of students in the world go to these top-ranked universities. What about the other 97 percent of students? Who's looking out for their interests?"

That's where the second R ó regulation ó comes in. Campbell described efforts to redefine quality in terms of learning outcomes, and the growing adoption of qualifications frameworks (more on that later). And then, of course, there's reform.

"In relation to all these reforms and changes, the introduction of new definitions of academic standards, the search for transparency, compatibility and comparability, there was an s word o sustainability. How sustainable are some of the reforms and some of the new initiatives in quality assurance given that we're living in difficult economic times?" Campbell asked. "Will the money be there to carry through some of these reforms? Will some of the dismay and concern and anger at the failure of self-regulation in one sector of the economy, notably, financial services, spill over into other sectors of the economy which are self-regulating, that is, in many countries, higher education? We're not quite sure."

With Campbell's talk as the backdrop, the international seminar continued on Thursday, with sessions on trends in quality assurance and accreditation in Africa, Europe and the Arab region. In another session, Richard Lewis, a higher education consultant, focused in on the development of qualifications frameworks, or lists of competencies a student should demonstrate in order to receive a degree of a certain level. What competencies should the holders of a bachelor's degree demonstrate, regardless of where they earned it? Beyond that, on a disciplinary level, what should the "typical" chemistry major know? (Coming up with common disciplinary-level expectations is done through a process known as "tuning.")

European nations have been developing qualifications frameworks as part of the Bologna Process, which involves creating a common European Higher Education Area and thereby fostering mobility. The United States, however, lacks such a qualifications framework. Or does it?

"Isn't there a general expectation of a number of credit hours one student needs to get a degree?" Lewis asked. "And isn't it fair to say," he continued, that a degree in physics from University A would have similarities to one from University B?

"Does that mean that the United States has an informal qualifications framework?" he asked. "Do informal systems work better than formal ones?"

Another session on Thursday focused on degree mills ó illegitimate operators. In outlining steps that can be taken to combat them, John Daniel, president and chief executive officer of the Commonwealth of Learning, placed some responsibility on governments, but also a fair amount on academics. Among his suggestions, he called for the higher education community to maintain informal systems of alerts and blacklists (informal in part because of the litigious nature of some degree mill operators), and also "for everyone to raise their game in checking credentials presented to them." If checking credentials became the norm, Daniel said, "degree mills would soon be out of business."

Participants and panelists also discussed a gray area: low-quality institutions that wouldn't qualify as degree mills. One audience member suggested a clear distinction, however: Diploma mills are operating fraudulently, and must be suppressed, while for substandard institutions, isn't the purpose of quality assurance to bring their practices up to acceptable levels?

The growing demand for college degrees, the globalization of the education market, and the Internet are combining to create a more favorable climate for diploma mills around the world, says Stamenka Uvalic-Trumbic, chief of the section for reform, innovation, and quality assurance in higher education at the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.

Ms. Uvalic-Trumbic, who spoke here this morning at the annual meeting of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, explained several measures that Unesco has taken to help prevent fake colleges from succeeding.

One is an Internet listing of higher-education institutions "recognized or otherwise sanctioned by competent authorities in participating countries" ó a so-called white list that students, employers, and others can use to check the credentials of a university.

So far, 23 countries are participating in the effort, including China, the United States, Britain, Australia, and Japan, as well as developing countries like Kenya and Nigeria.

The accrediting group, known as CHEA, is an association of 3,000 accredited institutions. It is also working with Unesco to develop a set of suggestions for countries to deal with fraudulent universities.

"It assumes that individual countries take care of their higher education and quality assurance, but there are ways we can work together internationally," said Judith S. Eaton, president of the organization.

Despite the widespread attention to diploma mills in recent years, there are several difficulties over how to define diploma mills, how to prosecute the purveyors of fake degrees, and how to influence foreign governments that sometimes benefit from the fraud, said Sir John Daniel, president of the Commonwealth of Learning, an association of more than 50 countries that were originally part of the British Empire.

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JANUARY 20TH 2009 (CUOPM) ñ The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has endorsed the recommendation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Hon. Sam Condor that the Federation's accreditation process for tertiary institutions such as medical schools needs to maintain a very high standard.

Cabinet at its routine meeting on Monday approved the recommendation from the Ministry of Education for the appointment of a new chairperson for the St. Kitts and Nevis Institutions Accreditation Board following the resignation of the Ms. Shawna Lake as chairperson.

The Accreditation Board, established under the Saint Christopher and Nevis Accreditation of Institutions Act, 1999 (No. 21 of 1999), amended in 2001, is responsible for evaluating, certifying and accrediting all tertiary level institutions operating in the Federation, and has the due authority to monitor such institutions over time.

Minister of Education Condor has emphasised that it is important to have the best qualified person fill the post of Chairperson of the Accreditation Board at this time and was proud to have Cabinet endorse his ministry's recommendation.

The St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Government is committed to attracting only highly reputable institutions to the Federation and continues to view Education Tourism as a major plank of the industry driving construction, transportation, rental, the purchase of goods and services and other forms of economic activity, and implores the new leadership of the Board to pursue this policy with vigour.

Cabinet publicly thanks Ms. Lake for her tenure of service as Chairperson of the Accreditation Board and will announce her successor at a later date.

The institutions accredited by the St. Kitts and Nevis Institutions Accreditation Board are The Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (the National College), Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Medical University of the Americas (located in Nevis), International University of Graduate Studies (IUGS), International University of Health Sciences (IUHS), Windsor University School of Medicine, St. Theresa's Medical School, the University of Medical and Health Sciences and the International University of Nursing.

In addition:

Agreement signed for Dixon-Byrd Medical University on St. Kitts, The Communication's Unit, Office Of The Prime Minister Of The Government Of St. Kitts & Nevis, January 21, 2009.

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JANUARY 21ST 2009 (CUOPM) ñSt. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas has signed an agreement for the establishment of the Dixon-Byrd Medical University.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Hon. Sam Condor presented the Certificate of Programme and Institution Accreditation to Dr. Dr. Sewell Dixon, who signed on behalf of the university during the signing ceremony.

Dixon-Byrd Medical University is to be located in the area of Ottley's and has been established as a school of medicine with the right to confer the degree of Doctor of Medicine upon students who have completed the prescribed course of study and demonstrated academic, clinical and ethical conduct commensurate with the degree.

Dixon-Byrd Medical University will also develop courses of study intended for the granting of additional degree including Doctor of Dental Medicine and Surgery, Doctor of Public Health, Master of Public Health, Doctor of Health Science, Master of Medical Science, Physician Assistant, Bachelor in Radiological Science, Bachelors in Laboratory Science; Doctor of Pharmacy, Bachelors in Pharmacy, Masters in Medical Management and other Germaine and affiliated fields.

The University, which over time will accommodate some 1500 students and a 12-bed University Hospital, is to be built on 25 acres of land.

The University Hospital will also be used for clinical observation and teaching purposes and the teaching at government operated hospitals and local physicians will also have the opportunity to participate in student teaching.

Under the Agreement, Dixon-Byrd Medical University will have a Department of Radiological Sciences that will utilise medical imaging as an adjunct for teaching anatomy and pathology.

The imaging will consist of a Magnetic Resonance Imaging device (MRI), sited on the campus in St. Kitts and a Computerized Tomographic Scanner (CT) on Nevis and will be made available to patients who are residents of St. Kitts and Nevis and visitors.

The Agreement also calls for the training of local residents as technicians and staff to operate, support and work with the imaging devices and locals will be given preference to be hired as faculty members, consultants, staff and other workers if qualifications are the same.

Government has also secured from Dixon-Byrd Medical University, three scholarships for citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis to any degree programme offered by the medical university to be admitted on a yearly basis. The scholarship will cover the cost of tuition, books and equipment.

An additional scholarship will also be made available to citizens of other CARICOM countries who are residents of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Under the 15-year agreement, the university will be given a 10-year tax holiday.

Note that St. Kitts, which had stated "the Federation's accreditation process for tertiary institutions such as medical schools needs to maintain a very high standard," has chosen to "accredit" a medical school which has not yet been built, and has not yet assembled a faculty.

Three defendants indicted in a scheme to defraud educational institutions, including medical schools, by submitting fraudulent transcripts, pled guilty today in federal court, Acting United States Attorney Terrence Berg announced today.

Berg was joined in the announcement by Andrew G.Arena, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI and Brian Moskowitz, Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Abbas Obeid aka Adam Obeid, 34, of Ontario, Canada, Roni Aoub, 27, of Southfield, and Majed Mamo, 40, of Wixom, Michigan all pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Abbas Obeid also pled guilty to conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Under the plea agreement, Abbas Obeid faces a sentence of between 10-16 months and/or a $20,000 fine. Defendants Auob and Mamo face sentences of between 0-6 months and/or fines $10,000 fine. According to the indictment filed in this case, during August 2000 and continuing through August 2008, the defendants conspired to defraud educational institutions such as Lawrence Technological University in Southfield and Madonna University in Livonia by submitting fraudulent undergraduate transcripts so that individuals, who paid a fee to the conspirators, would fraudulently obtain transfer credits from those institutions. These credits were applied toward undergraduate degrees. Fraudulent transcripts were also submitted so that individualswould be accepted for enrollment in graduate programs. The indictment alleges that, in exchange for money, the conspirators submitted fraudulent undergraduate transcripts to medical schools located in the Carribean and Belize on behalf of students who otherwise had insufficient undergraduate credits to enter medical school. The indictment alleges that as a result of the defendants' actions, students were admitted to medical school based on the submission of fraudulent undergraduate transcripts.

In addition, the indictment alleges that defendants Nazeer Hamadneh and Abbas Obeid conspired to submit and submitted fraudulent documents on behalf of foreign students in order to obtain student visas. The indictment further alleges that defendants Nazeer Hamadneh and Majed Mamo tampered with witnesses in an effort to prevent witnesses from providing truthful information to law enforcement.

Acting U.S. Attorney Berg said, "Making phony transcripts to deceive a university into granting college credits, or even admission to medical school, to completely unqualified students is a kind of fraud that could have all sorts of dangerous consequences, but this case also involved fake student visas as well. Our office will continue to be vigilant in pursuing all types of immigration fraud."

"Individuals who buy and sell fraudulent college credits not only cheat the educational system; but when used for medical school admissions may endanger public health. Additionally, this undermines the student visa program by allowing individuals into this country who fail to follow through on their obligation to continue their higher education," said Andrew G. Arena, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office.

"Institutions of higher learning are critical to the advancement of oursocietyand our way of life. Individuals who gain entry into a college or university through fraud undermine the vetting process and depending upon the profession could put the public at risk" said Brian M. Moskowitz, Special Agent in Charge of the ICE Office of Investigations for Michigan and Ohio. "ICE will continue to work with our partners to close this vulnerability."

The three defendants' sentencings are scheduled for March 24, 2009.

The investigation of this case has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cathleen Corken.

• Press release regarding the indictment of four defendants in this case
• Indictment
• Aoub guilty plea
• Mamo guilty plea
• Obeid guilty plea
• Web site of defendants' business

A Houston County educator was overpaid by about $50,000 over a 10-year period based on his questionable doctorate, according to an internal investigation.

Roy Watford, Houston County Schools secondary curriculum/accreditation director, received extra pay for a doctoral degree he held from the University of Beverly Hills, Houston County School Superintendent Tim Pitchford said. The extra pay amounted to about $5,000 more per year between 1994 and 2004 than he should have received.

Educators are paid according to their years of experience and highest degree level obtained. To get credit for the degrees, they must come from a university or college accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. SACS does not recognize the University of Beverly Hills.

Watford denies any wrongdoing on his part, and said he obtained the degree with the understanding it was legitimate and did not seek the extra pay from the county schools.

"I think there's just somebody who has a vendetta against me and I do not know who or why," Watford said.

Watford holds a bachelor's degree from Troy University, a master's degree from Peabody College and an education specialist's certificate, also known as an AA, from Auburn University. In 1984, while working in an administrative position at the University of Alabama, Watford obtained a doctorate in education philosophy from the University of Beverly HIlls. Watford resigned from the University of Alabama in 1985.

In a 1985 letter to Hubert Kessler, then director of personnel services at the University of Alabama, Dennis P. Prisk, dean of continuing studies, said Watford's resignation had to do with his acquisition and use of the doctorate from the University of Beverly Hills, which he describes as a "diploma mill."

"In short, Roy acquired a bogus degree and was attempting to portray it as legitimate," Prisk said in the letter. "And he committed fraud by telling others the degree was from Auburn."

Watford denies these accusations and said he returned to Dothan to be close to his family.

After resigning from the University of Alabama, Watford got a job teaching in the Houston County Schools in 1986. On Watford's employment application, he makes no mention of his doctorate from the University of Beverly Hills, and, according to Pitchford, the doctorate is not listed on his Alabama teaching certificate.

Watford said he didn't list the diploma on his application because he knew it wasn't accepted and he didn't want to cause complications.

Watford moved up the ranks of the county school system, becoming an assistant principal and later principal of Rehobeth High. Watford said in the early 90s he was approached by Doyle Bond, who was superintendent at the time, and told his doctorate entitled him to a raise.

Bond said Wednesday he approached Watford about the raise after receiving a directive from the state that all education employees with a doctorate should receive increased pay. Bond said he forwarded a copy of Watford's diploma from the University of Beverly Hills to the state and got approval for the raise.

Pitchford and the Alabama Department of Education said no documentation in Watford's personnel file shows state recognition of his doctorate.

"We have no record of any school superintendent submitting a verification of a higher degree for this individual," said Michael Sibley, a department spokesman.

Pitchford said he has consulted with Jere Segrest, county school system attorney, and Segrest recommended that he take no action in the matter. Pitchford said he would likely be talking to Watford and the county school board about the matter again in the near future.

Marie Theriault-Sabourin is a manager in the registrar's office at Algonquin College in Ottawa. She has a master's degree in business administration.

Quami Frederick used her bachelor's degree to get into Toronto's Osgoode Hall law school and was offered a job articling with a Bay St. law firm.

Armed with his Ph.D in political science, police tactical trainer Augustus Michalik counts various Canadian and U.S. law enforcement agencies as his clients.

The problem is, their university degrees are fake.

They are among at least 220 Canadians with bogus academic credentials uncovered in a recent probe. Worldwide, fake degrees are a billion dollar industry, even threatening government security, investigators say.

Last week, an undercover Star investigation exposed Peng Sun, a York University grad who forges university degrees from real Canadian universities for $4,000. Sun's client list was not available, but the Star obtained a list of Canadians who bought fake degrees from an American diploma mill busted three years ago by the U.S. Secret Service and Homeland Security.

St. Regis University, which granted degrees under various names, was a complete fake. Canadians on its "buyers list" gave the Star one of three explanations: some admitted the degrees were bogus, some claimed they submitted course work (but did not provide proof to the Star), and others thought they were awarded real degrees for life experiences.

"I don't want my name in (the story)," said Theriault-Sabourin, who is the manager of scheduling in the registrar's office at Algonquin, a 16,000-student college in Ottawa. She said she now understands the master's degree she purchased in 2000 for $1,350 is bogus.

Her husband, Leo, bought two, a bachelor's degree in business and an MBA in marketing. The couple have a turbulent financial past and it's unclear what role the fake degrees played. Leo was found guilty in an Ottawa court of tax evasion and fraud last May for evading almost $5 million in income taxes he prepared for dozens of clients, mainly chiropractors.

Marie declared bankruptcy earlier this year with more than $680,000 in debts and Leo declared bankruptcy in 2002, owing $483,000 (Leo was discharged from bankruptcy, and Marie's more recent bankruptcy is facing a court hearing).

"I never used it, and never will use it," Marie said of her degree, which she obtained just before she began her duties at Algonquin. Her husband, who is awaiting sentencing, could not be reached for comment.

Responsibilities of the registrar's office at Algonquin include authenticating degrees from other educational facilities. A college spokesman would not comment.

The couple's degrees came from a Washington State diploma mill. Eight ringleaders pleaded guilty to mail and wire fraud charges. They set up 120 fake schools with names like St. Regis University and James Monroe University. There were no courses or classes.

The head provost of St. Regis University was a high school dropout.

The gang raked in more than $7 million in sales to 131 countries. It sold everything from high school diplomas to PhDs and medical degrees. Dozens of U.S. government employees are on the list, including a White House staff member, National Security Agency employees, a senior State Department official, and a Department of Justice employee.

Tens of thousands of people are walking around with "ticking time bombs in their resumes," says Allen Ezell, a former FBI agent who has spent a big chunk of his career investigating diploma mills.

This week Quami Frederick's blew up on her.

A third-year Osgoode Hall Law School student, Frederick, 28, is on the list as having paid $1,109 for a "B.A." in Business Administration, plus a transcript of marks. Using the degree transcript, Frederick got into Osgoode as one of 290 students selected from 2,500 applicants in 2006.

Contacted by the Star several weeks ago, Frederick initially denied everything, suggesting she might be the victim of identity fraud.

"I'm not worried because I never bought any degree from any university," said Frederick, who expected to graduate next year and has a job lined up with Wildeboer and Dellelce, LLP. The law firm noted her degree on its website, welcoming her aboard as an articling student.

This week, after much soul searching, Frederick changed her story.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied to you," Frederick said. "I should've levelled with you. I figured you'd call the university and theywouldn't tell you anything and that would be the end of it."

The change of heart came after the Star found she never attended St. George's University in Grenada, from where she claimed to have an undergraduate degree. Frederick's case is different from others. St. George's is a real university and it appears the degree mill forged documents from there.

Frederick now says "the truth" is she spent $8,000 for a six-month, "fast-track" online business degree in 2004. School spokesperson Lisa O'Connor said St. George's does not offer this type of online course.

"Her degree is completely bogus," said O'Connor, noting the fake transcript shows Frederick spent four years at the school and made the Dean's honour list with a near perfect 3.93 grade point average. "No one by the name of Quami Frederick has ever been a student at our school."

Frederick told the Star this week that the associate dean of Osgoode Hall Law School at York University has launched an investigation into "a potential breach of academic honesty" and she may be expelled. A York spokesperson said they have a department that verifies applicant's credentials, but would not comment on Frederick's case. The law firm removed her name from its website yesterday and is investigating.

The St. Regis degree mill was shut down in August 2005 after a Secret Service agent, posing as a retired Syrian army weapons specialist, applied for three degrees, saying he needed them urgently to stay in the United States.

The only requirement St. Regis made of this potential terrorist was whether he would be paying with Visa, MasterCard or American Express. Two weeks and $1,277 later, the fictional Mohammed Syed got his degrees in chemistry and environmental engineering, based on his "life experience."

Seeing St. Regis as a threat to national security, a task force comprised of eight federal agencies moved quickly. In six years of operation, St. Regis had spread its tentacles around the globe ensnaring clients across Europe, Russia, the Middle East and Asia.

