More trouble for Touro

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by gbrogan, Oct 20, 2008.

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  1. gbrogan

    gbrogan Member

    This was in all the NY papers last week.

    http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2008/10/16/2008-10-16_cops_go_hightech_sneaky_in_scam_bust_at_-2.html

    http://www.nypost.com/seven/10172008/news/regionalnews/new_diploma_mill_charges_vs__touro_bigs_134010.htm

    From the Daily News:
    Cops go high-tech, sneaky in scam bust at Touro College

    By Barbara Ross and Alison Gendar
    DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

    Thursday, October 16th 2008, 9:31 PM

    Cops nabbed more alleged scammers in a Touro College cash-for-grades sting, using techniques straight out of "Mission: Impossible."

    Armed with a "sneak-and-peek" search warrant, investigators from the NYPD computer crimes squad crept into Andrique Baron's admissions office at the school after hours.

    Before dismantling Baron's computer and copying his hard drive, they took photos to ensure they could put everything back in place, down to the last framed picture, said Lt. Dennis Lane, commanding officer of the computer squad.

    Information from the hard drive helped detail how Baron and two other Touro employees doctored grades in exchange for cash and sold phony degrees to 13 scamming students, cops said.

    Baron, 35, Touro's former admissions director, and Mikhail Cherner, 51, director of Touro's Brooklyn computer center, were rearrested Thursday on additional charges of falsifying business records and receiving bribes. Both were arrested last year on similar charges.

    Semyon Lev, 56, was arrested Wednesday and charged with selling grades after he took over for Cherner.

    The three employees were among 21 arrested in the case, including students who bought grades and city public school teachers who bought phony master's degrees at about $4,000 each.


    From the NY Post:

    The plot is thickening at Touro College, with more arrests and charges involving former officials, teachers and students who allegedly sold or bought degrees and grades, officials said yesterday.

    Two ex-administrators, already accused of selling grades and diplomas, were slapped yesterday with 40 new charges of forgery, bribe receiving, falsifying business records and violating education law.

    Former Manhattan-campus admissions honcho Andrique Baron, 35, of Elmont, LI, and former Brooklyn-campus computer bigwig Michael Cherner, 51, of Brooklyn, allegedly pocketed tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from students who wanted to change their bad grades to A's - or even purchase fictitious degrees.

    Many of the bogus degrees allegedly went to teachers seeking education masters.

    The yearlong probe snared four teachers who allegedly claimed advanced degrees that allowed them to collect an additional $10,000 in salary.

    Thirteen students also face similar charges of falsifying records by claiming grades or degrees they did not earn.
     
  2. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    It is important to realize that this is Touro College, not TUI University. You named the thread, "More trouble for Touro". What is the other trouble? If this is more, I would think there was someting in the past.
     
  3. gbrogan

    gbrogan Member

    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 20, 2008
  4. Steve King

    Steve King Member

    It might bear repeating, for anyone who missed the first wave of news reports about this, that TUI University (formerly Touro University International and once a branch campus of Touro College) previously reported that they were in no way connected to these problems at Touro College. TUI has stated that their computer and record keeping systems were completely independent. Of course, TUI University is now more separate than ever with different owners and a different regional accrediting body.

    I thought I'd mention this since people here typically talk about the distance learning programs offered by TUI, not Touro College's on-campus programs. This is bad news for Touro College in New York; but, I haven't heard if this affects Touro's School of Law on Long Island or their medical school in California.

    Steve
     

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