Ten former Texas Tech students including Rojelio Hernandez have been named in connection with a Pell Grant theft ring.
In February of 2004, Tech officials identified a case of fraud involving federal financial aid.
According to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court of North Texas, Hernandez worked at the Tech Financial Aid Office from 1998 to 2000.
During that time Hernandez recruited three other students to serve as what the court documents refer to as "go-betweeners." The three "go-betweeners" named in the case are Vicente Garcia Martinez, John Tsyitee and Gabriela Vazquez.
The "go-betweeners" recruited at least six other people to knowingly give up personal information. The information was given to Hernandez who falsified Federal Grant Application Forms. Once the grants were received, the money was split among the 10 students.
Approximately $123,000 was defrauded from the U.S. Department of Education.
Hernandez, Martinez, Tysitee and Vazquez have been charged with making false statements to a federal agency.
The six students recruited to help Hernandez and the "go-betweeners" are Nathaniel Beckman, Bryan Hudspeth, Abby Mathison, John Moretti, James Sitz and Justin Sitz.
All 10 former students pleaded guilty to the charges.
So far Moretti is the only person sentenced in the case. Moretti received two years probation and has been ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution.
Because the theft is still under investigation, the U.S Inspector General's Office, the Department of Education, Tech and attorneys for the former students have all declined comment to The Daily Toreador.
In a prepared statement to the media, Stephanie Hays Anderson, the Tech associate vice president for enrollment management, said the incident is not a reflection of the university.
"We want to assure our students and those who are contemplating entering Texas Tech that this case has had no impact on the amount of aid available to past, present or future students," Anderson said in the statement.
Anderson said in the statement students should feel safe when using financial aid.
"We also want to reassure the public that we have incorporated safeguards to help protect the financial aid system from possible fraud in the future," she said.
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