St. Bernard Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Student Aid Fraud of Over $74,000

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that ROBERT JOHN, age 48, from St. Bernard, Louisiana, was sentenced on May 3, 2023 for conspiring to commit student aid fraud.

According to court documents, JOHN conspired with others to submit fraudulent applications for student loans and grants to two local community colleges, using the names of seven different applicants.  In total, the Department of Education paid over $74,000 in loan and grant funds in connection with the fraudulent applications.  The applications contained false information for all applicants, and several of the applicants did not even qualify for community college because they had not graduated from high school or obtained GEDs.

United States District Court Judge Lance M. Africk sentenced JOHN to five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, $74,576.10 in restitution to the Department of Education, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.

“I’m proud of the work of OIG special agents and our law enforcement colleagues for shutting down yet another student aid fraud ring and holding the ringleader accountable for his criminal actions,” said Edd Cole, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General’s Southwestern Regional Office. “The OIG is committed to fighting student aid fraud and we will continue to aggressively pursue those that participate in these types of crimes.”

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Department of Education Office of Inspector General and the United States Postal Inspection Service.  Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas D. Moses, Health Care Fraud Coordinator,  is in charge of the prosecution.