Operators used email to spam potential customers with tempting offers that included, "buy one degree at full price, get a second free."

Wayne Victor Cook bought two.

A former provincial and municipal candidate in Ontario, Cook claims his public affairs company Wayne Cook Public Affairs Consulting confers with the president of the United States at the White House. He also claims on his website that he played a key role in getting John Tory elected as leader of the Ontario Conservative Party.

Listing numerous blue chip companies and Ontario universities as employers and clients on his curriculum vitae, Cook also claimed to have an Executive MBA from the very real Heriot-Watts University in Edinburgh, Scotland.

He does not.

What he does have is two bogus degrees, an MBA and a Ph.D., purchased from the St. Regis diploma mill in 2004.

Cook, who ran for the Ontario Liberals in Beaches-Woodbine in 1981 and Toronto City Council in 1997, losing both times, paid $1,133 for a Ph.D. and an MBA in Human Resources Management.

Just hours after being contacted by the Star, Cook's online bios underwent radical changes. His Executive MBA from Heriot-Watts is now "expected" in 2010. All references to his MBA and PhD were deleted.

"I don't have an interest, and really don't have any comments for you," Cook replied when asked to explain the vanishing degrees.

A spokesperson for John Tory denied Cook played any role in his election as leader.

Design engineer Terry A. Hrushka is so proud of his three degrees from St. Regis that he's posted them on his website ñ a Bachelor of Science in Natural Physics in 1992, a Master of Applied Science in 1994, and a Doctorate in Process Physics in 1996.

The problem is St. Regis University, which falsely claimed it was accredited by the government of Liberia, didn't issue any degrees, bogus as they were, until 1999. What they did do was graduate any student with a credit card on any date they wanted.

"What you have written to me has devastated my life," Hrushka said in an email to the Star, responding to written questions. Hrushka said he thought his degrees were real. "I have now wasted six years of my life and just over $50,000 U.S."

"I wish I had the records to prove all this," Hrushka wrote, claiming he took correspondence courses from St. Regis. "But unfortunately they were lost over time as I moved around a great deal."

Martial arts expert Augustus Robert Michalik counts the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the U.S. Navy Seals, CIA agents and police officers from across Ontario as students of his Police Tactical Training and Black Arts courses he has taught for years.

Proudly posted on his website are certificates of achievement including one issued to "Dr. Augustus Michalik, PhD", by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research for courses in Global Terrorism.

Author of several books, including The Knife Fighting Anti-terrorist Handbook, Michalik purchased his degree in "Political Science" for $1,340 in 2003, and paid for it with a credit card, according to the information compiled by the U.S Justice Department.

"You've got the wrong guy," Michalik said when reached on his cell phone at his base in London, Ont., saying he had just returned from a consulting job in the Philippines. "That's not me."

His Ph.D. is in " political philosophy dealing with terrorism," Michalik said, but refused to name the university. "If you want, you can talk to my lawyer," Michalik said, then hung up.

Days later, all references to his Ph.D. disappeared from the website of Homeland Security Inc. where Michalik is the CEO. The Star was unable to determine which officers from the RCMP or other forces Michalik has trained.

One degree recipient, Dr. Anthony Alsayed, says he has instructed his lawyer to sue the people behind St. Regis in an attempt to clear his name.

A Lebanese-born Canadian with a medical degree from People's Friendship University in Moscow, Alsayed admits he made a mistake in trying to piggyback a PhD from St. Regis on to his medical degree from Russia.

"I'm a victim in this. It's not as if I'm a plumber who was looking for a PhD in education," Alsayed, said in an interview at his Mississauga home. "I have my MD. I'm a real doctor."

His medical degree is recognized in Canada, Alsayed said, but he is not licensed to practice as a physician. Until recently he ran a company that prepped students to take their medical exams.

Alsayed showed the Star a receipt for $1,659 for his PhD in "Medical and Health Care Education." He also paid $650 to a U.S. degree certification company that checked out St. Regis and told Alsayed his degree was issued by a bona fide university accredited by Liberia. What Alsayed did not know was that the St. Regis scam artists had fooled everyone, creating a website purporting to be that of the Liberian government, which heaped praise on St. Regis as a great university.

To add insult to injury, St. Regis took the marks Alsayed got from his medical courses in Russia, and lowered them in the transcripts they sold to him. When he protested, they sent him an email saying a PhD in "Medical Management" from St. Regis was a very tough degree to earn.

"My wife says I'm naÔve," Alsayed said of how he fell for the scam. "I thought this was the way they did things in North America."

Teacher Kin-Yau "Kenny" Wong has a real master's in business from the University of Toronto, then went and endangered his career by adding a bogus Ph.D. from Belford University to his academic record.

"I tried to use it at my school, but later on I found out that was wrong," Wong said. "I can frankly say I did not use it for any financial gain," said Wong, who paid $1,540 for the bogus Ph.D. in education.

"I admit I did something wrong," Wong said. "I just tried to satisfy my own ego."

Bogus degrees are a billion-dollar-a-year industry, says former FBI agent Ezell, who has spent most of his career investigating the sale of counterfeit and bogus college credentials and is now vice-president for corporate fraud investigation for Wachovia Bank.

Ezell, who headed the massive FBI investigation in the late 1980s, estimates there are 400 Internet diploma mills spewing out 200,000 bogus diplomas a year. More than 85 per cent are located in the U.S.

The fallout from the St. Regis bust is just now being felt across America.

Fourteen New York firefighters were fined more than $135,000 after they submitted bogus degrees from St. Regis in attempts to gain promotions. Six Chicago-area police officers also purchased bogus degrees. One cop even submitted his "tuition" from St. Regis for reimbursement from the department.

His superior, who signed off on the expense, had also obtained a bogus degree from the same diploma mill.

For $3,000, Peng Sun can turn anyone into an instant graduate from the most prestigious universities in the country.

For another $1,000, he'll provide authentic-looking transcripts for the dozens of classes you never attended.

All you need is a bundle of cash and the nerve to meet him in a parking lot somewhere in the GTA. In return you will get a forged university degree virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.

We know this because for $4,000, Peng Sun made a York University MBA diploma for a Star operative posing as a Toronto bank employee who needed one quickly to land a high-paying job in China. In three days, Sun produced documents that would take years and hefty tuition fees for a real student to earn.

Education leaders say the widespread production of bogus degrees damages the academic system and police warn that forged documents create security risks.

Sun's counterfeit ring, the brash 26-year-old York University grad claims, has forged hundreds of college and university degrees in the past four years. He started the business while a visa student at York.

"Three (degrees) per week, a good week, I get four," Sun told the Star's undercover operative of the high demand for his bogus degrees.

His work is top-notch. His prices are higher than those charged by diploma mills advertising on the Internet because his fakes are of superior quality, for real universities, printed on thick, watermarked paper, and stamped with university seals.

For the $4,000 Sun also provided two copies of grade transcripts in sealed York University envelopes ready to hand to prospective employers.

"Once you crack the watermark you can forge anything," Sun boasted to one of two operatives the Star used during a two-month investigation. "You can print money."

University of Toronto and York University degrees are the most sought after by his clients, mainly students who don't want to study, or immigrants returning to China who need a diploma to land a well-paying job. Sun said the price for a bachelor's degree, MBA or PhD is the same. For him, it's the same amount of work, paper and ink.

"I have friends from China who spend three years here, didn't want to go to school, but got York and U of T degree (from him) then got a job," Sun boasted. "There are many of them. It's funny."

"My quality is the best. You can't even distinguish. The paper, its weight, quality, pattern, colour, fonts, layout, logo design, stamp, seal are the same as the real thing."

"You will get your return," Sun said to the operative's comment that $4,000 was a lot of money. "If you pay 30 years of tuition fees, you still have to study for 30 years."

Sun advertises his fake degrees on an Internet bulletin board. He did not ask to see any identification before undertaking to make an MBA degree for one of our operatives, who went by the name Calvin Wai Tak Lee. After email and telephone exchanges, Calvin Lee met Sun in the Shoppers Drug Mart parking lot at Yonge St. and Finch Ave. two weeks ago. Our operative gave him a date of birth, the requested graduating year (2006), plus a $400 cash down payment.

Three days later, Calvin Lee had his Master of Business Administration from York's prestigious Schulich School of Business, bearing the embossed slogan "with all the honours, rights and privileges which appertain to this degree." The degree was delivered at a meeting that began in Sun's white Toyota Yaris in the same parking lot.

Bearing a graduation date of June 2006, the degree carries the university's crimson seal and the forged signatures of then-Chancellor Peter Cory and President Lorna Marsden. Cory is a former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and Marsden is a former Canadian senator.

For the $4,000 Sun also provided transcripts detailing two years of alleged study in marketing courses at Schulich, awarding Calvin Lee an A in Organizational Behaviour, but only a C+ in Strategy Field Study.

Shown the bogus degree and transcripts, York University Registrar Joanne Duklas was both impressed by the quality of the forgeries and outraged that anyone, especially a former student, would undertake such "nefarious" work.

"As a group, registrars of schools are appalled by this behaviour and find it unacceptable," said Duklas, whose forged signature is on the transcripts.

So confident was Sun about the quality of his work that before taking his payment, he drove Calvin to the York University bookstore at the Keele St. campus to compare his newly minted forgery to framed samples on display there.

Back in the car, Sun demanded the remaining $3,600 before turning over the degree, stashing the cash in an empty Godiva chocolate box and shoving it under his car seat.

As he drove the Star's operative back to the Shoppers' lot, Sun sought to involve our operative in another of his scams, asking Calvin (who was posing as a banker) if he could put him in contact with someone at the bank who deals with mortgages and loans.

"Some people want to return to China, sell their passports, SIN cards, and we can use their names to go to the bank and get loans," Sun explained. "Once you get the money in hand ..."

When they reached Shoppers, two Star reporters confronted Sun as he was about to drive off. Startled, Sun said little, then grudgingly handed over the box of money when asked by the Star.

"I'm just doing research," Sun said several times, when told that he had been the subject of the newspaper's probe into fake university degrees.

"I reserve the question," Sun said several times, when asked to explain his actions.

"Can I go now?" he asked, then sped off in the Yaris in the direction of his luxury condo two blocks away on Greenview Ave. Property records show that he paid $410,000 for the unit and it is mortgage free. At a previous meeting Sun had arrived in a $60,000 BMW 525xi, bearing the vanity plate A 001. Subsequent phone calls to Sun's cellphone have gone unanswered.

Sun's own York University degree is real. He graduated from the Atkinson School of Administrative Studies in 2007 with a Bachelor of Human Resources Management and upgraded it to an honours degree this year, the university confirmed. But in discussions with our operatives, Sun played down his academic achievements, saying his degree has been of limited use to him. In China, as it is in Canada, it's who you know and your work experience that counts, he said.

"I've forgotten everything (I learned) in school. All theoretical. Nothing useful."

Sun came to Canada as a visa student years ago and took courses at Humber College before enrolling at York. Known to friends, clients and in Internet chat rooms as "Randy," he has advertised on the Internet for years, primarily on YorkBBS.ca, a bulletin board popular with Chinese visa students. He calls his company Golden China Overseas Studying.

That's where a Mandarin-speaking Star operative saw his ads, not only for diplomas, but automobile insurance, student cards and other types of identification.

Contacted by email, Sun boasted openly of his ability to produce degrees from most Canadian universities, with the exception of the University of Western Ontario in London. A University of Toronto degree would have to carry a graduation date prior to June of this year. U of T has started using holographs on its diplomas, which are harder to copy, but Sun said recently he is now in a position to fabricate the new U of T degrees, for $6,000.

"We have the watermark paper, we have the seals," Sun said. "My quality is very, very, good. As close as you can get to the real thing."

Besides the degrees, he offered for sale numerous other counterfeit documents, which could push the price to more than $10,000. These include forged letters from the Chinese Consulate in Toronto and the Chinese Ministry of Education in Beijing attesting the client as a bona fide student in Canada.

"I can get all these documents pretty fast," Sun said in an email prior to the first of three face-to-face meetings with the Star's operatives. "If it is not urgent, give me a week. The pivotal question is, when you will need it?"

He does not provide samples of his work, he said, because he can't take a chance of being caught with any evidence or have his work fall into the hands of his competitors. "I used to show samples to all customers. One evening I was in a parking lot at Finch and Leslie. I was showing samples. Not even five minutes, police came to us. I was quick. I put them away. Police said someone called police and reported you selling fake documents. I said, no, I'm here chilling out with friends.

"Since then I don't carry any samples with me."

Chinese employers rarely check the authenticity of foreign degrees, he told one of our operatives. Even if they do, universities don't normally give out information over the phone, preferring a faxed request, he said. In that case, the applicant should provide the employer with a fax number in Toronto. Confirmation of the degree will then be faxed to China on the university's letterhead. For his protection, and that of his clients, Sun claims he purges all client information from his laptop, and shreds all documents a week after the transaction is sealed and delivered.

"The last person you want to see, after you buy a degree from me, is me," Sun told one of our operatives.

The bogus-degree market is a billion-dollar industry, authorities say, with hundreds of Internet sites pumping out an estimated 200,000 fake diplomas a year around the globe. Fake degrees pose a security risk in the hands of potential terrorists, who might use them to gain entry into North America or advance into sensitive jobs. Two of the terrorists involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks entered the United States on student visas.

"The dangers posed by a diploma mill are real,'' says University of Illinois Professor George Gollin, who has studied the problem for years. "It is bad enough that persons using fake degrees obtain undeserved status or swindle unwitting victims, but there is a real danger when phony physicians treat the sick, untrained engineers design bridges or teachers with purchased credentials instruct our children."

In April 2007, York Regional Police arrested five Chinese visa students alleged to be operating a "full-service" forgery mill in the basement of a house in Markham.

The gang had produced "hundreds, if not thousands" of top-quality degrees, passports, visas, driver's licences and marriage certificates and sold them on the Internet. Among the hundreds of documents seized by police were degrees from U of T, York, Western, Carleton, Acadia, Brock, Seneca College and George Brown, as well as stamps used to produce the university seals and blank watermarked transcripts.

"This was quite the brazen operation," York Regional Police Chief Armand La Barge said at a news conference to announce the biggest takedown of a forgery den in Ontario's history.

"They were charging $18,000 for immigration papers and enough other documents that you could create an entire false identity."

The sophistication of the degree-making operation was such that diplomas matched the correct university president's signature to the year of the graduation.

"I've never seen quality like this," Det. Mathew Ma, an expert on high-tech crime, told reporters. "I can't tell the difference between the false and the originals."

But the case blew up in court last month after a judge ruled police entered the house initially without a warrant or reasonable grounds. Charges were withdrawn against three of the accused, and Justice Richard Blouin acquitted the other two, a husband and wife.

The quality and volume of fake documents presented serious national security concerns, Blouin said in his ruling.

The Star has no evidence linking Peng Sun to that forgery operation.

Bogus diplomas diminish the value of the work legitimate students put into obtaining real degrees, said George Granger, executive director of Ontario Universities Application Centre, which acts as a clearing house for student seeking admission to Ontario's 21 universities.

"No one really knows how extensive this is, but we do know it is a problem and the universities are taking steps to deal with it," Granger said. Some of those measures include changing the look of their degrees every so often.

Watermarked paper, which is intended to foil forgery attempts, is kept under lock and key. Transcripts are printed on special paper that can't be photocopied without the word "copy" showing through. Each sheet is numbered and spoiled transcripts are destroyed.

"We treat our degrees like currency," said Laurie Stephens, director of media relations for U of T. New degrees are imprinted with a hologram to deter would-be forgers.

Employers and other interested parties can now request verification of any U of T degree online, if they know the student's name, social insurance number or student number. They will get an answer in five days. York University is considering a similar move.

U of T graduates about 12,000 students a year. Both U of T and York get several hundred calls each week from prospective employers and other universities, many of them overseas. Anyone with a concern about the legitimacy of a degree should contact the Registrar's Office at either school.

Canada has no law specific to degree forgery, though in 20 American states it is a crime to use fake degrees and the U.S. Congress is studying legislation to deal with diploma mills.

In Canada, allegations of degree forgery come under the forgery section of the Criminal Code. "Possessing a false document could be defended on the basis that it is a novelty item," said criminal lawyer Scott Cowan, who defended one of the accused in the Markham bust. "But passing off a fake degree as an original in a job application would amount to the offence of uttering a forged document. It could be as serious as using a counterfeit bill."

"Make sure you buy a frame to frame your diploma," Peng Sun told Calvin Lee as he left his car with the bogus degree in his briefcase. "You can even get it from Wal-Mart. If you have a problem, call me. Good luck."

A man who ran a bogus college in a £16m fraud which involved 80,000 students has been jailed for seven years.

Michael Smallman, 45, of Northallerton, was convicted of fraudulent trading while his wife Angela was convicted of money laundering in October.

Smallman ran the National Distance Learning College (NDLC) in Middlesbrough which collapsed in 2001.

His wife was jailed for 15 months. Only 18 students received diplomas from the college, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The college's directors, Peter Kenyon, 43, and John Hornsby, 59, were cleared of fraud after a four-month trial earlier this year.

The court heard Smallman tempted 80,000 students to sign up for his home study courses, netting him £10m in 15 months.

But only 18 of the would-be graduates ended up with a genuine qualification when they finished their studies.

Between September 2000 and November 2001, Smallman's company was running a massive fraud, cheating the students and the government by offering inadequate training, refusing to refund students who chose not to go ahead with the course and claiming the qualification was accredited by the City and Guilds of London Institute when it was not.

'Unlike Robin Hood'

When it collapsed, the business owed £3.5m to creditors. The hearing also heard that millions made from the college had been spent on horseracing and property renovation.

Prosecutor Andrew Wheeler said: "Even at the early stage his (Smallman's) intentions were clear, money was the prime driving factor to the detriment of students.

"This was not just sharp practice, it went well beyond what ordinary and decent people would regard as honest - it was fraudulent."

Peter Woodall, defending Smallman, of Leeming Lane, said that he had not set out to commit fraud but had struggled to keep the college afloat.

Judge George Moorhouse told him that unlike Robin Hood he had robbed the poor to make himself rich.

The article in the Nov. 20 edition of the News Leader ("State Department of Education warns against diploma mills") addresses an important issue for the state of Missouri. Diploma or degree mills -- rogue providers of higher education -- undermine the value of legitimate colleges and universities in Missouri as well as other states.

Mills reduce the value of degrees that are awarded. Moreover, mills and their fraudulent credentials threaten public safety, especially when fake degrees are offered in such vital areas as health and engineering. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation has sent a letter to the governors, attorneys general and secretaries of education of all 50 states, as part of CHEA's ongoing effort to combat degree mills. The purpose of CHEA's letter is to urge that states take additional action, as needed, to discourage and ultimately eliminate fraudulent providers of higher education.

