Who Are The 135 Feds w/SRU Diplomas?

[Herbert Spencer]

Buyers of bogus degrees named

Search: Degree recipients

Among the distinguished SRU "graduates" I see Isaac Roland (Director General of the Liberian National Commission on Higher Education) and Alexander Wallace (deputy chief of mission at the Liberian embassy).

If they had spread those diplomas around to the US pols the way they did to the Liberians it's a safe bet nobody would be looking at jail time, or even prosecution.

[Herbert Spencer]

New, improved version of the story links some names with positions:

Bill Morlin and Jim Camden
© The Spokesman-Review
July 29, 2008

Hundreds of people working in the military, government and education are on a list of almost 10,000 people who spent $7.3 million buying phony and counterfeit high school and college degrees from a Spokane diploma mill.

The complete list of buyers, which the U.S. Department of Justice has refused to release to the public, has been obtained by The Spokesman-Review.

"There are people in high places with these degrees, and only one of them has been charged with a crime," a source familiar with the list said Monday.

A preliminary analysis of the list by The Spokesman-Review shows 135 individuals with ties to the military, 39 with links to educational institutions and 17 employed by government agencies. Those numbers were derived from e-mail addresses that are part of the list obtained by the newspaper.

However, the exact number of individuals with ties to the military, government and education is believed to be far greater because many of those buyers used their personal e-mail accounts.

The list includes NASA employee Timothy Francis Gorman, who bought an electrical engineering degree using his e-mail account at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to correspond with the diploma mill, and U.S. Department of Health oncology expert Frank S. Govern, who purchased a doctorate in health care administration.

National Security Agency employees David W. Barden and Barry A. Hester both bought degrees. Hester, who was a computer Web trainer and designer for the NSA with top-secret clearance, paid $1,187 for an information systems and technology degree, the list shows.

Eric Gregory Cole, who was a contract employee for the Central Intelligence Agency, paid $3,801 for a degree in information systems management. His top-secret clearance at the CIA was revoked late last year, months after his name was forwarded to the Office of Inspector General, according to one source.

"It was like pulling teeth to get them to do anything about this guy," the source said.

Eight people who set up and operated the diploma mill, including ringleader Dixie Ellen Randock, were indicted and convicted of federal crimes. Randock, a 58-year-old high school dropout, was sentenced to three years in prison.

Government prosecutors will recommend that same sentence for her husband, Steve, who is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 5. The Randocks sold thousands of counterfeit degrees and transcripts from legitimate colleges, and phony degrees and transcripts from nonexistent online universities and schools.

Only one buyer – former deputy U.S. marshal David F. Brodhagen, who was forced into early retirement – has been charged criminally as an outgrowth of the case.

At least one other deputy U.S. marshal, Michael Cameron, is on the list showing he bought a criminal justice degree from the Spokane diploma mill.

Also on the list are William R. Church, a senior military adviser working in the White House, and George Michael Navadel, a U.S. State Department computer systems negotiator, who paid $5,400 for a doctorate in network engineering.

Duwayne Huss, an employee of Nuclear Management Co., operator of two nuclear plants in Minnesota, bought degrees in nuclear engineering and accounting.

"I can't give you information about our employees," company spokeswoman Mary Sadock said Monday when asked if Huss was still employed.

Author Bonita E. Broyles, who has written a series of books about prescription dosages and nursing care, bought a doctorate in education for $2,225, the list shows.

Richard J. Caverly, of Colbert, paid $236 for a degree in construction management before getting a job in May 2006 as a building inspector with the city of Spokane. He worked as a temporary building inspector before getting a job in December 2006 as a project employee, tracking down construction under way without a permit, said city spokeswoman Marlene Feist.

Caverly was "released" from that job in December, according to Feist, who couldn't provide specifics.

Brett C. Jarmin paid $1,041 for a bachelor of science degree in criminology and criminal justice. Jarmin had worked as chief of police in Edgemont, S.D.

Jarmin was fired in October 2000 after helping his department to unionize. He later sued Edgemont city officials, settling out of court in 2006.

His telephone number has been disconnected.

Michael J. Hoilien, who worked for the Air Force in Fayetteville, N.C., bought a medical degree. His current employment status couldn't be immediately confirmed.

Alan P. Hernandez, a police officer in San Antonio, paid $2,630 for a bachelor's and a Ph.D. in criminal justice, then went to work as an adviser and counselor for one of the Randocks' bogus online universities.

