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Date: 08-30-2023
Case Style:
Case Number: 8:22-cr-00458
Judge: Theodore D. Chuang
Court: United States District Court for the District of Maryland (Prince George's County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: United States Attorney’s Office Greenbelt
Defendant's Attorney: Justin Hollimon
Description: Greenbelt, Maryland criminal defense lawyer represented Defendant charged with conspiracy to commit fraud.
Randolph Stanley, age 44, of Lexington Park, Maryland, from about 2006 until approximately 2021, Stanley and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Education. Specifically, Stanley, was employed as a Financial Advisor at University 1, headquartered in Adelphi, Maryland, and his co-conspirators recruited over 60 individuals (“Student Participants”) to apply for and enroll in post-graduate programs at more than eight academic institutions, including University 1 and University 2 (“the Schools”). Stanley and his co-conspirators told Student Participants that they would assist with the coursework for these programs, including completing assignments and participating in online classes on behalf of the Student Participants, in exchange for a fee. As a result, the Student Participants fraudulently received credit for the courses, and in many cases, degrees from the Schools, without doing the necessary work.
Stanley also admitted that he and his co-conspirators directed the Student Participants to apply for federal student loans. Many of the Student Participant were not qualified for the programs to which they applied. Student Participants, as well as Stanley himself, were awarded tuition, which went directly to the Schools and at least 60 Student Participants also received student loan refunds, which the Schools disbursed to Student Participants after collecting the tuition. Stanley, as the ringleader of the scheme, kept a portion of each of the students’ loan refunds.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DOE-OIG, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the Defense Contract Audit Agency Office of Inspector General for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant United States Attorney Peter Cooch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah Grossi, who handled the sentencing.
Outcome: Defendant was sentenced to 4-years in prison and was ordered to pay $5,648,238, the outstanding balance on all federal student loans that Stanley obtained on behalf of himself and others as part of the scheme.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
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