In the letter, CHEA specifically recommends that states consider, if they have not done so, establishing or strengthening definitions in state law for "degree mills." CHEA also urges that states take legislative and regulatory steps, such as those being urged in Missouri, to discourage or eliminate use of fraudulent credentials issued by degree mills.

Working together, we can be effective in reducing or eliminating degree mills in the United States and internationally. Doing so will benefit students throughout the country, including the state of Missouri.

OLYMPIA - Thurston County prosecutors are reviewing State Patrol's criminal investigation of nine troopers on paid leave because they may have used phony college diplomas to receive higher pay grades - but no decision has been made on whether charges will be filed, a prosecutor said today.

Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jon Tunheim said Tuesday that State Patrol has made no recommendation in its investigative file as to whether criminal charges should or should not be brought against the troopers on leave. Tunheim said it may take his office until the end of the year to review the investigation and make a charging decision on the nine troopers.

"They specifically have not made any recommendation on charges," Tunheim said of the State Patrol.

State Patrol spokesman Bob Calkins confirmed Tuesday that when the patrol presented its investigative file to the Thurston County Prosecutor's office on Friday, there was no recommendation on charges.

State Patrol's investigation began during the summer, after information came to light about a Spokane diploma mill that offered fraudulent online high school and university degrees for a fee, State Patrol Capt. Jeff DeVere has said.

The patrol subsequently launched an audit of its employees to determine whether any of their degree were fraudulent. As part of the patrol's union contract, troopers can obtain a 4 percent pay increase for a bachelor's degree, and a 2 percent increase for a two-year or master's degree, according to DeVere.

Nine troopers, including three sergeants, are on paid leave as a result of the investigation.

The nine troopers who have been on leave since Oct. 13 have been identified as: troopers Bryan Ensley and Gabriel Olson, and Sgts. Jason Linn and Rob Brusseau, all of Vancouver, Wash.; troopers John McMillan and Spike Unruh, both of Wenatchee; trooper Dennis Tardiff of Seattle; Sgt. Chris Sweet of Kelso; and trooper Dan Mann of Spokane.

Jeremy Pawloski covers public safety for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5465 or jpawloski@theolympian.com.

The new owner of the Kress building in downtown Fort Worth is exploring the idea of turning the exposed brick wall of the building's north side into public art space.

Mark Moran, whose family bought the historic building at 604 Main St. in March, presented a couple of ideas to the Downtown Design Review Board last week. Both ideas, designed by the Kress building's superintendent, Tom LeVesque, were 40-by-80-foot-by-9-inch relief sculptures incorporating the words Kress Fort Worth.

"I knew before we bought the building I wanted to do something," Moran said. "To me, it's a canvas."

Board members expressed enthusiasm for the idea, but suggested that Moran work with the Fort Worth Arts Commission to explore options.

"We've looked at that blank wall for an awfully long time," said board member Bill Boecker.

S.H. Kress Co. built the structure in 1936 and occupied it until 1960.

Continental National Bank used the upper three floors for a decade until the early 1980s. Those floors reopened in 2006 as 24 loft apartments.

The Fox and Hound English Pub & Grille is on the street level, and Hyena's Comedy Club is in the basement.

Does business 'pillar' have dubious degree?

Harold Rafuse, a man described as a respected "pillar" of Waco's business community, apparently bought his Ph.D. from a Wyoming diploma mill that has disappeared in the Bahamas after changing its name.

Rafuse, aside from owning a technology and consulting company that does business with Lockheed, sits on the board of a publicly traded company, Life Partners. Remarkably, the Waco-based Life Partners doesn't give a flip that Rafuse's doctorate in "engineering management" from Hamilton University is, ah, questionable.

All of this came to light because of Barry Minkow.

As a teenage entrepreneur, Minkow launched a carpet-cleaning service called ZZZZ Best that made its money lying to shareholders about revenues.

He emerged from prison claiming to have found Christ and wanting to do good works, like exposing other people's scams and wrongdoing.

Minkow's Fraud Discovery Institute and www.degreefraud.com checks out the credentials of executives and board members of public companies, screens for shenanigans and then alerts the media.

By the way, it sometimes sells the stock short to profit from any negative feedback. So far, TheWall Street Journal and Bloomberg News Service have followed up his tips.

It was Minkow's profit motive, not his revelations about Rafuse's questionable sheepskins, that upset the general counsel at Life Partners, which operates in the secondary life insurance market.

Neither Rafuse nor another top executive of his privately held Advanced Concepts and Technologies International returned our calls. But Scott Peden, Life Partners in-house lawyer, gave us an earful. And some remedial journalism tips.

The rapid-talking company counsel, who called Rafuse a Waco mover and shaker, instructed: "Rumors started by ex-felons should not be used as news sources."

But are they true?

Peden conceded that Rafuse did inaccurately describe an associate's degree from Temple University as a bachelor's.

Rafuse told Life Partners he had received a letter from Temple telling him that the three-year program was "equivalent" to a four-year one. Unfortunately, the letter got lost, Peden said. The company will correctly cite the degree in the future, he said.

As for Rafuse's doctorate, Life Partners stands by it.

"I think it's important to note the degree was awarded," said Peden.

Huh?

Hamilton U., which began life in Hawaii as American State University, moved to that hallowed center of higher learning, Evanston, Wyo., (population 11,400), where it operated until closed by court order. As far as we can determine, it disappeared deep in the Caribbean after reinventing itself as Richardson University.

With a couple of keystrokes, you can do something in just seven days that takes others years to do - get a college degree.

Online school Bedford University makes the claim. All you have to do is pick a field.

The school calls the degrees legitimate.

John Bear has another name. He calls them "truly fake."

Bear is an expert on diploma mills, a billion dollar industry of phony schools that print very real looking degrees.

Some of those degrees have made their way right here to the Valley.

Last year, the Attorney General's Office in Washington state busted a group of bogus schools in Operation Golden Seal.

A list of 10,000 names became public, customers with PhDs, Masters degrees and more.

Click here to see Arizonans on the Operation Golden Seal list

The list includes Mario Rochin, Tolleson's chief building official.

Rochin has PhD in business administration from one of the schools involved in Operation Golden Seal.

Rochin didn't return our calls and had nothing to say to ABC15 at Tolleson City Hall.

Tolleson City Manager Reyes Medrano later told ABC15, "I feel horrible for him (Rochin) for being duped."

While Rochin got the degree after getting his job, Joe Cockrell with Jobing.com said some see these degrees as an easy way to get ahead.

"That's probably going to do more harm than good," Cockrell said. "Ultimately that's going to be discovered."

We had questions about a PhD listed on Dr. Kathleen Gillespie's behavioral health office in Sun City.

It's also on her resume as a part-time instructor at NAU.

Gillespie is on the Operation Golden Seal customer list, but she said she wasn't aware.

While she declined to answer questions on camera, Gillespie later emailed ABC15:

"I was fully aware that the degree being offered from Van Ives was an 'equivalency' degree that was being offered for past education, current education, and continuing education. My purpose for seeking the degree was for educational purposes only, not professional as I had all the education and credentials necessary for practicing as a Licensed Professional Counselor. The degree was never questioned by either of the Universities I have taught for or the over 50 companies I have provided services for. I have since earned an academic Doctorate of Psychology from California Sothern University which is accredited in California and accepted for licensure as a Clinical Psychologist in California."

Gillespie has also taken the PhD off her online biography.

"I call it putting a time bomb in your resume," Bear said.

We put Belford University to the test, applying for a Masters degree in Veterinary Medicine for Joe Ducey's dog, Sedona.

After typing a short description of life experiences and paying $479, the degree arrived from Dubai seven days later, along with a transcript with grades for classes we never took.

A senior student counselor defended Belford, but he was surprised they gave a degree to a canine.

Belford University is not accredited with the U.S. Department of Education.

It is illegal in a dozen states to use an unaccredited degree. Arizona is not one of those states.

The Missouri Department of Higher Education plans to propose legislation that would make it illegal to get a job or a promotion in Missouri using a phony degree. KSMU's Jennifer Moore reports. Officials estimate 200,000 fake diplomas are bought and sold in the United States each year from so-called "diploma mills."

Zora Mulligan Aubuchon, assistant commissioner for the Missouri Department of Higher Education, says the term "diploma mill" can include a range of different scam operations.

Aubuchon said another form of diploma mills is where the applicant does a little bit of academic work in order to get a degree, but nothing comparable to the coursework found at the university level.

One diploma mill went by the name "St. Regis University," which is a bogus institution. It was discovered by federal authorities and shut down in 2005, but not before it had sold 7 million dollars worth of fake diplomas, including ones claiming to be from the University of Missouri.

Aubuchon says new legislation is needed in Missouri clearly stating that producing and using fake degrees is against the law.

MOORE:
"To get an idea of just how easy it would be to fake a diploma, I'm going online right now to Google...I'm gonna type in here "get a fake diploma." Let's see what it comes up with...okay, there are about 500,000 hits..."

Zora Aubuchon says the department of higher education occasionally gets calls from employers who are skeptical as to whether the applicant really holds a degree.

She added that it may not be sufficient just to look at an applicant's transcript or to ask to see a diploma.

Aubuchon said employers can always call a university's registrar, which should be able to tell the employer if someone graduated from that school.

For KSMU News, I'm Jennifer Moore.

The owner of an unaccredited online university that drew attention to Wyoming as a haven for such schools was sentenced Tuesday to two years in prison for tax fraud.

Rudy Marn owned Hamilton University, a school that existed primarily online but had an office in Evanston. Marn pleaded guilty Aug. 1 to fraud and making false statements for filing a false individual income tax return for 2003.

U.S. District Judge William Downes sentenced Marn in Casper to two years in prison and a year of supervised probation. Downes also ordered Marn to pay $618,937 in restitution to the IRS, according to IRS spokesman Bryan Thiel.

Thiel said Marn must report to prison by Dec. 30.

A message left for Marn's attorney, Tim Kingston, wasn't immediately returned Tuesday.

Thiel didn't know where Marn has been living lately. However, he said Marn has been ordered to satisfy his restitution in part through the sale of a home in Palm Beach, Fla.

According to court documents, Marn reported total personal income of $169,888 on his 2003 tax return. Prosecutors said Marn owed $239,846 that year, which would have required earning several times more income than he reported.

A court document stated Marn "earned a substantial amount of income" from a business in Wyoming. Thiel couldn't confirm whether that was Hamilton University but said Hamilton was still operational in 2003. The school has since shut down.

The television program "60 Minutes Wednesday" focused on Hamilton University in 2004. The program pointed out that the school had an official-looking Web site but was located in a former motel. The television crew saw no sign of faculty or students.

Hamilton's alumni included a high-ranking Department of Homeland Security official and the CEO of Cessna Aircraft, the program reported.

Wyoming has since cracked down on unaccredited colleges. State law now requires schools doing business in the state to at least be recognized as candidates for federally recognized accreditation.

Many online schools have left Wyoming since the law was passed in 2006.

The computer guru behind a Spokane-based diploma mill operation who was caught with 11,000 images of child pornography was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison ñ the longest term given any of eight defendants in the case that spanned the globe.

Kenneth Wade Pearson was given six months for conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud ñ the diploma mill operation ñ and a concurrent 48-month sentence for receipt of child pornography.

The 33-year-old Spokane father of three could have faced 108 to 135 months in prison for the pornography, but he began immediately cooperating with federal investigators in Operation Gold Seal in August 2005 ñ even before he was appointed an attorney.

Pearson served as the webmaster for dozens of online, fictional universities and high schools set up by Dixie and Steve Randock but was only paid an hourly wage of $9 while the masterminds racked in an estimated $8 million. He also set up a false Liberian embassy Web site used by the Randocks as part of their operation.

"He provided crucial details about the scheme," Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs said, helping investigators build their case against seven other defendants.

In newly filed court documents, the federal prosecutor disclosed that Pearson told investigators the diploma mill operation also counterfeited and sold "Microsoft Certified System Engineer" certificates. Court records don't say exactly how many of those bogus Microsoft certificates were sold. A Microsoft spokeswoman had no immediate comment.

After agreeing to talk to investigators in August 2005 during their search of a Post Falls office used by the Randocks, Pearson voluntarily agreed to a search of his home in Spokane and turned over computers he used to support the diploma mill sites.

On one of those computers, investigators found 11,000 images of child pornography. Some of the pictures were of children younger than 12 and portrayed "sadistic and masochistic conduct," according to court documents.

Pearson told investigators he downloaded the images "in an effort to create a legal adult pornography Web site" at the request of his employer, Dixie Randock, court documents say.

Pearson pleaded guilty in October 2006. He became the third member of the diploma mill ring to strike a plea bargain and agree to testify against ringleaders Dixie and Steve Randock, of Colbert. The Randocks and six other defendants pleaded guilty, and there was no trial.

Dixie Randock was not charged with possession or receipt of child porn. She and her husband are serving three-year federal prison sentences for conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud.

The state Commission on Higher Education has ordered six more individuals ó including a worker at a psychiatric facility, a professor, and two high school teachers ó to stop using doctoral titles that the commission deemed void under state law because they were obtained from unaccredited institutions.

Both educators ó English teacher Cheryl A. Lanza of Freehold and teacher consultant Lorraine Taddei-Graef of Lacey ó work in the Freehold Township High School in the Freehold Regional High School District.

The orders were issued earlier this month, but issued publicly Thursday.

Lanza and Taddei-Graef had obtained doctor of education degrees from the unaccredited Breyer State University, and had used the corresponding Ed.D., or, doctoral titles.

Freehold Regional Superintendent H. James Wasser, one current and one former administrator had also been ordered to relinquish doctoral titles from Breyer State after Asbury Park Press reports this summer prompted statewide outrage.

Breyer State had been branded a diploma mill by officials in several states.

The situation prompted a bill to ban pay raises and benefits issued because of advanced degrees from unaccredited schools. That measure passed the state Senate Thursday.

"I am appalled that we even need this law," state Sen. Jennifer Beck, R-Monmouth, said.

On Wednesday, New Jersey Association of School Administrators Director Richard G. Bozza requested that all 1,000 members of the organization fully disclose their education by providing, "the communities they serve with complete transparency regarding their educational credentials," Bozza wrote in a prepared statement.

The Commission on Higher Education investigated the Freehold Regional employees after receiving a citizen complaint.

Taddei-Graef, Lanza and Freehold Regional Board of Education President Patricia Horvath could not be reached for comment.

The Press reported in August that district taxpayers reimbursed Lanza $2,050 for her degree, but Taddei-Graef was not reimbursed.

According to the commission's letters released Thursday, two others received degrees from another apparent diploma mill, Kennedy Western University in Cheyenne, Wyo., now Warren National University.

Wilhelmina P. D'Dumo, an instructor of psychiatry at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey's school of osteopathic medicine, Cherry Hill, and Edward J. Moskal of Kinnelon, an assistant professor of computer science at St. Peter's College, the Jesuit College of New Jersey based in Jersey City, were both ordered to drop their doctoral titles.

A doctorate degree is not necessary for D'Dumo's current position, UMDNJ Media Relations Director Gerald Carey said. D'Dumo received her degree while working at UMDNJ, but was not reimbursed nor did she receive a raise based on it, Carey said.

D'Dumo is also an employee of Lakeland Regional Health Center in Camden County, a psychiatric facility, but no further information was disclosed.

D'Dumo is listed as a member of the Phillipine Nurses Association of Delaware Valley, Inc. advisory committee, with the academic designations related to being a registered nurse, a nurse practitioner, and a Ph.D. in psychology.

She also has a Master of Science in nursing, which is valid, said Jane Oates, director of the commission.

D'Dumo did not return calls seeking comment.

Moskal declined to comment.

Routinely, the commission searches the Web for possible misuses of academic titles. In doing so, they found D'Dumo and Moskal in violation of state statutes that govern academic titles, Oates said.

These four responded to the commission's request, writing that they had complied with the order, Oates said, adding that those letters are on file in the commission's office.

The commission has sent two other letters to people the commission believes have improperly claimed academic titles. Those recipients have not yet responded, Oates said.

The commission has sent a total of nine cease-and-desist letters since the Asbury Park Press began reporting on the Freehold Regional High School District diploma mill controversy July 17.

On Aug. 21, letters were sent to Wasser, Assistant Superintendent Donna Evangelista, and former Assistant Superintendent Frank J. Tanzini ordering them to relinquish their doctoral titles, which were obtained from Breyer State University, then located in Alabama, then, briefly, in Idaho, and now in Los Angeles, Calif.

Freehold Regional paid for the administrators' Breyer State degrees, $2,900 each, and awarded all three additional $2,500 a year, upon obtaining their degrees.

Wasser complied with the order to relinquish his doctoral title and stopped receiving the accompanying raise. Although he did not pay back tuition payments or the higher pay he received up until that point.

Later, Wasser publicly apologized at a district board meeting, and the district's Web site, www.frhsd.com, features a video apology from the superintendent.

Nine state troopers are under investigation over college diplomas they claimed to have earned to get higher pay.

Six troopers and three sergeants, including one trooper assigned to Seattle, were placed on paid administrative leave last week when the State Patrol launched a criminal investigation, Capt. Jeff DeVere said.

"We're taking this very seriously. This presents some very serious issues should these allegations be proven true," DeVere said.

The State Patrol began auditing personnel records last summer after the principals in a Spokane diploma mill scandal were convicted of counterfeiting and selling degrees and transcripts from some of the largest schools in the United States, as well as from 125 phony schools.

Dixie and Steve Randock, of Colbert, were sentenced to prison. The federal investigation, which lasted several years, uncovered government employees, including members of the National Security Agency and a White House staffer, who purchased fake degrees.

It was too early to say whether any of the diplomas came from the Spokane company, DeVere said, explaining that he couldn't comment on the specifics of the investigation.

Four of the troopers, including two sergeants, work in Vancouver. Three are assigned to Wenatchee. One sergeant works in Kelso and another trooper is assigned to Spokane, DeVere said.

They all have been employed for eight years or more with the agency. Three have been troopers for more than 15 years, DeVere said.

Under the State Patrol's labor contract, troopers can boost their base pay by 4 percent for earning a bachelor's degree and additional 2 percent for a master's degree. Troopers with a two-year degree are eligible for a 2-percent raise, DeVere said.

The audit, which is ongoing, raised questions about other troopers' degrees that turned out to be legitimate, he said.

"In some cases, we found some small, obscure colleges that are indeed valid," DeVere said. "With these, it wasn't readily apparent, so that's why the investigation has started."

The investigation is focused in some cases on whether troopers put in legitimate course work to earn a degree that would qualify them for the incentive pay, he said.

"Some of the things you look at online, you can put down your life experiences and pay $500 and you have a diploma," he said. "But there are valid online programs through major institutions. So what we're trying to determine is what type of institution was it and what kind of coursework was it."

Stephen J. Arnett, currently under investigation for promoting online and foreign medical schools from Magoffin County, was recently given a license to practice as a surgical assistant in Kentucky.

