US court jails Nigerian-born ex-lecturer over $1.3m student aid fraud

A Nigerian-born US citizen and former adjunct professor, Emmanuel Olugbaike Finnih, has been sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for orchestrating a five-year scheme to fraudulently obtain over $1.3 million in student financial aid. Finnih, 43, of Richmond, Texas, pleaded guilty to theft of government funds, fraud, unlawful use or transfer of identity documents, and aggravated identity theft.

He used false identities, transcripts, mailing addresses, bank accounts, and other means to obtain the financial aid, which ultimately resulted in $921,189.08 being disbursed. US Attorney Aaron Reitz emphasized that Finnih's actions have contributed to the financial burden associated with higher education and that he will now face the consequences of his manipulative, deceitful, un-American crimes.

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