$1.8 Million Education Scam Gets Euclid Woman Sentenced

EUCLID, OH — A Euclid woman will spend more than nine years in prison for her scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Education out of $1.8 million. The woman was fraudulently enrolling students in Ohio community colleges and collecting financial aid on the "students'" behalf.

"These programs were designed to help make college more affordable to people who want an education, but this defendant used them to enrich herself," U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. "She was a one-stop shop for fraud."

Basheera Perry, 45, was sentenced to 114 months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $1.9 million in restitution. She had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy, wire and mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft, the Department of Justice noted.

Over an eight-year span, from 2009 to 2017, Perry would fraudulently enroll students in Lakeland Community College, Lorain County Community College, Owens Community College, and more. She would then apply for financial aid on the student's behalf.

The aid would come in the form of Pell grants and student loans. The Department of Education would send the money to the colleges, then the colleges would send the financial aid to Perry via check or debit cards.

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Perry would then split the proceeds with her co-conspirators — "students" that took part in the scheme for the money, the Department of Justice said. Many of the "students" had no intention of going to school, and some did not have a high school diploma or GED, making them ineligible for federal student aid.

However, Perry would also charge the students fees to do their schoolwork. Court documents said she charged $1,000 for two courses, $1,500 for three courses, and $2,000 for four courses. She also charged $500 to make counterfeit GED certificates, or high school diploma transcripts.

The Department of Justice said Perry also made other fake documents, including death certificates, medical records, and even police reports.

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