Former financial aid advisor faces federal wire fraud charges, allegedly ran program for more than a decade – CBS Baltimore

GREENBELT, Maryland (WJZ) – A former financial aid advisor has been charged in connection with a ten-year scheme to fraudulently obtain student aid.
Randolph Stanley, 42, of Clinton, has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. According to the affidavit, Stanley allegedly ran the program to obtain state and federal student aid using approximately 60 students enrolled at “University 1”.
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Stanely had worked for the Defense Contract Audit Agency since October 2008. He was previously a financial advisor at âUniversity 1â from 2005 to 2007. He also reported to DCAA that he was director of student finance for âUniversityâ. 2 âfrom June 2008 to October 2008. Stanley claimed to have advised enrolled and prospective students, as well as faculty and staff on the financial aid process.
The affidavit alleges that between 2005 and 2021, Stanley fraudulently obtained federal student aid on behalf of âparticipating studentsâ enrolled in at least 8 universities. These participants reportedly received federal student aid, but were not legitimate students because “they had no intention of graduating.” As part of the fraud scheme, the âparticipating studentsâ either authorized the use of their personally identifiable information on financial forms or were used without their knowledge.
The affidavit also alleges that at least 65 attendees, including Stanley, received approximately $ 6.7 million in federal student aid between 2005 and 2021. At least $ 6.2 million was distributed to attendees. Stanely would have kept all or part of the student reimbursements. He occasionally shared the money with other participants.
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The criminal complaint alleges that Stanely paid a portion of the loan repayments to “participating writers” based in Africa who would complete courses for “participating students” under the program in order to maintain student eligibility. The âparticipating writersâ would submit assignments directly using the usernames and passwords of the âparticipating studentsâ, falsely claiming to be the student. They would provide the homework to Stanley or the âparticipating studentsâ for submission.
Stanely maintained 4 separate bank accounts for carrying out transactions related to the plan. Some of the âparticipating studentsâ are said to have asked universities to deposit student loan repayments into Stanley’s personal bank accounts. Records from “University 1″ show that from 2015 to 2018, over $ 530,000 in student loan repayments for “participating students” other than Stanley, in four of Stanley’s bank accounts.
Stanely’s shame would extend to submitting false documents on behalf of “participating students” to meet admission requirements. The affidavit alleges that he and a second co-conspirator arranged for foreign nationals to create fraudulent diplomas and documents to qualify âparticipating studentsâ for admission.
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Stanely faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud if convicted.