RICHMOND, Texas (KTRK) — A former Texas professor will serve more than six years behind bars after scheming to obtain thousands of dollars in federal student aid, according to U.S. Department of Justice officials.
Federal officials said 43-year-old Emmanuel Olugbaike Finnih, a former adjunct professor at Texas Southern University from Richmond and originally from Nigeria, was sentenced to 78 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
Finnih reportedly pleaded guilty in March to “theft of government funds, fraud, unlawful use or transfer of identity documents, and aggravated identity theft,” according to a DOJ release.
Finnih allegedly began the scheme in 2017. Charging documents state he unlawfully obtained financial aid funds for over 30 alleged students at eight colleges and universities in Texas.
Officials said Finnih used the students’ identities to submit more than 100 fraudulent financial aid applications to the Department of Education.
According to the DOJ, he used mailing addresses, phone numbers, and email accounts he controlled to ensure information from the Education Department and schools was sent directly to him.
“The fraud left some victims with tens of thousands of dollars in student loans fraudulently placed in their names, significantly affecting their credit,” the Justice Department said, adding that Finnih submitted fraudulent aid applications seeking over $1.3 million in grants and loans, of which $921,189.08 was disbursed.
“This story comes from our news partner ABC13 Houston.“