Two students at the Louisiana State University (LSU) School of Dentistry who were charged with financial aid fraud earlier this year have been sentenced to probation, according to an AP story.
Obialunamma Agubuzu, 25, a resident of River Ridge, LA, and Anthony Juan Walker, 27, a resident of Tarrytown, NY, pleaded guilty to one count of financial fraud earlier this year.
U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier also ordered them to pay a total of about $75,000 in restitution to the Department of Education, the AP story states.
The school found some irregularities in the students’ records after reviewing their admission files.
The transcripts they submitted to LSU were markedly different from the official ones the school received from their undergraduate college. The transcripts submitted to LSU had incorrect courses and semesters of attendance and showed a false grade point average of 4.0. Also, Walker submitted American Dental Association DAT results that contained a false academic average of 24 with a 96.1 percentile when his actual test scores were lower. Agubuzu never took the DAT but submitted fraudulent test results with an academic average of 19 and a 77.6 percentile.
After admittance to the school, Walker received $40,072 and Agubuzu $35,572 in loans under the Federal Family Education Loan program.
In addition to the federal loans, Walker also received two private scholarships for $1,500 and $2,000, and Agubuzu received private scholarships of $2,000 and $6,000.