Roger L. Anderson, an enlisted man in the military, and his wife, Karen R. Jones-Anderson, who also was enlisted, bought counterfeit degrees from Texas A&M – one of 66 legitimate universities whose diplomas were copied and sold by the Spokane diploma mill. With their degrees, they became officers but now may face courts-martial or ouster from the military.

Bogus college degrees were purchased by Marilyn Clark Kennedy, who worked as director of health services for the Barstow, Calif., School District, and Bruce Yampolski, director of operations for the Department of Health in St. Louis, Mo.

John G. Simmers, employed by Virginia's Department of Corrections, paid $2,682 for three degrees. It couldn't be confirmed if he used the degrees for job promotions, pay increases or a boost in retirement checks.

In the education field, Bart G. Anderson, superintendent of a school district in Columbus, Ohio, bought a doctoral degree in public administration, and Douglas Lane Gill, who worked as an ROTC instructor for the Norwalk Public Schools in Bridgeport, Conn., bought two degrees. Investigators are attempting to determine whether Gill was reimbursed by the federal government for the $1,431 he paid for his advanced education.

Remah Moustafa Ahmed Kamel, a 43-year-old Saudi Arabian, bought degrees in obstetrics and gynecology, but investigators don't know whether he's practicing in those medical fields in his home country.

"No one is looking at any of the foreign purchasers to see what they're doing with these degrees," one law enforcement source said.

Jim McDevitt, the U.S. attorney for Eastern Washington who had refused to release the buyers' list, expressed only mild displeasure Monday when told the list was in the public domain.

"We did not release the list because it was our legal obligation not to release it, and I stand by that decision," McDevitt said when reached at a conference in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Investigators who worked Operation Gold Seal are in the process of forwarding the list to all 50 state attorneys general and various other agencies, including the Washington State Department of Health.

"There's a leak in every system," McDevitt said when asked if he was surprised that the list was on the newspaper's Web site.

The reluctance of the Justice Department to prosecute at least some additional buyers may soon change.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, it was learned Monday, is considering pursuing charges against an estimated 300 federal employees who bought bogus or counterfeit degrees.

Investigators are considering using a federal law that allows them to charge individuals who have fraudulently obtained credentials giving them access to or jobs in U.S. government facilities.

"There are a number of different public safety concerns out there," one source said.

Reached in Seattle on Monday, Homeland Security spokeswoman Lorie Dankers said, "We're aware of this issue, and we will take the appropriate action, but because it's an ongoing investigation, I cannot discuss the specifics with you at this time."

Some numbers gleaned from the list of 9,612 names of people who bought counterfeit or bogus degrees and certificates from Spokane-based diploma mills:

•Anthony McGugan, of Barnegat, N.J., spent $24,088 on 16 different degrees and certificates between 1983 and 2002, including a doctor of theology, a masters of theology in systematic theology, a Master of Social Work in addiction counseling, bachelor's degrees in human services and biblical studies, and certificates in addiction therapy, family and youth counseling, ministry education, Christian education, interpersonal relationships, addiction counseling, professional counseling, substance abuse counseling and social development. That was twice as many degrees and certificates as anyone else on the list.

•Randall Dale McVay, of Washington, D.C., and Thurman Towry, who has no address in the list, each bought eight degrees or certificates. Towry bought a Ph.D, certificates indicating an associate professorship and a full professorship in business administration, and multiple degrees in business administration.

•McVay, who was a senior official at Bolling Air Force Base, bought a Ph.D. in management and a Ph.D. in occupational health, and certificates in project management, production management and organizational management.

•Four people bought seven degrees or certificates; 10 bought six degrees or certifcates; 22 bought five degrees or certificates; and 76 bought four.

•Of the 9,612 purchasers, 826 bought at least one Ph.D. and 41 bought two doctorates.

•Some of those doctorates were awarded in health-related fields, including at least two naturopathic doctorates, two doctorates in naturopathic medicine, one Ph.D. in medicine and one "medical" Ph.D. An Australian bought a Ph.D. in natural and nutritional sciences. A customer without a listed address bought a Ph.D. in molecular medicine. Another customer, also without an address listed in the database, bought a Ph.D. in veterinary medicine and epidemiology, and a Master of Science in veterinary clinical medicine.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/breaking/...p?ID=15898

[Dickie Billericay]

Buyers of bogus degrees named

Search: Degree recipients

So if the feds didn't cough up the list, how did Morlin get it?

