A woman who started a fake California university and scammed students out of millions of dollars was sentenced last Friday to 16 years in a federal prison, the New York Daily News reported.
Susan Xiao-Ping Su founded Tri-Valley University in California in 2008 with the promise of quality degrees in engineering, medicine and law for international students, mostly from India. Students paid $2,700 for tuition and other charges for visa documents to allow them to study and work in the U.S.
Her scheme abruptly ended when Homeland Security raided her Pleasanton, California, residence in January 2011. The 44-year-old was convicted in March on 31 counts of wire and mail fraud, conspiracy to commit visa fraud and money laundering among other charges.
Tri-Valley University claimed to have 50 professors, some of which said Su used their credentials without their permission, the Daily News reported. Though the school had a catchy motto- "Let the light shine," there were no requirements for admission or graduation. Su even told some of the so-called staff to make up the transcripts.
In the meantime, Su was using the money to fund a lavish lifestyle, purchasing several homes and a Mercedes Benz. She managed to recruit nearly 1,000 students for her bogus school before the feds shut it down upon receiving a tip about irregularities at the university.
When Tri-Valley closed, hundreds of students were left facing deportation, which led to a mass demonstration organized by the All India Students Federation near the U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad, India, the Daily News reported.
"Every year our country welcomes academically qualified students from all over the world to learn from our country's best and brightest," U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag said. "The defendant's scheme took advantage of this highly valuable immigration process, reducing opportunities for legitimate, worthy student applicants."
In addition to prison time, Su was ordered to forfeit $5.6 million and pay over $900,000 in restitution.
