Shelbra Long, 58, of Edinburg, Texas, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud, following her involvement in a decade-long scheme to fraudulently obtain financial aid from the Department of Education. Long, alongside co-conspirators, submitted fraudulent applications to online colleges using stolen identities and false information.
Once the Department of Education approved the applications, financial aid was disbursed to the schools. Long and her team then withdrew the purported students, causing the schools to return the unused financial aid. The funds were subsequently deposited into bank accounts controlled by Long and her associates.
In total, the fraud resulted in over $466,000 in financial aid awards, with $211,820 disbursed before the scheme was uncovered. Long faces up to 20 years in prison and has agreed to pay restitution of $211,820, along with an additional forfeiture of $52,304. Her sentencing is scheduled for June 26.
