Former Nigerian-born US lecturer gets 78 months for student-aid fraud

A Nigerian-born naturalised United States citizen and former adjunct professor has been sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining student financial aid. The US Department of Justice identified the man as Emmanuel Olugbaike Finnih, 43, of Richmond, Texas. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after completing his prison sentence.

Prosecutors said Finnih submitted more than 100 fraudulent applications using the identities of people presented as students at colleges and universities in Texas. The applications sought more than $1.3m in grants and loans. The Justice Department said $921,189.08 was ultimately disbursed.

Finnih pleaded guilty in March to theft of government funds, fraud, unlawful use or transfer of identity documents and aggravated identity theft. US District Judge Andrew Hanen imposed the sentence after hearing that Finnih used false identities, transcripts, addresses, bank accounts and other methods to obtain the money. He had previously worked as an adjunct professor at Texas Southern University.

Authorities said some victims were left with tens of thousands of dollars in student-loan debt recorded in their names. The debts affected their credit and their ability to enrol in legitimate education programmes. Investigators also found false identity documents, including temporary driving permits and identification cards.

Finnih sometimes altered female “straw students’” names to male versions while retaining their Social Security numbers and dates of birth. He was allowed to remain on bond and is expected to surrender voluntarily to a federal prison designated by the Bureau of Prisons.