The license allows him, while being supervised, to assist surgeons with opening and closing incisions and other procedures during surgery. It is not clear whether Arnett is actually working in that capacity. He indicated to the Board of Medical Licensure that he intended to start a surgical assistants company. Arnett was a key figure in Degrees of Harm, a Herald-Leader series in October, that examined his role in recruiting students to treat patients, study in clinical settings or receive online medical degrees. Three men Arnett was involved with have been convicted of practicing medicine without a license -- one in Kentucky, one in Nevada and one in Rhode Island.

In the past, Arnett has described himself as having medical degrees and other medical credentials that he did not have. He has been investigated by state and federal authorities, but has never been charged with any crime as a result of his medical activities. He is not licensed as a medical doctor in Kentucky or any other state.

Kentucky's Board of Medical Licensure denied Arnett a physician's assistant's license in 1988 and warned him not to "hold himself out" as one. The board investigated him in 1997 after a complaint that he was again working as a physician's assistant, but when the board shared the results with law enforcement officials, nothing was done.

C. Loyd Vest, an attorney for the medical board, said that Arnett was granted a surgical assistant's license in March.

The board initially approved Arnett's application on its face, Vest said. However, when questioned by a reporter about it recently, he said: "We are now reviewing the information that he provided to get a surgical assistant's license."

In Kentucky, payments for the work of a certified surgical assistant have recently become reimbursable through third-party insurance.

Arnett has not responded to several requests by the Herald-Leader for an interview. But in a court deposition from a lawsuit against him that was later dismissed, he said he was always honest about his degrees and that they were all legitimate.

After the publication of the Herald-Leader series, Kentucky's medical licensure board began investigating how Arnett helped other people get medical degrees.

Florida clinics

Why, Vest was asked, was Arnett, who had previously been turned down for a physician's assistant's license, granted a surgical assistant's license?

The requirements for the two licenses are different, Vest said. More is required of a physician's assistant, who acts as an agent of the supervising physician and is allowed to treat patients and prescribe medication.

Under Kentucky law, a surgical assistant's license can be obtained if a person is certified by one of several national surgical assistant's groups and completes 800 hours in the three previous years as an assistant in surgical procedures under the direct supervision of a physician licensed in this country.

Arnett presented documents to the board in January showing he had passed a test given by a national group approved by the board -- the North Carolina-based national Surgical Assistant Association.

Officials from that organization did not return telephone calls or respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

Arnett also told the board in his application that he had trained as a surgical assistant at two Florida clinics for 850 hours between 2002 and 2005.

One of the clinics was the Hallandale Orthopedic and Outpatient Surgical Center in Hallandale, Fla. That facility's current Web site lists it as Orthopedic Rehab of Hallandale Inc. It does not mention surgical procedures, but advertises chiropractic and alternative and natural medicine services.

A licensed chiropractor on staff at the clinic advertises having a naturopathic degree from St. Luke School of Medicine and Southern Graduate Institute, schools where Arnett once held key titles. Naturopathy involves using only natural elements or the body's own immune system to treat disease.

The Hallandale clinic's Web site also says that the osteopath is a faculty member at a university in the Caribbean that Arnett once promoted.

At a second clinic in St. Petersburg, Fla., clinic director Joseph DiStefano said that Arnett observed several hours of surgery and other medical procedures performed by a licensed physician until the clinic stopped performing surgeries more than a year ago, when a staff member retired.

Arnett's application to the board said he was employed by Kentucky Surgical Arts #2 Ortho-Rehab on James Trimble Boulevard in Paintsville.

Arnett now maintains an office at 624 James S. Trimble Drive inside the Paintsville Ramada Inn, called Health and Sports Wellness Center. A seal on the door says the center is a member of the American Medical Massage Therapy Association. Services listed include massage therapy, neuromuscular therapy, cellulite treatment, naturopathic/homeopathic remedies and reflexology, as well as homeopathic and natural health products and nutritional consultation -- but not outpatient surgery.

Arnett is a licensed massage therapist in West Virginia and Kentucky. He has been licensed as a naturopath in Idaho and Washington, D.C., and as an acupuncturist in West Virginia.

He has also incorporated the Kentucky Association of Surgical Assistant Inc., according to records filed with the Kentucky secretary of state.

A company at the same address is listed in the Secretary of State's records as ISO-Diagnostics Testing of Kentucky, with Steve Arnette -- the last name spelled with an extra e -- as the organizer and director.

In addition to looking into Arnett's credentials, Vest said the Kentucky board is also investigating the activities of the businesses which carry Arnett's name in state records.

The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure has opened an investigation into whether a Magoffin County man who promoted online and foreign medical schools has broken any state laws, C. Lloyd Vest, an attorney for the board, said yesterday.

Stephen J. Arnett, a former tombstone salesman and Free Will Baptist minister, promoted the St. Luke School of Medicine, an online school based in Liberia, from an address in Falcon, a small Magoffin County community, until 2003. He held key titles at the school, including vice president, and helped recruit students and place them in Kentucky hospitals and clinics.

Vest said board officials decided to launch a new investigation following a three-part series in the Herald-Leader and that the board would turn over any evidence to the appropriate authorities. The state attorney general's office also began investigating Arnett's involvement with the foreign school after a reporter called with questions.

The articles outlined how three men who have been convicted of practicing medicine without a license -- two in Kentucky and one in Rhode Island -- used their affiliation with St. Luke to treat patients or to study in clinical settings.

In the 1990s, Arnett owned and ran several Eastern Kentucky clinics.

State authorities investigated complaints against him, but he has never been criminally charged in connection with his medical activities.

Now a licensed massage therapist in both Kentucky and West Virginia, Arnett now maintains an office at 624 James S. Trimble Drive, inside the Paintsville Ramada Inn, called Health and Sports Wellness Center.

A company at the same address is listed in Kentucky Secretary of State records as ISO-Diagnostics Testing of Kentucky with Steve "Arnette" -- the last name spelled with an extra "e" -- as the organizer and director.

But Arnett is rarely seen in the office, hotel employees said.

"He comes in once or twice a month, checks his mail, pays his rent and you'll never see him till next time," Frankie Tackett, a desk clerk at the Ramada, said yesterday.

Filing cabinets and a lighted Tiffany-style lamp on a desk can be seen through the glass door to the office, located just off the hotel lobby. A seal on the door says the center is a member of the American Medical Massage Therapy Association. Services listed include massage therapy, neuromuscular therapy, cellulite treatment, naturopathic/homeopathic remedies and reflexology, as well as homeopathic and natural health products and nutritional consultation.

A Herald-Leader reporter visited the office three times this week and found the door locked.

Arnett could not be reached yesterday and has declined the Herald-Leader's repeated requests for interviews.

Arnett has been licensed as a naturopath in Idaho and Washington, D.C., and as an acupuncturist in West Virginia. Naturopathy involves using only natural elements or the body's own immune system to treat disease.

St. Luke President Jerroll Dolphin said in a recent interview that he stopped working with Arnett in 2003 and took away an honorary medical degree the school had given him because he thought Arnett was giving degrees without requiring proper course work.

Though some states have questioned the school's legitimacy, Dolphin said St. Luke offered an intensive curriculum and was not a diploma mill -- a school without accreditation that awards degrees for money and little work.

Larry Lammers worked in a chain of accident injury centers in Kentucky and served a jail sentence for practicing medicine without a license.

Court documents show that Arnett recruited him to St. Luke. Lammers completed course work, Dolphin said, but did not receive a medical degree because of his Kentucky conviction.

Arnett arranged for Andrew E. Michael to observe a heart specialist in Lexington. While in Kentucky, Michael was convicted in Nevada of practicing medicine without a license. He served a jail sentence and is back in custody on federal credit card charges. He never completed his studies at St. Luke, Dolphin said.

John E. Curran, who was sentenced in August to 12 1/2 years in federal prison in Rhode Island, said Arnett provided him with diplomas in medicine and naturopathy. Dolphin said Curran was never a legitimate St. Luke student.

There is no agency in Kentucky that oversees online degrees, nor does the state have an office that investigates people accused of practicing medicine without a license.

But Vest has said the board investigates any allegation it receives and that the attorney general's office can seek an injunction to stop the activity.

Fake degrees are illegal in Oregon, New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, North Dakota and Nevada, where they are misdemeanors and punishable by fines. However, violators rarely face prosecution.

State Rep. Susan Westrom, D-Lexington, said that she will, for the fourth time, introduce a bill that would make the use of bogus credentials a Class D felony, punishable by a prison sentence of up to five years.

What's happened
Since Alabama has cracked down on questionable for-profit schools,

• Five institutions have been denied state licenses to open in Alabama
• Four had licenses revoked
• 21 did not have licenses renewed
• One closed

The new rules aimed at cracking down on questionable private, for-profit schools took effect just over a week ago, and already 30 schools have left Alabama, been kicked out or prohibited from setting up shop.

According to information released Thursday by the Alabama Community College System, applications for five institutions to come to the state were denied, four had their operating licenses revoked and licenses for 21 schools were not renewed. Also, one school closed.

State law gives the college system power to grant licenses to Alabama-based private, for-profit institutions, but no staff or money were dedicated to enforcing regulations. Higher education watchdogs decried that method of approval, which they say allowed diploma mills that offer degrees for little or no academic work to set up shop in the state.

In July, two-year Chancellor Bradley Byrne announced an effort to enforce existing rules, then strengthen oversight with stricter regulations that went into place Oct. 1.

Out of the 30 schools Byrne's staff have either closed or kept out of the state, only three have come after the new rules took effect. Simply enforcing the old regulations produced results, but Byrne said the new rules will make it easier to find questionable schools.

"I don't think we're done yet," he said.

It will probably take at least a year to review the more than 200 private, for-profit schools licensed by the college system, he said.

Many of the schools left the state before college system staff could revoke their licenses or not renew them.

"In some cases there are people who saw the handwriting on the wall, but in many cases there was some failure on the part of the institution," Byrne said.

Gregory Fitch, executive director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, praised Byrne's efforts. Fitch began the drumbeat against the state's lax educational licensing process about two years ago.

A bill was introduced into the Legislature to transfer the power to review in-state schools from the college system to ACHE, which reviews out-of-state private, non-profit schools. The bill failed to get a vote in the past two sessions, a failure Byrne and Fitch said prompted the college system to take action.

"He's doing exactly what the state needs him to do," Fitch said of Byrne. "As long as it's being done in the best interest of the state, we're fine with it.

"It's working, and I think there are going to be some real challenges to these schools to slip through, as least legitimately, into our state."

It's difficult to say whether all the schools were diploma mills, since some of the stricter code deals with financial viability, such as requiring institutions to provide audited financial statements. Still, Alabama has been marked by many nationwide as a haven for diploma mills and several unaccredited schools on the list that were kicked out of the state such as Chadwick University, Breyer State University, Carter University and Omni University.

Besides negative actions, Byrne's staff also renewed licenses for 23 schools and approved six more.

Rejection of New Applications
• The Queen's University of Brighton, Hamilton, OH (4-23-08)
• Faith in Action Business Access Online, Hayneville, AL (5-7-08) Withdrawal
• Southern State University, Birmingham, AL (8-25-08)
• Madison University of Business & Technology, Gulfport, MS (8-26-08)

  Rejection/Withdrawal

• Paramount University of Technology, Birmingham, AL (9-3-08)

  Revocations

• Columbus University, Daphne, AL (5-19-08)
• *Real Estate Institute, Birmingham, AL (5-29-08)
• Southern Community College, Tuskegee, AL (5-23-08)
• Chadwick University, Birmingham, AL (8-28-08)

  Non-Renewals

• Breyer State University-Alabama, Birmingham, AL (6-23-08)
• *Central Alabama OIC, Montgomery, AL (4-10-08)
• Carter University, Inc., Dothan, AL (4-11-08)
• *Gold Coast Professional Schools, Tamarac, FL (4-16-08)
• *Anvil Property Brokers School of Real Estate, Birmingham, AL (6-5-08)
• North Alabama Driving Academy, Ft. Payne, AL (6-5-08)
• Jomil Driving Academy, Huntsville, AL (6-5-08)
• *Avery Yarbrough & Associates, Eufaula, AL (6-9-08)
• *JME Real Estate School, Mobile, AL (6-9-08)
• *ERA Jefferson School of Real Estate, Phenix City, AL (6-9-08)
• *Alliance Group Real Estate School, Birmingham, AL (6-23-08)
• *Abana School of Real Estate, Vestavia, AL (6-23-08)
• *RESCO School of Real Estate, Tuscaloosa, AL (6-23-08)
• *High-Tech Institute, Nashville, TN (7-3-08)
• *High-Tech Institute, Orlando, FL (7-3-08)
• *Holland Jewelry School, Selma, AL (8-6-08)
• Omniversity, Inc., Mobile, AL (9-10-08)
• *Tuscaloosa School of Real Estate, Tuscaloosa, AL (9-22-08)
• *Alabama Real Estate Academy, Inc, Foley, AL (10-7-08)
• *Realty Now School of Real Estate, Birmingham, AL (10-7-08)
• *Real Estate Career Institute, Ft. Payne, AL (10-7-08)

  Closed

• All American Driving Academy, Decatur, AL (9-01-08)

It was the largest case of degree fraud in America, perhaps the world. The investigation into St Regis University, a huge degree mill, ended in jail sentences for its "founders" and some employees in July, and has cast light on the lengths to which sellers of dodgy degrees will go to ensnare people in their web of deceit.

St Regis' tentacles spread around the globe, with clients across Europe, Russia, the Middle East and Asia, including Hong Kong.

"This was an eight-agency federal criminal prosecution, involving more than 100 countries, 66 real universities known to have had their degrees counterfeited and 150 separate bogus institutions set up by the perpetrators," said George Gollin, professor of physics at the University of Illinois. He had been monitoring the degree mill since 2002 and passed on a great deal of information to investigators that led to the convictions.

"It is the first case of its kind where we have so much information, so we have an extensive profile of how they operated internationally," he said.

A statement from the US Department of Justice said St Regis' customers included teachers, psychologists, engineers and at least one college president. "Many were shipped abroad. The annual degree output from St Regis was about the same as a medium-sized American university," it said.

Investigators calculated that the organisers netted at least US$7.3 million from the sales.

"It was the most sophisticated degree mill because they had 125 different websites of high [secondary] schools, colleges, accredited entities, degree transcript storage and credential evaluation companies," said Allen Ezell, a former FBI agent who has investigated degree mills.

"We now have a better insight into how big this was and how many sales were in the various countries and the type of degrees in demand."

According to documents unearthed by federal investigators, some 30 Hong Kong people wittingly or unwittingly acquired fake degrees, although several Hong Kong individuals bought more than one degree in the space of a very short period, suggesting they knew very well what they were doing...

The annual degree output from St. Regis was about the same as a medium-sized American university...

The man who was "dean of studies" at fraudulent St Regis University is still selling distance learning qualifications in Hong Kong. The US operation was closed following an investigation and its founders were jailed.

But Steve Ho Kwok-cheong - one-time Asia representative of its business school and St Regis School of Martial Arts - continues to provide online courses up to PhD level from "universities" you have probably never heard of and others which have never heard of him.

Until this week, Mr Ho's company - ICL Distance Learning Centre - offered online courses from 11 universities in the US, Central America and the Philippines that it claimed to be authorised to recruit or offer distance programmes for, either through affiliation or collaboration. The courses ranged from sub-degree, undergraduate to postgraduate qualifications.

By yesterday, five of these universities had been removed from ICL website - www.icledu.org - following the South China Morning Post (SEHK: 0583, announcements, news) 's investigation into Mr Ho's activities.

The investigation discovered that at least two were either unlicensed or did not exist, and four genuine universities denied having connections with Mr Ho, ICL or Ho's other company, In-Com Link Management Associates.

The search for Mr Ho led to Post reporters trawling through virtual miles of cyberspace, making calls across four continents at all hours this week before arriving at two apparently unconnected addresses in Central - an office services centre in World-Wide House and a tiny public accountant's office in Tsim Sha Tsui.

When a reporter finally made contact with Mr Ho by phone yesterday morning, he said he had done nothing wrong.

"We just provide the course materials," he said. "As this is pure online learning, with no face-to-face classes, we do not need to register with the Education Bureau."

He said the majority of his students were not based in Hong Kong.

However, earlier this week he had been keen to help a Post reporter posing as a customer looking for a fast track to a degree.

ICL's website describes Mr Ho as an "educational professional" who has "been a full/part-time lecturer for different famous worldwide universities/post-secondary institutes, such as University of Sydney, OUHK, City University (UK), University of Heriot-Watt and University of Wollongong, since 1991."

Checks at SydneyU, Wollongong, Heriot-Watt and London's CityU revealed none had a record of employing him. Open University was unable to confirm or deny the connection by the time of going to print.

Mr Ho said the positions had been in Hong Kong - "lecturing" at evening courses run by local companies on the universities' behalf. "I was a lecturer teaching in Hong Kong."

The website also states Mr Ho has a PhD, although it does not specify where he obtained it.

The Post investigation discovered it was from York University, Mobile, Alabama - not to be confused with its namesakes in Canada or Britain - which lists Mr Ho as a member of its academic board.

Inquiries with Alabama authorities confirmed YorkU had no official accreditation and was illegal.

An application for a licence is pending, but Annette McGrady, the private school licence specialist handling the case, said it was "highly unlikely" to succeed due to concerns about the capacity of their faculty.

"They have never been licensed in Alabama," she said. The school had also been given a written warning about selling "honorary degrees" to Hong Kong, she said.

No calls to YorkU - which operates from a lawyer's office - were returned. However, the Post received an e-mail from a "Professor Akiva Fradkin" containing a digital image of a purported official licence. It expired on November 1, 2006.

Mr Ho confirmed his PhD had been from YorkU but insisted it was a genuine qualification.

"I had to submit coursework online and it was assessed," he said.

Mr Ho said being on the academic board meant he could design courses, which could be accredited by YorkU and offered through ICL under the Alabama centre's name.

"I just care about developing a high-quality, pure online learning course," he said.

He said the lack of officially recognised accreditation - YorkU is accredited by an unofficial organisation which only accredits similar small private outfits - did not concern him as accreditation was "very personal."

Mr Ho declined to explain his relationship with the St Regis University scandal, but did not deny involvement.

He said he did not like St Regis' approach of "just selling" degrees without requiring coursework.

"At least [my students] have to complete coursework. They can fail and some of them do," he said.

The Education Bureau has launched an investigation into an online learning portal run from Hong Kong after an investigation by the South China Morning Post linked it to an international web of so-called degree mills and bogus universities.

ICL Distance Learning Centre, whose enrolment address is in Central, also seems to have been offering online courses from prestigious US universities without their consent.

