Dodgergirl
Jul 25, 2007, 10:15 PM
BERKELEY, Calif. - A group of former part-time student employees accused of accessing computers at a community college in a grades-for-cash scam are among 34 people charged with fraud and conspiracy, prosecutors said Tuesday.
The rest of the suspects are former or current students who paid up to several thousand dollars to have grades boosted, or have classes and grades added to their transcripts at Diablo Valley College, Contra Costa County District Attorney Robert Kochly said.
His office filed 65 felony counts of computer fraud and conspiracy charges after an investigation triggered by a professor's suspicions last year. Kochly said the scam ran from 2001 to 2006.
Some of the students went on to transfer to four-year schools, including campuses in the University of California system and the California State University system, according to prosecutors.
"This case affects so many people, especially the innocent students at Diablo Valley College," said Dodie Katague, a deputy district attorney. "For years, those students who have legitimate grades are going to be looked on suspiciously even though they earned their grades, so the impact is major. It isn't just changing one grade. It's affecting the integrity of the grade system."
The charges are unusual, Katague said. "We just don't see these kind of cases," he said.
About a dozen of the suspects were in custody, and the rest were being sought Tuesday, Katague said. He expected arraignments to be scheduled over the next few days
more...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070725/ap_on_re_us/grade_scam_1
The rest of the suspects are former or current students who paid up to several thousand dollars to have grades boosted, or have classes and grades added to their transcripts at Diablo Valley College, Contra Costa County District Attorney Robert Kochly said.
His office filed 65 felony counts of computer fraud and conspiracy charges after an investigation triggered by a professor's suspicions last year. Kochly said the scam ran from 2001 to 2006.
Some of the students went on to transfer to four-year schools, including campuses in the University of California system and the California State University system, according to prosecutors.
"This case affects so many people, especially the innocent students at Diablo Valley College," said Dodie Katague, a deputy district attorney. "For years, those students who have legitimate grades are going to be looked on suspiciously even though they earned their grades, so the impact is major. It isn't just changing one grade. It's affecting the integrity of the grade system."
The charges are unusual, Katague said. "We just don't see these kind of cases," he said.
About a dozen of the suspects were in custody, and the rest were being sought Tuesday, Katague said. He expected arraignments to be scheduled over the next few days
more...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070725/ap_on_re_us/grade_scam_1