Whoever it was deserves our gratitude.  Nothing better than a fed feeding frenzy, especially when it's feds feeding on other feds.  

Do you think it's nervous time in the White House, Pentagon, other habitats of highly paid paper shufflers?  Or will the big fish get away again?

[Albert Hidel]

So if the feds didn't cough up the list, how did Morlin get it?

Just a guess, but if you remember the DC Madam scandal, it may well have been a "going away present" from somebody.

[Don Dresden]

So if the feds didn't cough up the list, how did Morlin get it?

Just a guess, but if you remember the DC Madam scandal, it may well have been a "going away present" from somebody.

According to this article in the Washington (Com)Post, "Separately, The Post obtained the list from a state government official who declined to be identified."  Of course, said unidentified state official (a gay birder with a bow tie, perhaps?) might just have gotten it by reading Morlin's story.

Investigation Nets Thousands Who May Have Fake Diplomas
By Valerie Strauss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 30, 2008; 4:33 PM

Scores of people in Maryland, Virginia and the District are on a government list of about 9,600 people who may have purchased fraudulent high school and college degrees, including some who appear to work in government and the military, the list shows.

Federal authorities are poring through the list for U.S. employees who may have purchased a phony degree over the Internet, according to Brandon A. Montgomery, spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. Any names will be sent to the agencies where they work for possible administrative action, he said.

Names on the list, which may also include some people who only inquired about purchasing a degree, include those of at least 160 people in Virginia, 117 in Maryland and 17 in the District. At least 20 of those appear to be military personnel, and at least 10 appear to be government employees or government contractors. On the list of 9,612, there are 5,212 names without any state identification.

"Literally you could have someone using a diploma in an extremely harmful way if they are not properly trained," said Kristen Nelson, director of communications and government relations for the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, where the state legislature this year passed a law making it illegal to fraudulently use a phony degree.

The Spokesman-Review newspaper, in Spokane, Wash., obtained the list and published the names on its Web site Monday, the Associated Press reported. Separately, The Post obtained the list from a state government official who declined to be identified.

The list, which has not been made public by the government, was compiled during a federal investigation in Washington state into an international diploma operation that operated from 1999 through 2005. It sold more than $6 million worth of phony high school, undergraduate and graduate degrees to people in more than 130 countries.

According to court documents in Washington state, the conspirators also sold counterfeit diplomas and academic products purporting to be from legitimate academic institutions, such as the University of Maryland, George Washington University, Missouri University and Texas A&M University.

Eight people have or will soon be sentenced in the scam. Dixie Ellen Randock, 58, a leader of the diploma mill, was sentenced this month in Washington state to three years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. Her daughter was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, and her husband will be sentenced Aug. 5. Others involved will be sentenced later in the year.

[Don Dresden]

Bound to be among the first of many "I was duped" stories.  Sure you were, pal.

Local educator turns up in diploma-mill case

Tuesday,  July 29, 2008 10:08 PM
By Charlie Boss and Encarnacion Pyle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The head of a Franklin County education group received a bogus doctorate in 2002, but he says he never tried to use the diploma.

“I was duped,” said Bart G. Anderson, superintendent of the Education Service Center of Franklin County.

The Spokesman-Review newspaper named Anderson Tuesday among nearly 10,000 people who bought or sought to buy counterfeit high-school or college degrees from a diploma mill in Spokane, Wash.

Anderson confirmed that he had applied to an online diploma program at St. Regis University in 2002 but said he was surprised when a bogus doctorate arrived instead of admission to an academic program.

“I knew immediately that this can't be,” said Anderson, who was superintendent of Port Clinton schools at the time. He eventually received his doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006.

Anderson said he never put his St. Regis diploma on any job applications, including for the Educational Service Center in 2004, or his resume.

After the diploma arrived, he called and e-mailed St. Regis in hopes of getting a refund on the $200 he paid in application fees.

Anderson said he got no response and lodged a complaint with a business-watchdog group in Washington. He could not remember the name of the group Tuesday but said he had offered to testify to shut down the diploma mill.

Just because someone's name appears on the list of buyers or potential buyers linked to the diploma mill doesn't mean he has committed a crime, said Jack Zurlini, an assistant state attorney general in Washington.

“They may not have purchased a degree or they may not have used the false degree,” Zurlini said.

According to the Spokesman-Review, eight people who set up and operated the diploma mill, including mastermind Dixie Ellen Randock, were convicted of federal crimes.