The centre's director is Steve Ho Kwok-cheong, of Lai Chi Kok. The ICL's website claimed he had lectured at four overseas universities, but they had no record of having employed him.

Mr Ho's name has also been connected to the scandal in the US over bogus institution St Regis University. He is listed in court documents related to the prosecution in that case as a "dean of studies" for the St Regis School of Business and the St Regis School of Martial Arts.

This week, ICL's website - www.icledu.org - listed courses from 11 universities in the US, Central America and the Philippines that the centre claimed to be linked to either through affiliation or collaboration. The names of several have since been removed.

The partner institutions included prestigious names such as Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Mercy College in New York and the University of Washington in Seattle.

Contacted by a Post reporter, Mr Ho said his business was legitimate.

However, Post reporters have discovered that one of the universities, York University in Mobile, Alabama, is unlicensed, and another, West Coast University in Panama City, Panama, does not exist. The former's website lists Mr Ho as a member of its academic board.

Spokesmen for Carnegie Mellon and Mercy College said they were not aware of any connection. A spokeswoman for the University of Washington said: "A unit of University of Washington Education Outreach entered into an agreement with [the centre's parent company] In-Com Link [Management Associates] in April 2003, but their last agreement expired April 6, 2006."

She said the university had sent a letter demanding ICL "remove all links or references to the University of Washington from its website."

Mr Ho said he was only acting as a recruiting agent for the universities.

"I did not say these degrees were accepted in Hong Kong," he said.

He said the University of Washington's name was left on the site as a result of an oversight. All references to the institution and to York and West Coast universities disappeared from the site yesterday. References to Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology in the Philippines were removed earlier within hours of a Post reporter confirming the university had no connection to ICL.

A spokeswoman for the Education Bureau said there was no need for schools providing "purely online" courses to register, but the bureau would look into the website. "If there is any evidence that the course information therein is misleading, we shall take action as appropriate."

Listen to the Podcast Hear Steve Ho Kwok-cheong defend his learning centre and academic qualifications at http://www.scmp.com/files/SCMP/Blogs/Static_Files/Q42008/081004_Education_October_4.mp3.

A day after the governor's veto torpedoed three years of discussions about policing the state's 1,600 for-profit and vocational colleges, lawmakers and others were wondering how to protect hundreds of thousands of students at those schools.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday announced he would not sign SB 823, saying the bill failed to "strike a balance between protecting students, while being firm, yet fair to schools." The legislation was confusing and not easily enforceable, he wrote in his veto message.

The veto disappointed consumer advocates, who had argued the continued lack of oversight could lead fly-by-night diploma mills to relocate to California. The state has been without a watchdog since July 1, 2007, when the Bureau of Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education expired.

"This is almost like after a natural disaster, when you get all kinds of predatory operators," said Betsy Imholz, an attorney with the Consumers Union and a strident supporter of a new bureau. "We need an alert system before people enter a school."

The now-defunct bureau was created to gather complaints by students who believed vocational schools had cheated them. A minority of the schools gave the industry a bad reputation by closing unexpectedly without returning tuition money.

Some schools have been criticized for giving useless degrees and few job prospects to students who paid tens of thousands of dollars.

Critics said the bill was too tightly controlled by its sponsor, Sen. Don Perata, D-Oakland. With his term expiring this winter, new legislative leaders should focus on creating a bill that is concise and not as intent on teaching for-profit operators a lesson, said Robert Johnson, executive director of the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools.

"I think the governor and his administration have been pretty clear about what they want in a bill," Johnson said. Democrats "are demanding a bill that goes way beyond regulatory measures and punishes the sector.

"We have to have bipartisan leadership."

Neither Perata nor his replacement as Senate president pro tem, Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, responded to interview requests Wednesday.

In his veto message, Schwarzenegger asked the Department of Consumer Affairs to educate students about their rights and to investigate complaints. A department leader said Wednesday her agency has been doing both since the bureau closed.

"Basically, there haven't been any major issues," said Patty Harris, a deputy director with the Department of Consumer Affairs. "If one arises, we're committed" to dealing with it.

When Vice Adm. Donald Arthur retired as Navy surgeon general, Adm. Mike Mullenónow chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staffópaid tribute to a "Renaissance man."

"His rÈsumÈ says a lot," Mullen said. "BA, MA, JD, PhD and of course MD. He's got more degrees than a thermometer."

It was a stirring testimonial, but not entirely accurate. While Arthur's bachelor's and MD were legitimate, he has no master's. The PhD came from a university whose accreditation the federal government doesn't recognize. And the JD, or law degree, was granted by a diploma mill that collapsed after its president was imprisoned for fraud.

Nearly two years before Mullen's rousing send-off, an author specializing in military research told his office that Arthur had claimed questionable academic credentials.

Yet Mullen still made those degrees a centerpiece of his retirement ode to Arthur last year. And those degrees were either entered into Arthur's record or listed in rÈsumÈs submitted to the U.S. Senate for his promotion up the ranks of admiral and ultimately to surgeon general of the Navy, records show.

Arthur says he was guilty only of being ill-informed about unaccredited institutionsóand that a Navy investigation cleared him of any wrongdoing.

But his history raises questions about how well Pentagon brass and the Senate vet applicants to top military positions as the federal government investigates cases of academic fraud.

Arthur, who left the Navy and became a hospital executive in Pennsylvania, defended his qualifications to be the service's top doctor. "The only thing I was hired to be surgeon general for was my MD," he said.

His PhD and JD have since been removed from his official biography but remain in his service record.

An unaccredited JD and PhD would not be as central to a doctor's promotion as an MD, said retired Rear Adm. John Hutson, the Navy's top uniformed lawyer from 1997 to 2000. But Hutson said the law degree and doctorate would have been factors in Arthur's advancementóparticularly in an area like health-care management, the focus of his PhD.

"He may or may not be promoted without it," Hutson said. "But one, he had it in his record, and two, there's a pretty good argument that he knew or should have known that people would rely on it, not knowing that they were unaccredited degrees."

Unaccredited institutions range from those whose officials have been prosecuted, like LaSalle University in Mandeville, La., to those like American Century University (formerly Century University) that operate legally but claim accreditation from organizations the U.S. government doesn't recognize.

Within a 14-month period in 1992-93, Arthur obtained a PhD in health-care management from what is now American Century University in New Mexico and a JD from LaSalle University, according to his Navy record.

American Century's dean of instruction, Antonin Smrcka, said students work hard for degrees, adding that the institution had Arthur's doctoral thesis on file before it was destroyed as part of a regular records purge.

But he added: "The U.S. Army or U.S. Navy or U.S. Air Force does not recognize the degree from Century University. ... As a rule, we inform the potential student to speak to his employer [to find out] if his employer would accept the degree."

LaSalle University is not to be confused with venerable La Salle University in Philadelphia. The LaSalle in Louisiana collapsed after its founder pleaded guilty in 1996 to conspiracy to commit tax evasion and other offenses in a scheme that included the selling of degrees.

In interviews, Arthur acknowledged that in the early 1990s he took "some courses from two places that are unaccredited." He said LaSalle had given him papers indicating the school had been accredited. "I could say I was naive, but I was 40 years old. And I didn't understand completely what was going on."

As for the master's, which first appeared in his bio for his 1978 medical school yearbook, Arthur said, "I was in a master's program, but I did not graduate. I do not have a master's degree."

Arthur has come under criticism from a number of retired Navy officers, including Dr. Benjamin Newman, a veteran of the Navy medical corps who retired this year.

Newman noted that the Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, which Arthur oversaw as surgeon general, scrutinizes a doctor's record every time he is assigned to practice medicine at a new duty station.

Arthur's "credentials should have been picked up by someone to show that they're not legitimate," said Newman, who has viewed Arthur's records.

In November 2005, B.G. Burkett, an Army Vietnam veteran who has made a career of exposing military fraud, urged Mullen to investigate Arthur, according to letters provided by Burkett.

Arthur said he was stunned by Burkett's allegations at the time and welcomed an investigation by the Navy inspector general. Arthur said the investigation cleared him of any wrongdoing, but he declined to give the Tribune a copy of the report.

The inspector general's office declined to confirm that any investigation occurred, citing confidentiality.

Asked how unaccredited degrees ended up in Arthur's record, Navy spokesman Cmdr. Jeff Davis said, "I have not seen the record. ... Navy policy and the Navy practice is that we don't introduce degrees that are not from accredited institutions."

Operators of a Spokane-based diploma mill, now in federal prison for wire and mail fraud, were attempting to accredit their bogus online universities by bribing officials in Russia, India and Italy, according to court documents.

The documents were filed for today's back-to-back sentencings of Amy Hensley, Blake Alan Carlson and Richard J. "Rick" Novak, who were indicted in October 2005 along with Dixie and Steven Randock, the masterminds of the mill.

Immediately after search warrants were carried out in three states in August 2005, Hensley, Carlson and Novak independently began cooperating with state and federal investigators involved in "Operation Gold Seal" in the hopes of getting lighter sentences, Assistant U.S. Attorney George Jacobs said at the sentencing hearings.

With cooperation from a fourth defendant, the U.S. Attorney's Office had lined up half of the eight defendants indicted in the case as prosecution witnesses. Ultimately, the four remaining defendants, including the Randocks, also pleaded guilty earlier this year, and there was no trial.

Some of the evidence in the case, however, has been attached to sentencing memorandums filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Those documents reveal the Randocks paid $100,000 to an unidentified official in India, hoping to get that country to provide "accreditation" for their online schools ñ an apparent attempt to help legitimize the operation as similar accreditation in Liberia began to fall apart.

Novak went to India at Steve Randock's direction at some point after the Indian official took the money but then failed to provide any accreditation, the documents say.

Dixie Randock, meanwhile, was developing an affiliation with the Russian Education Ministry in the weeks before her arrest, the documents say, and had established an "Italian connection" in Sebora, Italy.

In exchange for their "substantial assistance" to the government, Hensley, Carlson and Novak were placed on three years probation today by U.S. District Court Judge Lonny Suko for conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. The judge also ordered Hensley and Carlson to perform 240 hours of community service and Novak to perform 300 hours of service. While noting their cooperation, the federal prosecutor urged the court to send Hensley, Carlson and Novak to prison for up to a year.

The judge told the defendants the assistance they provided to prosecutors saved them from prison terms. The three detailed the inner workings of the diploma mill, which hauled in almost $8 million, and a series of bank accounts set up by the Randocks, including some offshore.

Suko said the probationary sentences he gave the three were appropriate to avoid "unwarranted disparity" with three-year terms given the Randocks, the one-year term given Heidi Kay Lohran and the four-month sentence handed to Roberta Markishtum.

Novak, 58, of Phoenix, took thousands of dollars from the Randocks and used it to pay cash bribes to senior Liberian officials who used their country's board of education to provide accreditation to more than 100 online high schools and universities set up by the Spokane diploma mill.

Novak traveled to Maryland and Washington, D.C., with the Randocks, who instructed him to deliver the bribes to Liberian officials. Novak also went to Liberia and Ghana to make other payments. He was paid $60,000 for being the Randocks' "emissary" with foreign government officials, Jacobs told the court.

Carlson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by bribing foreign officials. Hensley and Carlson pleaded guilty to conspiracy counts.

Carlson, 61, who owns a Hillyard printing shop, sold bogus degree stamps and diploma seals to the Randocks before working as an online adviser, using the alias "C.B. Blackwell." Hensley, 41, worked as an adviser, shipper and bookkeeper for the Randocks' diploma mill and made $90,000 after initially working for Dixie Randock's real estate school, A+ Institute.

Carlson also accompanied the Randocks to Detroit, where the trio sold "several degrees" to members of the United Auto Workers.

"I believe in integrity and honesty," Carlson said, also telling the court he's a deeply committed Christian who has attended the same church for 25 years.

"I was stupid," he told the judge. "Once I realized Dixie's business was a fraud, I was well over my head at that point." Carlson made $41,000 for his role in the scheme.

The documents also disclose that one of the 10,000 people around the world who bought degrees from the Spokane diploma mill was an ambassador in Asia, whose identity isn't provided in the documents.

Asked about that outside court today, Carlson said he couldn't remember any of those details.

Vervalste accreditatie voor CMU
25 Sep, 2008, 17:20 (GMT -04:00)

WILLEMSTAD - Onderwijs-minister Omayra Leeflang (PAR) zal naar het Openbaar Ministerie stappen naar aanleiding van een vervalste brief waarin staat dat de Caribbean Medical University (CMU) door de Antilliaanse regering wordt erkend. Volgens Leeflang kunnen medische scholen niet door de Antilliaanse regering worden erkend.

De bewuste brief is op de 15e van deze maand verstuurd aan Carol Bode, senior research analyst van de International Medical Education Directory. De brief bevat tal van onjuistheden. Hij zou verstuurd zijn door de Antilliaanse regering, maar het wapen van de Antillen telt zes in plaats van de gebruikelijke vijf sterretjes. Aan de andere kant stelt de briefopsteller dat de brief namens de 'government of CuraÁao' zou zijn verstuurd. De handtekening onder aan de brief is onleesbaar, maar onder deze handtekening staat niet zoals gebruikelijk de naam van de ondertekenaar, maar louter 'the departement of education of the Netherlands Antilles'.

Leeflang kon er gisteren tijdens de wekelijkse persconferentie van de Raad van Ministers niet over uit hoe brutaal degenen zijn die de brief hebben vervalst. "Medische scholen kunnen niet door de Antilliaanse regering worden erkend. Ze zijn vrij om zich hier te vestigen. Wij hebben hier vrijheid van onderwijs. Het enige wat ze nodig hebben is een vestigingsvergunning. Ze vallen niet onder de onderwijswetgeving en worden niet erkend. Zij dienen zelf te zorgen voor hun erkenning. Dit kan via een universiteit in de Verenigde Staten, Europa of een andere instelling."

De minister benadrukt dat sinds haar aantreden in 2006 medische scholen geen erkenning meer krijgen. Sindsdien staat zij en haar ambtenaren onder continue druk van lobbyisten en vertegenwoordigers van medische scholen die toch een erkenning van de Antilliaanse regering willen. "Maar dit kan gewoonweg niet. Ze vallen niet onder ons onderwijssysteem. Conform onze wetten kunnen wij ze niet erkennen. Blijkbaar kunnen mensen niet hiermee leven en is er besloten tot het vervalsen van officiÎle documenten over te gaan."

Leeflang kondigde aan deze zaak grondig te gaan onderzoeken en dat zij hiermee ook naar het OM zal stappen.

Forged accreditation for CMU
September 25, 2008, 17:20 (GMT -04:00)

WILLEMSTAD - Minister of Education Omayra Leeflang (PAR) will contact the Attorney General because of a forged letter that states that the Caribbean Medical University (CMU) would be recoignized by the Antillean government. Minister Leeflang holds that medical schools can not be recognized by the Antillean government.

The letter was sent on September 15 to Carol Bode, senior research analyst at IMED. The letter contains numerous mistakes. Apparently, it would have been sent by the Antillean government, but the Antillean coat of arms [in the letter] contains six instead of five starlets. At the same time, the author of the letter states that it would have been sent by "the government of Curacao." The signature at the bottom of the letter is illegible, moreover, contrary to custom, the name of the signatory is not mentioned underneath the signature. Instead, the letter is signed by "The Department of Education of the Netherlands Antilles."

During the weekly government press conference, minister Leeflang went ballistic about the brutality of the forgers. "The Antillean government can not recognize medical schools. They are free to set up shop here, since we have freedom of education. The only thing that is required is a business licence. They are outside Antillean educational legislature and are not recognized. It is their own responsibility to secure recognition, be it through an US based or European based university or through other organisations."

The minister emphasizes that medical schools no longer get recognition since 2006, when she took office. From that time on, she and her staff are continuously pressurized by lobbyists and representatives of the medical schools to grant recognition. "But that is simply impossible. They are not part of our system of education. Based on our legislation, there's no way that we can recognize them. Apparently, this is not to the liking of some people, and the decision was taken to forge official documents."

Leeflang announces a thorough review of the case and also announces that she will contact the Attorney General.

THE Straits Times on Friday made it clear that it was not about to apologise to Preston University for telling its readers the truth about its credentials - or rather, its lack of.

Said Editor Han Fook Kwang: 'We stand by our story and am satisfied that our journalist was accurate in her reporting of Preston University'.

In newspaper advertisements it took out on Friday, Preston University Chancellor Dr Jerry Haenisch confirmed that the university had no accreditation from any US Department of Education body - 'but, a degree mill, absolutely not'.

It did not apply for accreditation, he said, as 'the restrictive nature of the US accreditation system precludes widespread international operations'.

The term - degree or diploma mill - has been used by United States government bodies and newspapers round the world to refer to 'substandard or fraudulent colleges' that offer potential students degrees with little or no serious work.

They range from those which are simple frauds: a mailbox to which people send money in exchange for paper that purports to be a college degree to those that require some nominal work from the student but do not require college-level course work that is normally required for a degree.

Preston was taking issue with an ST article by journalist Sandra Davie, headlined 'At least 218 here have off-the-shelf degrees' on Aug 29. She reported that Preston University was an unaccredited institution and dubbed a degree mill in the US.

Two Singaporeans who graduated from the university were also named, including an options trading expert who said he submitted a thesis and was granted a doctorate within 16 months. He paid $18,000 in fees.

Ms Davie said on Friday her report was backed up by checks with accreditation boards, the highly-regarded US-based Chronicle of Education as well as American newspaper reports.

Oregon State's office of degree authorisation has Preston described as a 'degree supplier' in its database.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board also lists Preston as one of the institutions that offer 'fraudulent or substandard degrees'.

In 2001, the Chronicle reported that Preston University, then based in Wyoming, had invented more than half of its faculty list. The university later admitted that only 15 of the 49 faculty member's listed on the institution's website actively teach its students or serve as mentors.

Last year, US media reports said Preston University was forced to move its operations to Alabama because of the crackdown of diploma mills in Wyoming state.

Further checks by ST turned up a commentary in May this year that appeared in the Chronicle.

Mr Alan Contreras, director of Oregon state's office of degree authorisation had this to say about Preston setting up a campus in Finland: 'Who would bother to establish a substandard-degree provider in the depths of Finland?'

'The Americans who own Preston University would. That unaccredited supplier was flushed out of Wyoming and has gone to ground in Alabama, from where it has established what I will generously call a relationship with a Finnish degree supplier called Firelake University, which doesn't appear on lists of genuine Finnish colleges.'

'Preston operates all over the world from its base in Alabama, which has the worst degree-programme oversight in the United States.'

ST's checks found more details about its 'base' in Alabama.

In July, Dr Haenisch reportedly admitted to a newspaper that Preston is a distance-learning operation in the US, without a physical campus.

Ms Davie also noted that Ms Karen Kaylor, director of the United States Education Information Center in Singapore, had written to ST's Forum Page, urging parents and students to apply only to accredited institutions in the US to ensure that the degree earned is deemed valid and legitimate worldwide.

