Close X
Monday, November 25, 2024
ADVT 
International

Pakistani Man Charged In USD 140 Million Diploma Mill Fraud In US

Darpan News Desk IANS, 24 Dec, 2016 12:40 PM
    A 30-year-old Pakistani man has been arrested and charged by law enforcement authorities in New York for his role in a 140 million dollar school and college "diploma mill" fraud run through a Pakistani company that was shut down by the country's law enforcement.
     
    Umair Hamid of Karachi was arrested on December 19 and presented in federal court in Kentucky. He has been charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with the worldwide "diploma mill" scheme that collected approximately USD 140 million from tens of thousands of consumers, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara announced.
     
    Mr Hamid and others operated the massive education "diploma mill" through Axact company which has held itself out as one of the world's leading information technology providers.
     
    Working as Axact's Assistant Vice President of International Relations, Mr Hamid and others made misrepresentations to individuals across the world, including throughout the US in order to dupe these individuals into enrolling in supposed high schools, colleges, and other educational institutions.
     
    Consumers paid upfront fees to Mr Hamid and his co-conspirators, believing that in return they would be enrolled in real educational courses and, eventually, receive legitimate degrees. Instead, after paying the upfront fees, consumers did not receive any legitimate instruction and were provided fake and worthless diplomas.
     
    "Hamid allegedly took hefty upfront fees from young men and women seeking an education, leaving them with little more than useless pieces of paper," Mr Bharara said.
     
     
     
    In about May 2015, Axact was shut down by Pakistani law enforcement, and certain individuals associated with Axact were prosecuted in Pakistan.
     
    Most recently, he travelled to the US in order to open a bank account that he has used to collect money from consumers he defrauded. The crackdown on Axact last year had come days after the New York Times had done an exhaustive investigative report on Axact 'Fake Diplomas, Real Cash: Pakistani Company Axact Reaps Millions.'
     
    Axact had promoted and claimed to have an affiliation with approximately 350 fictitious high schools and universities, which Axact advertised online to consumers as genuine schools.
     
    Through Mr Hamid and his co-conspirators, Axact falsely "accredited" purported colleges and other educational institutions by arranging to have diplomas from these phony educational institutions affixed with fake stamps supposedly bearing the seal and signature of the US Secretary of State, as well as various states and state agencies and federal and state officials.
     
    While based in Pakistan, Mr Hamid was involved in managing and operating online companies that falsely held themselves out to consumers over the Internet as educational institutions.
     
    Mr Hamid is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. 

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Toronto Man Sentenced To 10 Years In U.S. Prison For Role In Drug Trafficking Op

    Toronto Man Sentenced To 10 Years In U.S. Prison For Role In Drug Trafficking Op
    Nguyen and a Canadian co-conspirator, Gurshuran Singh, recruited couriers to drive the drugs to Salem, Mass., where another man — Joshua Rabinovitch — then sold the drugs and returned the proceeds to Canada.

    Toronto Man Sentenced To 10 Years In U.S. Prison For Role In Drug Trafficking Op

    YouTube Star Adam Saleh Says Kicked Off Delta Flight For Speaking Arabic

    YouTube Star Adam Saleh Says Kicked Off Delta Flight For Speaking Arabic
    A Yemeni-American YouTube star from New York, Adam Saleh, called for a boycott of Delta Airlines after charging he was removed from one of its flights on Wednesday for speaking Arabic.

    YouTube Star Adam Saleh Says Kicked Off Delta Flight For Speaking Arabic

    Navjot Singh Sidhu Meets Rahul Gandhi, Hours After BJP's Big Win In Chandigarh

    Navjot Singh Sidhu Meets Rahul Gandhi, Hours After BJP's Big Win In Chandigarh
    Navjot Singh Sidhu, whose quest for a new political party has reportedly led him to the Congress, today met Rahul Gandhi in Delhi for talks that lasted 45 minutes. 

    Navjot Singh Sidhu Meets Rahul Gandhi, Hours After BJP's Big Win In Chandigarh

    Vedic Culture Growing Popular Among Indian Diaspora

    Vedic Culture Growing Popular Among Indian Diaspora
    Vedic culture is still relevant and gradually becoming more popular among Indian diaspora, especially in the youth, said researchers and scholars at a seminar held in the national capital.

    Vedic Culture Growing Popular Among Indian Diaspora

    Delhi Woman Allegedly Murders Her Sister For Taking Interest In Boyfriend

    Delhi Woman Allegedly Murders Her Sister For Taking Interest In Boyfriend
    A 21-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly murdering her elder sister in northeast Delhi's Shastri Park area for showing interest in the former's boyfriend, police said on Monday.

    Delhi Woman Allegedly Murders Her Sister For Taking Interest In Boyfriend

    US Man Throws Hot Coffee Over Muslim Woman, Calls Her Terrorist

    US Man Throws Hot Coffee Over Muslim Woman, Calls Her Terrorist
    A homeless man at a Dunkin Donuts store in US threw hot coffee in the face of a Muslim woman, called her a terrorist and assaulted her on Monday, police said.

    US Man Throws Hot Coffee Over Muslim Woman, Calls Her Terrorist