A former Texas Southern University adjunct professor has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for orchestrating a years-long scheme that fraudulently obtained more than $921,000 in federal student financial aid.
Emmanuel Olugbaike Finnih, 43, of Richmond, Texas, originally from Nigeria and later a naturalized U.S. citizen, was sentenced October 2nd by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen to 78 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Finnih submitted more than 100 fraudulent financial aid applications over approximately five years using the identities of individuals enrolled at colleges and universities across Texas. He pleaded guilty in March to theft of government funds, fraud, unlawful use or transfer of identity documents and aggravated identity theft.
Prosecutors said Finnih used victims’ personal information, including Social Security numbers and dates of birth, to submit applications and obtain grants and loans. He then directed refunds to addresses and bank accounts he controlled.
The fraudulent applications sought more than $1.3 million in financial aid, with $921,189.08 ultimately disbursed.
Some victims were left with tens of thousands of dollars in student-loan debt, damaging their credit and creating obstacles to legitimate college enrollment.
The investigation was conducted by the Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General with assistance from other law enforcement agencies.
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