In her letter published on Thursday, Ms Kaylor noted that 'nearly all colleges and universities' would apply voluntarily for accreditation to establish their status.

'Accreditation, a process of peer review, is usually seen as the key to determining whether a degree program meets generally recognised academic, fiscal and structural standards,' she added.

Contacted on Friday, Mr Richard O'Rourke regional coordinator of Education USA disputed Preston's claim that being an accredited university would limit its expansion abroad.

He noted that more accredited US institutions were setting up campuses or offering their programmes overseas. In Singapore alone, there are at least six such universities here, including Cornell University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and New York University.

The Straits Times contacted the Centre for Professional Studies which placed the newspaper ads.

One of its directors, Dr Juergen Rudolph, said the centre, which is registered as a private school with the Education Ministry, used to offer Preston University courses.

The ad was placed as a 'gesture of goodwill' to Preston University graduates here, some of whom contributed to the costs of the ad.

Three Freehold Regional school administrators who gained advanced degrees from a suspected "diploma mill" were ordered by the state yesterday to remove the degrees from their titles, while the state also alerted all districts to the laws against using such institutions.

The state Commission on Higher Education sent the "cease-and-desist" letters to Freehold Superintendent James Wasser and two of his assistants who had gained doctorates from Breyer State University, an online program that had at least twice lost its certification.

The degrees had allowed the three administrators to gain raises under their contracts, as well as tuition reimbursements. Whether they would have to return the money was unclear, but they were ordered to remove any credit of the doctorates from their official titles, such as the appendices of "Dr." or "EdD."

In addition, state Education Commissioner Lucille Davy sent letters to every district reminding educators of the state's existing laws barring the use of unaccredited schools to gain certification or other advancement.

...here is a rundown of some of the major legislation that passed yesterday and will be landing on the Governor's desk later this month:

...SB 823 (Perata): To prevent "diploma mill" abuses by private post secondary education and vocational education for which state oversight and regulation has lapsed.

Alabama education officials are cracking down on the exploding market for Internet courses and degrees and have taken action against four unaccredited Birmingham-based online colleges.

"These are not real schools and are operating in ways that are not in the best interest of their students," said Lynn Thrower, the associate general counsel assigned by Bradley Byrne, chancellor of the state Department of Postsecondary Education, to ramp up enforcement.

Last week, Chadwick University, which operates out of an office building on Magnolia Avenue near Five Points South, was notified its license to offer degrees had been revoked. The department also denied applications to operate online schools from Southern State University and Paramount University of Technology, which listed their headquarters in Birmingham but were found to have nothing but mailboxes in the city.

Madison University of Business and Technology withdrew its application after failing to meet requirements, department officials said.

Alabama had become a haven for questionable online operations, which have exploded in recent years thanks to the ease of creating virtual schools on the Web, department officials said. The online for-profit businesses offer a vast array of degrees, from hypnotherapy to doctorates in economics.

Several schools set up shop in Alabama to market degrees to consumers nationally and internationally. Until Byrne assigned full-time staff to aggressively enforce regulations, the department simply was processing applications from the schools.

"It obviously did not get much priority from the previous chancellor," Byrne said, referring to Roy Johnson. "We had not done the job we should have. Now, we are exercising much more proactive oversight."

Byrne said legitimate providers of online education fill an important role in society, but he said the so-called diploma mills can victimize consumers, businesses and legitimate schools.

People often are induced to sign up for large student loans, Byrne said, but once the money is paid to the school, the students don't receive the degree or certification promised.

Some operators offer degrees in exchange for cash, requiring little or no course work. The degrees are marketed in the United States but are also heavily marketed abroad, in Southeast Asia, China and the Middle East, where there is a premium on an American degree.

Businesses duped:

In some cases, customers sign up with the online companies, pay thousands of dollars in tuition, buy books and complete assignments, only to find out later that their degrees are worthless. In general, degrees for the unaccredited schools aren't recognized by other schools or by employers.

But governments and businesses are sometimes duped into reimbursing students for their tuition, and sometimes the phony degrees are used to get raises and promotions.

In 10 states, it is illegal to use an unaccredited degree as a credential when seeking a job or promoting yourself professionally. Alabama is not among those states.

"I think it is important to protect the consumers in Alabama," Byrne said.

A first round of enforcement actions, announced in July, closed the books on 18 private institutions, including Birmingham-based Breyer State University.

Breyer State degrees have been at the center of several controversies across the country. In August, three New Jersey educators were found to have received $10,750 in reimbursement from their employers for unaccredited degrees from Breyer, which allowed them to get $2,500-a-year raises.

Thrower, who has headed the Postsecondary Department's crackdown, said more action is on the way. New rules, effective Oct. 1, will require that schools seeking a license to issue degrees in Alabama have, or be actively pursuing, accreditation from an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Chadwick started 18 years ago with educational programs by mail. It has never sought accreditation.

It was founded by Lloyd Clayton, who also founded Clayton College of Natural Health, another long-running unaccredited college that is on watch lists of unaccredited schools maintained by several states. Clayton College remains in business.

Chadwick University, until recently, had a virtual campus pictured on its Web site, through which students could navigate to campus buildings housing different departments. The school offered degrees in business, criminal justice and social and behavioral sciences. Now the Web site simply lists contact information.

Thrower said that among many violations the department found, Chadwick did not have the required $20,000 bond that would pay refunds to students if the school failed, and it did not provide the department with educational credentials of its faculty.

'Not a diploma mill':

In response to questions from The Birmingham News, Chadwick officials said the school is not a diploma mill. Chadwick chose not to seek accreditation and was not required to, they said.

"It is absolutely clear that Chadwick is not a diploma mill as Chadwick does not offer degrees for a fee and has always required very substantial work from its students," school officials said in an e-mailed statement.

But a 2004 investigation by the General Accounting Office, now the Government Accountability Office, raised questions about Chadwick. The GAO report found that a manager at the National Nuclear Security Administration received a bachelor's degree in 1992 from Chadwick but never attended classes and obtained his degree based on 30 credits for life experience, plus several college-level examination program tests and nine correspondence courses. The employee reported to GAO investigators that he read a book, wrote a paper and took a final exam for each of the nine courses.

In its statement, the school said that it has not accepted new students since 2002 and has 48 students who are finishing their course work. The school said it planned to end its operation by March 2009. With its license revoked, Chadwick cannot offer degrees, Thrower said, and any student promised one should be due a refund.

Can't give credentials:

On Aug. 14, a postsecondary investigator went to two listed addresses in Birmingham for Southern State University, one at Chase Corporate Center and the other a "virtual office space" - 4000 Eagle Point Corporate Drive - but neither office was staffed or had any equipment. The president's address is in West Covina, Calif.

"You get there, and it is nothing," Thrower said. "No sign of anything. It's just a maildrop."

In correspondence with the department, the school was unable to provide proper financial statements, a description of the educational backgrounds of its instructors or a curriculum that was consistent with accepted standards for universities.

Madison University of Business and Technology withdrew its application after the Alabama Commission on Higher Education declined to approve its education program plan. Though the school lists a Birmingham address, its correspondence is directed to the school president's address in Gulfport, Miss. "We have asked them to cease soliciting students," Thrower said.

An application by Paramount University, which also has no physical office, was rejected after the school failed to offer evidence it was seeking accreditation.

"They were not able to meet the most rudimentary requirements," Thrower said. "Clearly, they were just not knowledgeable about how to operate a school."

Report cards start Jan. 1:

Alan Contreras, administrator of Oregon's Office of Degree Authorization, has been a vocal critic of the practices of unaccredited colleges and degree mills. Alabama, he said, had earned a reputation as one of the "seven sorry sisters," states that had lax oversight of the industry. He is pleased with Alabama's new attitude.

"It is really good to see," Contreras said. "A lot of people around the country and around the world are watching what they do."

Tougher enforcement in several states has online operations scrambling to find a place to operate, with many fleeing to California, which let its law on licensing for-profit universities lapse, Contreras said. That's where Breyer State now claims to be based.

Thrower said the Department of Postsecondary Education has developed an annual report card system for both public two-year colleges and private colleges licensed by the department.

Beginning Jan. 1, consumers will be able to go to the department's Web site and check into a school's accreditation, costs, graduation rates and courses offered. "They will have this information that they will be able to use to make an informed decision," Thrower said.

"This is not a witch hunt," she said. "We are trying to move private, for-profit education in a positive direction and close down the diploma mills that give other schools a bad name."

The American Association for Higher Education and Accreditation began in 1870. Or so says its Web site.

But that claim, along with a number of others, falls apart on close inspection. For example, though it lists a Washington, D.C., location, that address turns out to be a UPS mailbox. Its actual headquarters are in Central Florida.

Most significantly, AAHEA has assumed the identity of a now-defunct organization with a similar nameóthe American Association for Higher Education. It has even acquired AAHE's old phone number. That comes as an unpleasant surprise to AAHE's former leadership, including Michael B. Goldstein, a higher-education lawyer with the Washington law firm Dow Lohnes, and a former member of AAHE's board. "Some of their activities appear, on their face, to be clearly unacceptable," he said.

What are those activities? AAHEA's Web site says the group is "dedicated to the advancement of higher education." However, its only stated goal for 2008 is dealing with "the problem of bullying in school." Under the heading "Sponsored Programs," a collage of photographs features the twin towers of the World Trade Center in flames, and what appear to be bloody footprints. Beneath it are the words "To be announced."

A Chronicle investigation has raised questions about AAHEA, which advertises itself as both a scholarly research organization and a college accreditor. It has also led to the resignation of Charles Grant, the group's chief executive, after just a week in office.

The apparent operator of AAHEA is D.A. (Doc) Brady. While his name is nowhere to be found on AAHEA's Web site, he is listed in the corporate records for AAHEA, filed with the State of Florida in 2007.

In several interviews and e-mail exchanges, Mr. Brady defended his organization against critics he contends are biased against him. He said he and his colleagues were motivated solely by the personal satisfaction of running AAHEA, not by any monetary considerations. "Not a single person has benefited a nickel out of this thing," said Mr. Brady.

It's not for lack of trying. The association offers annual memberships for $99, and its Web site includes a page for visitors to make donations, ranging from $10 to $1-million (those who give the top amount become honorary presidents of AAHEA). Among the programs in the works, which the money will support, according to the Web site, are safari trips to Africa, online art shows, and a "Learning Course of the month contest."

Fuzzy Details

When asked about his background, Mr. Brady said it's "none of your business." An online biography describes him as self-taught, but also says he holds doctorates in clinical hypnotherapy and business administration, though it does not mention the institutions from which he graduated. According to the bio, he has worked as a consultant for television programs, including Dr. Phil, and is a "nationally certified motivational instructor."

Mr. Brady is the chief executive of the National Board of Professional and Ethical Standards, which offers doctorates in clinical hypnotherapy, among other degrees. The doctoral program costs $4,998 and uses the Ericksonian method of hypnosis. According to its frequently-asked-questions page, the organization is under review for accreditation from Mr. Brady's other organization, AAHEA, which it notes is "very old."

Charles Grant said he responded to an advertisement for the position of chief executive of the group. Mr. Grant had just retired from San Jacinto College North, a community college in Houston, after 25 years. He started there as an instructor and ended as its president. The idea of helping a higher-education organization like the association, he said, appealed to him. "I'm a sympathetic person," said Mr. Grant.

When pressed, Mr. Grant said he had no idea how many members the group had, or what exactly it did. Nor had he ever met Doc Brady in person, or anyone else from the organization. He didn't know its financial state or where it was located. He was also not aware of Mr. Brady's other organizations.

Mr. Grant said that he had not received any money from AAHEA, but that he had been told he would receive a salary. A few days after his interview with The Chronicle, Mr. Grant sent an e-mail message to AAHEA with the subject line "Not Working," resigning from the position, and forwarded a copy to The Chronicle.

Connection Disputed

All along, AAHEA has claimed that it is the same entity as the American Association for Higher Education. In fact, AAHE, which promoted the scholarship of teaching and learning for nearly four decades, closed its doors in 2005 after a sharp decline in membership.

Its president at the time was Clara M. Lovett. Ms. Lovett, who is president emerita of Northern Arizona University, said she had never heard of AAHEA. Neither had Mr. Goldstein, the AAHE board member. Both disputed the notion that AAHEA is in any way the continuation of AAHE.

Other assertions by Mr. Brady have also been contradicted. For example, he said that the archives of AAHE, housed at the Hoover Institution Archives at Stanford University, are scheduled to be transferred to AAHEA's headquarters once there is sufficient space.

Not so, according to Brad Bauer, associate archivist for collection development and curator of the Western European collections at Hoover. Mr. Bauer, who is in charge of the AAHE archives, said he had heard "nothing of the sort" and that any such transfer would be extremely unusual. "I've had no discussions of any sort with any organization claiming to be the successor to AAHE," he said.

Mr. Brady has also said that his organization is going through the review process to become an approved college accreditor. Jane Glickman, an Education Department spokeswoman, said that a check revealed that the department had had no contact with AAHEA. Jan Riggs, director of membership services and special projects for the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, said she had been contacted by Mr. Brady but that she "had no idea what he was talking about."

In response, Mr. Brady criticized the approval process for accreditors, saying it was too cumbersome. "I think it's retarded," he said. In an e-mail message, he indicated that his association may be reconsidering becoming an approved accreditor because it's "not worth all of this aggravation."

It is unclear how many members AAHEA has signed up, or whether the group has received donations. Michael F. Healy, who works in the marketing and communications department at the University of Georgia's Center for Continuing Education, said he contacted AAHEA recently because he was interested in purchasing its mailing list. He was told that he must become a member first. A colleague at another university, Mr. Healy said, paid the association $1,000 for its mailing list. He declined to name the colleague.

Along with its other problems, AAHEA appears to have borrowed material on its Web site without attribution. In June a law firm working for the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Trainingóan accreditor recognized by the Education Departmentósent the association a letter demanding that it remove documents it had copied directly from ACCET's Web site. In some cases, the documents still had the continuing education and training group's name in the text.

AAHEA did not respond, according to Roger J. Williams, executive director of ACCET, until this week, when the documents were taken down. In an e-mail message, Mr. Brady wrote that the documents had not been copyrighted and that the material was not taken verbatim.

When informed that Mr. Brady had accused him of unfairly attacking AAHEA, Mr. Williams was unable to suppress his laughter. "I find their indignation surprising, to say the least," he said.

Jean-Noel Prade has stood out as the outspoken reformer candidate for the Sarasota Memorial Hospital board, calling on the hospital's president to defer her raise and opposing the hospital's Manatee County expansion.

But he has received attention far longer, and from far beyond Sarasota, for running a company that admitted in federal court to violating federal copyright law, and for links to universities that some experts have labeled as diploma mills.

Prade, 61, is chairman of American Universities Admission Program, a company that since 1995 has primarily assisted foreign students hoping to attend graduate school in the United States.

He agrees that his firm violated trademark law, but vehemently disputes any association with diploma mills, so named for how they churn out academic credentials.

Firms like AUAP, generally known as credentials evaluators, review foreign academic transcripts and tell American colleges how that work compares to their course work. Prade said he created the company when his French-born son was planning to apply to American colleges. AUAP employs about a dozen evaluators around the country, Prade said.

AUAP and Prade were sued in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in January 2006 by the American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers for infringing on its trademark. The association claimed that AUAP used the registrars' logo on its Web site without authorization.

"We were concerned that our logo was being used to mislead institutions, that AUAP's evaluations were being confused as ours," said Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of AACRAO, the registrars' group.

In April 2006, the two sides reached a settlement through a consent judgement and injunction. In it, Prade agreed that he and AUAP had illegally used the AACRAO logo to deceive consumers and falsely claim affiliation with the registrar's group.

"I don't consider it, myself, that I violated trademark law," Prade said. "I violated it without knowing it."

The lawsuit was a civil case, not a criminal case, so he does not consider it violating a law, he said.

But the case dragged on for another 15 months. The parties returned to court when the registrars said AUAP had not complied with the agreement and sought a fine and other penalties.

In October, U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Kay agreed that Prade and AUAP had violated the agreement, but gave them another month to comply.

In subsequent hearings, Kay found that AUAP and Prade complied with the agreement, and the judge denied the registrars' request for penalties and an ongoing inspection program. By legal precedent, fines are appropriate only in the most egregious cases, he wrote.

Both sides claimed victory.

"The result is, the claim was denied," Prade said. The judge's rejection of any monetary penalties vindicates AUAP, he said.

Nassirian said the court forced AUAP and Prade to stop using AACRAO trademarks, so his group got almost everything it wanted. "I am not satisfied with the magistrate's decision, because I think organizations like this do a lot of damage," Nassirian said.

After the ruling, the registrars' group issued a statement titled "AACRAO wins lawsuit against diploma mill." Nassirian said the title stemmed from his group's research into AUAP's business relationships.

Alan Contreras, who heads Oregon's Office of Degree Authorization, said Prade and AUAP are tied to a French business that has operated under variations of the name "Robert de Sorbon," not to be confused with the prestigious French university known as The Sorbonne. George D. Gollin, a professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and member of the [board of directors of the] Council for Higher Education Accreditation, researched the ownership of various Robert de Sorbon Web sites and linked them to Prade and AUAP.

On its current Web site, Ecole Superieure Robert de Sorbon describes itself as a class of accredited institution that under French law can award degrees based on life experience. It says applicants pay a fee of about $75 and, if accepted, pay a tuition of about $750. A panel of scholars evaluates the applicant's work history and grants a degree 60 days later.

Old versions of the Web site, from 2004, are for a Universite Robert de Sorbon and list AUAP's mailing address as the "US representative" for admissions. An Internet registry search shows a Dr. Jean Noel Prade, at the candidate's Sarasota home address, as the official contact for the Web site in April 2004.

Prade said Universite Robert de Sorbon no longer exists and that he and AUAP are not affiliated with it. Of Ecole Superieure Robert de Sorbon, he said, "It is an institution of higher learning."

The new Ecole Superieure Web site was registered via a third-party company, which masks the Web site's owners.

Nancy Katz, a board member for the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, said members of her group would not treat the Robert de Sorbon entities as a regionally accredited university.

Prade also is listed as the registrant for the Saint Augustin University Web site. Older versions of the site describe the entity as a degree-granting institution, but the current version says it is only a credential evaluation service. Property records show Prade as the owner of its Englewood street address. Prade said he set it up for a friend.

No explanation, no excuse, no logical reason can be found to even attempt to justify what has happened in the Freehold Regional School District where top school officials got degrees from a university that has been described as a "diploma mill."

Adding insult to injury, the officials were reimbursed with taxpayer money for the tuition and then given higher salaries because they obtained ad vanced degrees.

What superintendent H. James Wasser, assistant superintendent Donna Evangelista and retired assistant superintendent Frank Tanzini did was an absolute ripoff of the district. At least one member of the school board is asking them to return the money.