Investigators from a law-enforcement task force that worked the case will forward the names of potential buyers to all 50 state attorneys general, as well as to several other state agencies.

Ohio officials said they haven't received the list yet.

Once they do, they'll have to determine whether “a fraud has been committed, by whom and what kind of damages resulted,” said Jim Gravelle, spokesman for the Ohio attorney general's office.

Officials with the Ohio Department of Education said Anderson doesn't have an obligation under his superintendent's license to report suspicions about a diploma mill.

Tom Ash, director of governmental relations at the Buckeye Association of School Administrators, said Anderson took the appropriate route by notifying a business-watchdog group.

“What you want to find out is if they are selling something under false pretenses,” he said.

Anderson said he told members of the Educational Service Center board about the situation last year, when investigators questioned him about the diploma mill.

Board President Joyce Galbraith said, “I've been on this board 20 years and we were very impressed with his qualifications — none of which had anything to do with (St. Regis) university. We have the highest respect for him and know that there was no way he would have done this knowingly.”

[Ben Johnson]

I don't get it. They have a list that is a fraction of 1% of the milled degrees issued by all schools. Why don't the states and the feds simply do their homework and ensure that all degrees they are presented are real. If people actually did the job they were paid to do, places like St. Regis wouldn't exist.

[Brian Crawford]

I don't get it.  They have a list that is a fraction of 1% of the milled degrees issued by all schools.  Why don't the states and the feds simply do their homework and ensure that all degrees they are presented are real.  If people actually did the job they were paid to do, places like St. Regis wouldn't exist.

I agree 100%, if the Human Resources Department of each organization and federal agency employing these people would have verified these degrees and simply checked out SRU, this would never have occurred. Who shows up with a Texas A and M degree and doesn't check it out.

[Don Dresden]

I don't get it.  They have a list that is a fraction of 1% of the milled degrees issued by all schools.  Why don't the states and the feds simply do their homework and ensure that all degrees they are presented are real.  If people actually did the job they were paid to do, places like St. Regis wouldn't exist.

I agree 100%, if the Human Resources Department of each organization and federal agency employing these people would have verified these degrees and simply checked out SRU, this would never have occurred. Who shows up with a Texas A and M degree and doesn't check it out.

Wait a minute...you expect people to actually work when they are on the job?  

Competently perform the duties they were hired to perform, which could take all of one email to a university registrar??  

Spend a good thirty seconds googling the email address of the registrar???  

Slave drivers!  

Why, such stressful working conditions could cause a rise in workers comp claims.  Somebody could break a nail with all that tedious typing, or even get carpal tunnel syndrome.

Don't you know we need Big Brother and the Nanny State to protect us all?  We can't do it ourselves, it's just way too complicated and difficult.  Plus it requires common sense.  If they don't teach it in school how can you expect anyone to know what to do?

If people were self-reliant and industrious, what would all the idle bureaucrats do?  The government would have to spend all that tax money on something silly, like guarding the border or fixing potholes.

[Brian Crawford]

I don't get it.  They have a list that is a fraction of 1% of the milled degrees issued by all schools.  Why don't the states and the feds simply do their homework and ensure that all degrees they are presented are real.  If people actually did the job they were paid to do, places like St. Regis wouldn't exist.

I agree 100%, if the Human Resources Department of each organization and federal agency employing these people would have verified these degrees and simply checked out SRU, this would never have occurred. Who shows up with a Texas A and M degree and doesn't check it out.

Wait a minute...you expect people to actually work when they are on the job?  

Competently perform the duties they were hired to perform, which could take all of one email to a university registrar??  

Spend a good thirty seconds googling the email address of the registrar???  

Slave drivers!  

Why, such stressful working conditions could cause a rise in workers comp claims.  Somebody could break a nail with all that tedious typing, or even get carpal tunnel syndrome.

Don't you know we need Big Brother and the Nanny State to protect us all?  We can't do it ourselves, it's just way too complicated and difficult.  Plus it requires common sense.  If they don't teach it in school how can you expect anyone to know what to do?

If people were self-reliant and industrious, what would all the idle bureaucrats do?  The government would have to spend all that tax money on something silly, like guarding the border or fixing potholes.

Sorry Don, don't know what I was thinking. Hell, the only one with that kind of time on their hands is George Gollin (George Dana Gollin, George D. Gollin) and we all know he is much too busy speculating who is running or associated with which "diploma mill" and being on the phone with this reporter and that government agency trying to obtain his junior G-Man badge.