Former Director Of Financial Aid At New York Graduate School And Two Former Students Sentenced To

[TexasTowelie]

Former Director Of Financial Aid At New York Graduate School And Two Former Students Sentenced To Prison For Bribery And Kickback Scheme


Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that MELANIE WILLIAMS-BETHEA, the former director of financial aid at Teachers College, Columbia University, and two former Teachers College students, MAWULI HORMEKU and CARMEN CANTY, were sentenced to prison terms for their respective roles in illicitly obtaining hundreds of thousands of dollars from Teachers College through a years-long bribery and kickback scheme. WILLIAMS-BETHEA was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan, who previously sentenced HORMEKU and CANTY. The defendants received the following sentences:

MELANIE WILLIAMS-BETHEA -- 40 months in prison
MAWULI HORMEKU -- 12 months and one day in prison
CARMEN CANTY -- 3 months in prison

WILLIAMS-BETHEA pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery on October 17, 2018; HORMEKU pled guilty to committing bribery on July 26, 2018; and CANTY pled guilty to committing bribery on July 31, 2018. Two additional students who participated in the scheme, ANNICE KPANA and KYLA THOMAS, also have pled guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced later this month.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “These defendants exploited and stole from an institution of higher learning, taking money that was intended to help provide opportunities for individuals training to teach future generations. They cumulatively pocketed more than $2 million, and their prison sentences reflect the significant harm caused by their conduct.”

Read more: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/former-director-financial-aid-new-york-graduate-school-and-two-former-students

[NYMinute]

1. Despicable

Who would steal from a college like that?