We're not sure that's enough of a mea culpa. If their students pulled this sort stunt, they would likely be punished harshly.

According to a story first reported by the Asbury Park Press, Wasser, Evangelista and Tanzini received degrees from Breyer State University -- a school that offers courses on line and has been described by officials in more than one state as "an apparent diploma mill." The website of the so-called distance university notes that is not accredited by an agency approved by the federal Education Department.

The Freehold district paid $8,700 in tuition for the educators and gave each of them $2,500 annual raises based on their having obtained doctoral degrees.

Since the charade was uncovered, there has been a lot of fingerpointing. The state Education Department has contended that it is up to local officials to make sure staff members have the appropriate credentials from a school accredited by the federal government. Others have said the state Education Department needs to do a better job of regulating these employees.

All those things are true, but the bigger scandal is that educators, who know better, engaged in this kind of decep tion. These are the people who are supposed to set the educational gold standard for the community. They are sup posed to be role models for children.

State Senate President Richard Codey said he'll introduce legislation to stop this insanity. Education Commissioner Lucille Davy is also planning regulations to guard against a recurrence. Both are appropriate responses.

Still, one has to ask about the integrity of the school officials who did this. Why would it be necessary for a district to tell a top educator that a degree from a diploma mill simply won't cut it? It's akin to writing in the parents' handbook, "Don't lock your child in a dark basement." Shouldn't some things be obvious?

Psst . . . Wanna buy a degree from a diploma mill and stick taxpayers with the bill?

If you're a public school educator, New Jersey won't stop you.

State Education Commissioner Lucille Davy said she is powerless to prevent local school boards from handing out tax money to administrators who boost their pay by obtaining degrees with little or no academic value.

When it issued a nine-page report last week, the department entered a growing national controversy about the value of online degrees. But instead of announcing tough new standards, the department made only a few suggestions.

"I feel sorry for New Jersey. Here they had an opportunity to step up to the plate, and they opted not to," said former FBI agent Allen Ezell, who investigated diploma mill fraud for 11 years, then wrote three books on the subject. "I would have thought New Jersey would have had a little more brass than that."

Freehold Regional High School District became the epicenter of the diploma mill controversy in New Jersey when the superintendent and two top administrators obtained degrees from an online school that has been deemed an "apparent diploma mill" by Alabama officials.

After completing an investigation into the administrators' degrees, the education department's report stated there was "no sustainable evidence" that the administrators "possessed the prerequisite intent to deceive when they obtained the degrees" from Breyer State University, which has been chased out of two states and an African country.

The education department report suggested ó but did not require ó that high school administrators, in the future, earn college degrees from reputable, accredited schools.

None of the three administrators investigated ó Superintendent H. James Wasser, Assistant Superintendent Donna Evangelista and recently retired Assistant Superintendent Frank Tanzini ó was required to pay back the $10,750 they received in taxpayer money to obtain degrees from Breyer State.

The board gave raises ó $2,500 each per year ó for their advanced degrees.

Breyer has been booted out of Idaho, Alabama and the African nation of Liberia.

"Breyer State is a diploma mill. There's no question about it," said Alan Contreras of Oregon's Office of Degree Authorization. "It's obviously a waste of taxpayers' money."

But Education Commissioner Davy said local school boards must write contracts and pay benefits that make sense for taxpayers.

"It is wrong for people to use those diploma mill degrees to increase their salaries," she said. "But I don't have the authority to stop them."

More of the same

On the same day New Jersey issued its report, the Asbury Park Press discovered three more educators who earned what experts say are bogus degrees.

Freehold Regional employees Cheryl Lanza, an English teacher, and Lorraine Taddei-Graef, a learning disabilities teacher consultant, both obtained degrees from Breyer State. Neither could be reached for comment.

Freehold taxpayers reimbursed Lanza $2,050 for her "doctorate of philosophy in education." Taddei-Graef was not reimbursed, according to school district records.

Meanwhile, in the Asbury Park school district, Acting School Superintendent James T. Parham said he paid about $3,000 to receive a "Master of Arts" with a major in special education from Almeda University in Idaho.

Parham said his degree was based on his life experience, and that it took him about a month to put his resume together to get the diploma.

Asked if he received his Almeda degree in return for merely submitting his resume, Parham said, "I also had to do a paper."

How long was the paper?

"The paper must have been about two, maybe three pages," he said.

Parham said the Asbury Park school district did not reimburse him for the master's degree, which he received on Aug. 6, 2006.

Asked why he would pay for the degree, Parham said he thought it "might look good" on his resume, and that "it might add something."

Seven months after receiving the degree, Parham was appointed by the school board at a salary of $110,620 to take the job held by suspended Superintendent Antonio Lewis, who is under criminal investigation by the state Attorney General's Office.

Parham, who was a vice principal in the district, said his Almeda degree did not help him become acting superintendent.

A degree in surgery

Ezell, the former FBI agent, said Almeda's degrees are "a blatant fraud."

With an estimated 4 million students expected to take at least one online college course this fall, national experts like Ezell, University of Illinois professor George Gollin and Contreras say that taxpayers ó and students ó need to be vigilant against schools offering big credentials for only a little work.

Gollin, a national expert on bogus online degrees, once submitted his resume to a diploma mill and received a master's degree in public administration. Later, he told the school he changed his mind and said he wanted a doctorate degree in thoracic surgery. Once he sent in the money, the school agreed.

Gollin, a physics professor, has never operated on anyone.

He found it surprising that a school superintendent, who is supposed to set the highest academic standards, would purchase a questionable degree, Gollin said.

"We're trying to deal with truth in analysis when we provide education," he said. "To have a superintendent of schools going around, buying false credentials in order to fool people into thinking he has expertise . . . that's just a sign of poor integrity that is astonishing to me."

In his doctoral dissertation, Wasser stated he was mentored by Dominick L. Flarey, the former president of Breyer State.

After investigating the school, Alabama canceled its license and forced the school to leave the state.

So did Idaho. The school currently operates out of a post office box in Los Angeles.

'That's their opinion'

In an e-mail, Flarey said he was no longer president and would not discuss the institution or the degrees awarded to Freehold administrators.

"I have nothing at all to do with the administration of the school. I only teach some courses," he said. Breyer State last week did not list a president on its Web site.

Responding to criticism of Breyer by Ezell, Gollin and Contreras, Wasser said: "That's their opinion."

Wasser staunchly defended the work he did for his degree.

"I did it. I would do it again," said Wasser. "The only thing I would probably do differently, is now that I am aware of this word "accreditation,' I would probably thoroughly research that."

Wasser said he worked for more than a year on his doctoral dissertation and is proud of the final product.

"I am not here to defend Breyer State. If you want to do that, that's your business, or the business of the FBI, the CIA, whoever wants to do it. . . . I can only defend my education and my dissertation."

He said he could have charged taxpayers more.

"In the future, in a few years, what are people going to say about the degrees people earn online? Because online education is the wave of the future now. It's not attending class and sitting in a classroom, which I could have done.

"I could have left my job at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. . . . I could have done that. I chose not to. I could have cost the taxpayers a tremendous amount of money," Wasser said.

In Asbury Park, Parham accessed Almeda University's Web site while he was being interviewed in his office and pointed to an accrediting agency Almeda says has sanctioned its online education program.

But Gollin, who has been calling attention to diploma mills for years, said the bogus schools also often create phony accreditation agencies that try to give a veneer of acceptability to the academically indefensible.

Ezell said only degrees accredited by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation have value and are officially recognized by the federal government. The list of accreditation agencies is available at www.CHEA.org.

"A 10-year-old knows how to use Google," Ezell said. "It's nothing complex. It's all right there."

Jim Harlan is a Harvard-educated venture capitalist with a keen interest in energy policy and a half-million dollars to spend on his campaign. He decided three months ago to make his first run for public office.

Vinny Mendoza, an organic farmer and real estate investor with graduate degrees from a now-defunct diploma mill [LaSalle University], wants quickly to end the war in Iraq and has spent hardly a dime on his campaign. He's run for office four times in the past four years.

What unites them is a commitment to returning Louisiana's 1st Congressional District to Democratic hands for the first time since 1977. Both will compete in their party's primary, the winner to take on U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson...

OCALA -- Bernard LeCorn, who says he is qualified to run for School Board because he has a doctorate degree... from a diploma mill...

Meanwhile, LeCorn's doctorate comes from the American College of Metaphysical Theology, an unaccredited diploma mill that sells doctorate degrees for $249.

The school Web site, which lists a Golden Valley, Minn. address, says you can also get a master's degree for $209 and a bachelor's for $149, all without taking one class. Degrees are mailed within a month of payment in many cases.

LeCorn insists his doctorate in pastoral administration is legitimate because the degree recognizes his life's work as an educator and a pastor for First Missionary Full Baptist Church of Ocala on Southeast 35th Court, just north of Belleview.

"I still feel that my qualifications are better than my opponents," said LeCorn, referring to the colleges that he claimed had awarded him degrees.

The metaphysical college's Web site ó www.americancollege.com ó acknowledges that it is not accredited. It states that accreditation is not important in theology and metaphysics colleges.

When the Star-Banner called the number listed on the Web site, the phone number was disconnected.

The school site states that paying for a degree can boost any applicants quest for a better job: ''On the day that you enroll in a degree program, you may legitimately add an important line to your resume..."

To get a doctorate, the school site states that after paying $249, a student gets full credit for life experiences through living life in your own community without going to classes. The doctorate also includes "ministerial credentials at no extra charge."

The site defines metaphysics as "the science which investigates first causes of existence and knowledge. It seeks to explain the nature of being and the origin and structure of the world, uniting man's physical, mental, and spiritual character into its true nature of holism."

During a check of LeCorn's background, it was also discovered that the 54-year-old has had his driver's license suspended twice in the last year for not paying his car insurance premium.

He said he quickly paid the fee moments after his license was revoked on June 9. It was reinstated on June 25.

LeCorn was also cited in February 2005 for speeding through the Ward Highlands Elementary School zone. A Marion County deputy pulled LeCorn over for doing 50 mph in a 20-mph zone at 8 a.m.

"I just didn't see the flashing lights," he said.

LeCorn has had financial trouble as well, according to a foreclosure case filed at the Marion County Courthouse. LeCorn purchased the First Missionary Full Gospel Baptist Church near Belleview and the mortgage was held by Robert Hobbs.

Hobbs filed for foreclosure in 2006 after LeCorn fell far behind on his payments, which were more than $1,400 per month. A Marion County judge ordered the church to be sold in August 2006.

Just before it was to go to auction, friends ó investors ó of LeCorn paid off the mortgage and the foreclosure case was closed, according to court files.

LeCorn said his church congregation started dropping and so did donations and he fell behind on the payments. "It's only as good as the money stream," he said.

When asked if he felt the near foreclosure had any bearing on how he would handle the School District's $628 million budget, he said: "I think that means I know how to get things done when money is tight," he said, referring to the School District's funding shortage. "I know to get things done on a shoestring budget."

Iran's new interior minister has raised an uproar among lawmakers and Iranian media over an apparently fake claim that he holds an honorary doctorate from Britain's Oxford University. To back his case, he's shown off a degree certificate riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes.

Oxford issued a statement Wednesday denying it ever awarded Ali Kordan an honorary doctorate of law, as he claimed to parliament before it approved his appointment to the post earlier this month.

The Interior Ministry put out a copy of the degree, with an Oxford seal and dated June 2000, aiming to prove its authenticity.

But in the certificate, "entitled" is misspelled "intitled," and it says Kordan was granted the degree "to be benefitted from its scientific privileges."

The clumsily worded document says Kordan "has shown a great effort in preparing educational materials and his research in the domain of comparative law,that has opened a new chapter,not only in our university,but, to our knowledge,in this country" ó leaving out spaces after all but one of the commas. It was published in several Iranian papers this week.

Oxford said in its statement that it "has no record of Mr. Ali Kordan receiving an honorary doctorate or any other degree from the university." It added that the three professors whose alleged signatures are on the certificate have all held posts at the university at some stage but none of them work in the field of law and none would sign degree certificates.

Media threatened
The alleged fake has been heavily covered in several Iranian newspapers and Web sites, and parliament speaker Ali Larijani on Monday ordered the body's education committee to look into the degree's authenticity.

The Tehran prosecutors office announced Wednesday that the Alef news Web site, which has carried several reports questioning the degree, has been "banned based on complaints by legal entities," the state news agency IRNA reported. [See http://www.alef1.com/content/view/30890/.] The office said the site had no work license and did not link the ban to the interior minister issue. The site could not be accessed in Iran on Wednesday.

"The Interior Ministry does not have the right to threaten the media for questioning the authenticity of the claim," parliament member Ahmed Tavakoli was quoted as saying on Alef. He said the "truth of such an important issue must be made clear." Interior Ministry officials could not be reached Wednesday for comment on the Oxford statement.

During his confirmation debate, numerous lawmakers argued Kordan was unqualified for the ministry post, some claiming that his Oxford degree was a fake. Kordan was approved Aug. 5 by a relatively slim margin of around 160 of the 269 lawmakers present, a reflection of the concerns. The Interior Ministry runs the country's police and oversees elections.

Kordan was considered a compromise candidate between hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Larijani, who is a conservative but seen as a rival to the president. Kordan was Larijani's deputy when Larijani held a previous post as head of the state broadcasting service, and Kordan later went on to serve as deputy oil minister.

'Torn paper'
Ahmadinejad defended Kordan amid the debates, dismissing degrees in general as "torn paper" not necessary for serving the people.

An Interior Ministry statement this week insisted the degree was authentic, calling claims otherwise "destructive" and "insulting" and urging media to refrain from "lying and suspicious reports."

Tavakoli and other parliament opponents of Kordan have not called for his resignation. Hamid Rasai, a lawmaker who backs Kordan, was quoted in several Iranian papers this week saying parliament approved Kordan despite the degree dispute, but added that the minister should "remove the ambiguities" over the issue.

Janet Killen invested $5,500 and four years of her life getting what she thought was a master's degree in nursing education from a Caldwell online college. When she presented her degree in 2007 to Lane Community College in Eugene, Ore., where she teaches nursing, she was dumbfounded when administrators told her it was worthless in her state.

Moreover, Oregon state officials told her she must stop touting the diploma she received from Canyon College or she could face civil and criminal penalties for using an invalid degree. She has to notify a hospital where she works that her degree is not recognized in Oregon.

"I felt really violated," Killen said. "I have two associate degrees, a bachelor's degree and an illegal master's degree. Do you love it?"

How can something like this happen?

The Idaho State Board of Education, which oversees for-profit colleges like Canyon, hasn't had the staff to enforce state rules that require schools like Canyon to be registered with the state before handing out diplomas.

But Mike Rush, Ed Board executive director, says he will seek an injunction against Canyon College if it doesn't comply with Idaho law.

Oregon won't accept degrees from Canyon College because the school is not registered in Idaho and is not accredited by federally recognized agencies, said Alan Contreras, administrator of the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization.

Registration helps the state be aware of what programs are available in Idaho. Accreditation gives an assurance that the program meets some minimal standards for quality, state officials say.

"Degrees issued by Canyon College have the same validity as degrees issued by Les Schwab Tires or a neighborhood grocery: zero," Contreras wrote to Canyon College's legal counsel.

Idaho state officials also put distance between themselves and Canyon College.

"Their credits will not transfer into any state-supported college inside Idaho," Harv Lyter, Idaho proprietary schools coordinator, wrote to Contreras in an e-mail recently. "Idaho does not consider Canyon College credits or diplomas valid."

Michael F. Storrs, who was listed as Canyon College president when the school filed business papers with the Idaho Secretary of State's office in 1998, could not be reached for comment. John Denmark, also an owner of the school, declined to speak with the Statesman.

In a letter to Contreras, Canyon College's attorney, Brad Miller, defended the school.

Canyon "takes great pride in offering educational opportunities that would not otherwise be available to a number of individuals at an affordable price," he wrote.

A computer search found no lawsuits against Canyon College in Idaho's 4th Judicial District or any complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau.

But Idaho and the school disagree on how much oversight the state should have.

On July 2, Lyter wrote Denmark, saying the school must register with the state by July 31, according to letters the Statesman obtained in a public records request from the State Board of Education.

Miller responded by saying the school offers no degrees from locations in Idaho so it is not subject to registration.

But a law revised in Idaho in 2006 says "if you operated from or purported to operate from a location in Idaho, you are an Idaho school," Lyter said.

In recent days, on some pages of its Web site but not all of them, Canyon College changed its mailing address to a suburb outside of Sacramento, Calif. The phone and fax numbers still have Idaho area codes.

IDAHO A 'SORRY SISTER' ON COLLEGE OVERSIGHT

Canyon College, which is 10 years old, has an enrollment of about 4,000 students, college officials say. Online courses are offered in a variety of fields including theology, Chicano and Middle Eastern studies, criminology and nursing, according to the school's Web site. The school has had an office at 111 Poplar St. in Caldwell.

But despite the official concerns with the school, Idaho has done little to compel the college to meet state requirements followed by other private schools such as George Fox University, Stevens Henager College and Apollo College.

Idaho hasn't had anyone to focus on for-profit school oversight until Lyter, a former inspector general at Mountain Home Air Force base, was hired a month ago.

"We've had nobody minding the store," Rush said.

Until Idaho beefs up its regulation of proprietary schools, Contreras will classify the state as one of the "Seven Sorry Sisters, the states with the worst regulation of private colleges." The others are: Hawaii, California, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Colorado, although Alabama has recently toughened its enforcement against such schools.

CANYON IS ON A LOT OF STATES' WATCH LISTS

Oregon isn't the only state with concerns about Canyon College. Washington's office of degree authorization wrote Canyon College officials in July, reminding them that academic credentials from the school are valueless in the state and can't be used to help get employment or a license to practice a trade.

Michael Ball, Washington's degree authorization associate director, said the letter was a "shot across the bow" to Canyon College. Don't "think of coming to Washington," he said.

And the Pennsylvania Department of Education notified its school district officials that Canyon College is "not authorized to operate in Pennsylvania" after a group of teachers in a district 60 miles north of Pittsburgh sought reimbursement for attending classes through Canyon College. The classes could cost taxpayers in the West Middlesex School District between $20,000 and $40,000.

"Taxpayers are putting out taxpayer money and not getting the quality of education expected of an accredited agency," said Tom Hubert, school board president. "Idaho needs to step up to the plate. They are ... allowing them to do this. I would hope officials in Idaho could see that and help us out."

CANYON COLLEGE IS NOT UNIQUE, THOUGH

While Canyon has attracted some of the focus of Lyter's office, Lyter also had to pay attention briefly to Breyer State University, a school that made a short stop in Idaho this summer.

Breyer State University, which was in Idaho during the early part of the decade, returned here in late June, according to Idaho Secretary of State business records. The online school moved operations back after it lost its license to operate in Alabama amid a crackdown on what education officials called "diploma mills."

"One of the ... institution's many violations included conferring honorary doctorates on individuals based on life and work experience, a one-time application fee and a monetary contribution to the institution," said a press release issued by Alabama's Department of Post Secondary Education.

On July 2, Lyter told Breyer officials they must register with the State Board under Idaho law.

Late last month, Breyer State changed its address and phone number on its Web site from Boise to Los Angeles.

John Moran, Breyer State's marketing director and dean of students, declined to comment.

The school is appealing the loss of its license in Alabama.

STILL LOOKING FOR A DEGREE

Back in Oregon, Killen, the nursing instructor whose degree was rejected, maintains she got a good education at Canyon College. Killen took about a dozen classes, and she said many seemed in line with those she would have gotten elsewhere but would have cost as much as $600 per credit hour.

Canyon charges $500 per master's course and $435 per bachelor's course, according to the school's Web site.

But Killen is also upset that Canyon College administrators never explained that her degree would not be recognized in Oregon when she started taking classes, she said.

"They should have informed me," Killen said. "I knew nothing."

Contreras, the Oregon degree authorization administrator, wrote Canyon College officials demanding a refund for Killen and reminding school officials that they had agreed in 2000 to notify any Oregon resident that Canyon degrees are not valid in that state.

"We are disappointed that Canyon College continues to take money from Oregon residents," Contreras wrote on July 3. "(T)his kind of crude plunder really needs to stop."

On Friday, Canyon College officials agreed to a refund, but did not mention Killen by name in the letter or the amount it would give back.

Miller wrote that the school agreed to the refund in part because Killen was threatened "with criminal prosecution if she listed having a degree from Canyon College on her resume." Canyon officials also offered to quit accepting Oregon residents if the state would drop whatever issues it has with the college.

Contreras declined.

"The laws of Washington, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Illinois, Texas, Maine, New Jersey and Virginia disallow the use of degrees from Canyon College," Contreras wrote. "For Canyon simply to cease offering its products to Oregon residents would serve little purpose unless it also agreed to cease offering them to residents of the other states."

As for Killen, she's back on the Internet, looking for another place to get a master's.

"I want a degree," she said.

Brain surgery, anyone?

Just slip on a hospital gown and step into my operating cubicle here at the Tribune.

Let me clear my desk of printouts, unwashed coffee cups and old newspapers so you can stretch out. Comfy? Now, I'll need a tool sharp enough to crack open your skull. Scissors might work, if I hammer on them with my shoe.

There, there. Trust me. I'm a doctoróor I will be as soon as I fork over my medical school tuition.

Recently, I received approval for a series of bogus academic credentials, including a "Doctorate Degree in Medicine & Surgery" from a diploma mill called Ashwood University. All I have to do is persuade my editors to pay $699 "tuition," including a $75 surcharge guaranteeing me a 4.0 grade-point average.

Suddenly, degree mills are a hot topic. Some 9,600 people nationwideóamong them Berwyn police officers and a Chicago Public Schools instructoróare suspected of buying junk degrees from St. Regis University, a criminal enterprise in Washington state in which eight employees have pleaded guilty to fraud.

So I decided to test how difficult it was to accumulate credentials based on what the diploma mills call "life experience." Turns out just about any life experience beyond taking aspirin regularly can qualify you for an advanced degree in medicine.

I applied by typing in the names of a number of hospitals I had visited over the years, whether it was to have tonsils removed, visit a sick friend or interview someone. I didn't claim employment at any of them. I didn't even note the dates. The list looked like this:

* Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Long Beach, Calif.
* St. John Medical Center, Longview, Wash.
* HÙpital Albert Schweitzer, Deschapelles, Haiti.
* Thousand Bed Hospital, Vladivostok, Russia.
* Etc.

Fifteen hours later, Ashwood University e-mailed the good news that I could lay the foundation for a new career if I'm ever laid off. The note read:

"Congratulations, Russell Working!

"We are pleased to announce that on the basis of your resume submitted by the Assistant Registrar, the 10-member evaluation committee at Ashwood University has finally approved you for Doctorate Degree."

The bogus degrees in medicine aren't funny, though. Consider the case of John Curran, a phony medical doctor in Rhode Island who charged most patients a standard fee of $10,000, according to a newspaper in Kentucky, where the diploma mill was located.

Among Curran's patients was Taylor Alves, an 18-year-old photographer and model who was dying of ovarian cancer. Curran said he could heal her with a concoction of powdered vegetables in water. So she spent her final weeks refusing other food and died in great anguish, her mother told the Lexington Herald-Leader.

In 2006, Curran was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison for wire fraud and money laundering.

Diploma mill operatorsóand buyersócan run afoul of the law in several ways. The federal government has nailed people on charges that include mail and wire fraud. In Illinois it is illegal to produce a false academic degree for profit unless it is marked "for novelty purposes only," said Natalie Bauer, spokeswoman for the state attorney general's office. Both the state and federal governments forbid using bogus degrees to gain employment or advance on the job.

George Gollin, a professor and diploma-mill fraud-buster from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been leading the way in exposing how easy it is to get a fake degree.

Several years ago, he discovered that St. Regis University, based near Spokane, Wash., was offering high school degrees for those who filled out an online form with 100 questions, starting out with, "Where does the president of the United States live?" On a form with four possible answers to each question, Gollin intentionally clicked most of them wrong.

St. Regis was so impressed with his answers, it said he was eligible for both high school and associate's degrees.

"If I were to give the test form to a bunch of pigeons and let them pick answers by randomly pecking," Gollin said, "I would have been outscored by slightly more than 75 percent of the pigeons who took the test."

In my case, I decided to expand my employment options by applying for a PhD in child and family studies from Rochville University. As a doctoral thesis, I submitted the Unabomber manifesto, written by domestic terrorist Ted Kaczynski.

Under the title "Consequences of the Industrial Revolution: A Jungian Approach," I submitted a 34,000-word rant by a madman imprisoned for mailing bombs that killed three people and wounded 22. Not to worry. A few hours later, Kaczynski's wisdom had qualified me to hang out in playgrounds and scribble notes on the behavior of other people's children.

For my doctorate in theology and Biblical counseling from the bogus Belford University, I submitted the Hamas charter as my thesis. The work blames "Zionists" for corrupting education and culture worldwide though secret guises as "Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, gangs of spies and the like."

The universities replied positively in remarkably similar e-mails, which made me think they might be different faces of the same diploma scheme.

Then I began getting calls on my cell phone from diploma mill representatives demanding the money. The "universities" kept e-mailing to say I had only seven days to pay. When the deadline passed, they all granted me another seven. I never paid anything to any of them.

Recently, I asked Rochville to change my PhD to architecture and urban planning, and it agreed without asking for additional life experience or documentation. So I sent another e-mail asking to change it to a PhD in theater arts.

"I started thinking I'd like to direct musicals, such as 'Mame,' 'The Fields of Ambrosia,' 'Criminally Insane Puppets' (better than it sounds!), etc.," I wrote, adding, "P.S. It's very important that you spell it this way: Theatre. I'm thinking of moving to London."

They agreed once again.

So I called up Rochville and spoke to a "student counselor" who spoke with a foreign accent, identifying himself as Jason Anderson. When I asked, he said he was in Maryland.

I told him I had used the Unabomber manifesto. Why would the 10-member faculty committee accredit that Kaczynski diatribe?

Not so fast, Anderson said.

"After that e-mail is sent to you, there's a whole process that goes after that," he said. "You get yourself registered, and then actually we go deeper into what you've done, and find out what major you qualify for."

Whew! Glad we cleared that up. I'm sure they all operate that way.

So let's see how confident they are in their own degrees. Would the members of Ashwood University's evaluation committee please line up at my cubicle for their prostate exams?

One of the new principals in the North Hills School District boasts a doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh -- no small accomplishment for a 27-year-old with several years of full-time teaching experience.

But after recent events, Dr. Joseph W. Pasquerilla might be reluctant to tout his status as a faculty member with another institution: Canyon College, an online entity that is widely viewed as disreputable.

Courses taught by Dr. Pasquerilla to fellow teachers at his old workplace, the West Middlesex Area School District in Mercer County, have led to problems there and prompted a meeting with his new boss to discuss the Canyon College situation.

The Idaho-based institution is not recognized by Idaho, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Department of Education or any respected accreditation agency.

"They are quite a well-known diploma mill," said Alan Contreras, an expert on the subject and director of Oregon's Office of Degree Authorization.

Degrees from Canyon College are essentially worthless in Pennsylvania. A state Department of Education official said the institution is not authorized to operate in Pennsylvania, and its programs and courses are not approved.

"We discussed with him very clearly that at North Hills, if one of our staff members were to partake in any of the offerings at Canyon, it would not be recognized at North Hills," said district spokeswoman Tina Vojtko. "We don't see the affiliation being necessarily relevant here at North Hills."

Officials at Canyon College could not be reached for comment.

Dr. Pasquerilla, who earned his master's degree at Youngstown State University, said he joined Canyon College with noble intentions -- to help teachers at his old district obtain master's degrees at an affordable price and with a curriculum he could assemble.

Under the West Middlesex contract, teachers with master's degrees can earn an extra $2,400 per year.

Dr. Pasquerilla acknowledged he should have sought more information before accepting a contract to teach courses for a fee of $250 per student. He said he did not know a master's degree from the school would not be valid in the state, he did not realize Canyon was not authorized to operate in its home state, and he did not realize the entity was not properly accredited.

"I guess I should have asked more questions," Dr. Pasquerilla, principal of Northway Elementary School, said recently. "Maybe there was some misinformation brought to us by them."

Dr. Pasquerilla's situation is a cautionary tale illustrating the difficulty -- even for people with a doctorate -- in sorting out reputable schools from diploma mills, accredited institutions from those that offer bogus degrees.

"If someone is taking course work to get a degree, they need to do their homework to ensure it is an accredited, legitimate degree-granting institution. Otherwise, they may end up spending money and doing work for what ultimately could be a meaningless degree," Pennsylvania education department spokesman Michael Race said.

Despite the drama in West Middlesex, Dr. Pasquerilla enjoys the support of the North Hills board president.

"I don't know anything about Canyon College and quite honestly I don't really care. What I'm looking for is somebody who can shoot the lights out for the North Hills School District," Jeffrey A. Meyer said.

"We hired a guy to do a job as an administrator. Based on the feedback that we've received from the people who know him best in his previous district, we've received rave reviews."

But Dr. Pasquerilla still needs to sort out for himself whether he will continue to teach for Canyon, something he is not ready to abandon, despite the questions that have arisen.

"Based upon what I know now, I would need to reconnect and re-evaluate the situation with Canyon College," Dr. Pasquerilla said. "I have a commitment to the staff at West Middlesex.''

As for that district, where Dr. Pasquerilla passed out fliers advertising his courses, it has its own problems.

At least 11 teachers studied under Dr. Pasquerilla and his former colleague, math teacher Mark Hogue.

Five of them have successfully sought tuition reimbursement as provided under their contract. The district has paid them $12,000 in taxpayer money, covering the bulk of what they paid Canyon College.

But since concerns have cropped up, the district has put a stop on payments to six other teachers until its solicitor can study the matter.

Dr. Pasquerilla said he found Canyon College on the Internet and was attracted to its promise of allowing him to craft his own curriculum and offer it to peers at a reasonable price.

"We just were trying to do something that was good for the district," Dr. Pasquerilla said. "I had all the right intentions in mind, and that is to help educators become better educators"

His plan blew up when school board members began questioning the reimbursements and asking pointed questions about Canyon College.

"It just didn't seem right," West Middlesex board President Thomas J. Hubert said.

Mr. Hubert's hunch was borne out, and not only in Pennsylvania.

"There's no legal basis for the claim this is a legitimate degree," Oregon's Mr. Contreras said of Canyon College. "The entity itself has no legal authority to issue degrees. It would be like saying I did a bunch of course work for Wal-Mart and they gave me a degree."

Mr. Contreras claims that Canyon has twice violated an agreement to warn Oregon residents interested in its programs that they cannot legally use a Canyon degree in the state.

Idaho is trying to get Canyon to register with the state, but those efforts have so far failed.

"We do not recognize them. We do not recognize the degrees or certificates they may grant, and essentially it's 'buyer beware,' " said Mark Browning, spokesman for the Idaho State Board of Education.

Idaho law states a school must be accredited by an agency recognized by the state or federal government.

Canyon College states on its Web site that it is accredited by The American Naturopathic Medical Accreditation Board and The Association for Innovation in Distance Education.

The naturopathic group's credentials are questioned by Karen Howard, executive director of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.

"There's no indication this is a legitimate accrediting organization," Ms. Howard said.

As for the other agency, Jan Riggs, a spokeswoman for the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, said neither her group nor the U.S. Department of Education recognizes it.

At West Middlesex, Superintendent Alan J. Baldarelli said he does not plan to approve future requests for tuition reimbursement at Canyon College, something that seems to be in sync with the wishes of his board president, Mr. Hubert.

"The taxpayers deserve a little bit more for their money," Mr. Hubert said.

Steven Karl Randock Sr., described by a prosecutor as the chief financial operator of a Spokane-based diploma mill, was sentenced Tuesday to three years in prison after his defense attorney made an impassioned plea for home detention.

Randock got the same sentence given to his wife, Dixie Ellen Randock, on July 2 after they both pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud.

For six years, the Randocks and a team of associates sold high school and college degrees from 121 fictitious online schools they created and counterfeit diplomas and transcripts from 66 legitimate universities.

From nondescript offices in Mead and later in Post Falls, they sold more than 10,000 of the degrees and related academic products to 9,612 buyers in 131 countries °V pulling in $7,369,907.

If they hadn't struck plea bargains and been convicted by a jury, they each faced 87 to 105 months in federal prison on the conspiracy charge alone. Companion money laundering charges were dismissed when the Randocks made their plea bargains.

Dixie Randock is appealing her three-year sentence.

Her husband's attorney, Peter Schweda, said Steven Randock has suffered heart attacks, strokes and most recently "cluster headaches" and should be allowed to serve his sentence by being restricted to the couple's home in Colbert.

Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs argued that Randock, 69, will get adequate medical care in a federal prison. He was allowed to remain free and ordered to self-report to a prison once the facility is identified by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

"It is clear to me that his culpability is certainly in the same category" of his wife, U.S. District Court Judge Lonnie Suko said in sentencing Randock.

The judge said that under court rulings and federal sentencing guidelines, a defendant's age and medical issues are not relevant in determining where a sentence is served unless the defense establishes that an "extraordinary physical condition" exists. Randock and his at torney failed to prove that, said the judge, who was limited to the 36-month term unless he rejected the written plea agreements that called for that sentence.

"There's no constitutional right °K to a particular kind of medical care" for federal felons, the judge said.

Schweda said his client had open-heart surgery in April after earlier heart attacks and strokes, and takes 11 prescription medications.

If sent to prison, Schweda said, Randock is "afraid he will end up dead or paralyzed. He's afraid he will die in prison."

In federal prison Randock may not be allowed to take the types of medicines prescribed by his doctors, Schweda said.

He also would be subjected to a "rigid routine, won't have the right pillow, won't be able to eat when he wants and will be in an environment where he could be victimized by younger inmates," Schweda said.

But the prosecutor said it was the seriousness of the crime, not Randock's health, that should dictate where he serves his prison term.

The Randocks were not only selling bogus and counterfeit degrees, the prosecutor told the court, they also were operating fraudulent accreditation and evaluations companies that Steven Randock helped set up.

"This was a very, very serious crime," Jacobs told the court. "It presented a significant risk of danger to the public."

If the U.S. Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies hadn't begun Operation Gold Seal in early 2005 and obtained grand jury indictments against the Randocks and six others, the number of fraudulent degrees sold by the operation would now be double or triple the 10,000, Jacobs said.

The prosecutor said the federal prison system will do a thorough examination of Randock, as it does with the 180,000 other federal prisoners, and provide the appropriate level of medical care.

His attorney told the court that Randock wasn't a leader or organizer and was only doing what his wife told him to do as part of the conspiracy.

Randock didn't stand to address the court, as is routine, but read a prepared statement, telling the court he wanted to apologize to "my family and friends." He didn't mention the public or customers who bought degrees from the diploma mill.

Randock said he wanted to serve his prison term in home confinement, living with his mother-in-law if his wife eventually goes to prison.

"I don't think I could take the rigorous routines of prison," Randock told the judge. "I'm sorry this has ever happened, and I'll never be in trouble again."

If a bill's impact or importance were measured by its length or the amount of time Congress spent working on it, the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HR 4137) would be one for the ages. At more than 1,150 pages, the bill is about 20 times longer than the Higher Education Act of 1965 that it modifies, creating 64 new programs and touching on issues as diverse as the availability of Pell Grants and illegal downloading of digital music and video. And the legislation, which finally passed both the House and the Senate by overwhelmingly margins on Thursday, has been in discussion on Capitol Hill, in one form or another, for most of this decade. It is five years overdue...

The bill became law when it was signed by President Bush on August 14, 2008.

Material related to diploma mills can be found on pages 10 and 17 and is quoted here:

Title I--General Provisions; Sec. 103. Additional Definitions; (a) Additional Definitions:

."..(20) DIPLOMA MILL.óThe term 'diploma mill' means an
entity tható

  "(A)(i) offers, for a fee, degrees, diplomas, or certificates,
  that may be used to represent to the general public
  that the individual possessing such a degree, diploma, or
  certificate has completed a program of postsecondary education
  or training; and

    "(ii) requires such individual to complete little or no
    education or coursework to obtain such degree, diploma,
    or certificate; and

  "(B) lacks accreditation by an accrediting agency or
  association that is recognized as an accrediting agency
  or association of institutions of higher education (as such
  term is defined in section 102) byó

    "(i) the Secretary pursuant to subpart 2 of part
    H of title IV; or

    "(ii) a Federal agency, State government, or other
    organization or association that recognizes accrediting
    agencies or associations.

...

Title I--General Provisions; Sec. 109. Diploma Mills:

Part B of title I (20 U.S.C. 1011 et seq.) is further amended
by adding at the end the following:

"SEC. 123. DIPLOMA MILLS.

  "(a) INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC.óThe Secretary shall maintain
  information and resources on the Department's website to
  assist students, families, and employers in understanding what
  a diploma mill is and how to identify and avoid diploma mills.

  "(b) COLLABORATION.óThe Secretary shall continue to collaborate
  with the United States Postal Service, the Federal Trade
  Commission, the Department of Justice (including the Federal
  Bureau of Investigation), the Internal Revenue Service, and the
  Office of Personnel Management to maximize Federal efforts toó

    "(1) prevent, identify, and prosecute diploma mills; and

    "(2) broadly disseminate to the public information about
    diploma mills, and resources to identify diploma mills.."