Prosecutors announced Tuesday that two New Jersey women admitted their roles in a scheme that stole $24 million from educational programs designed to aid veterans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces after the events of 9/11.
While veterans thought they were taking classes from the accredited Caldwell University, they were enrolled in classes from an unaccredited institution the Pennsylvania-based Ed4Mil LLC firm subcontracted for them instead. Lisa DiBisceglie, the former Associate Dean of the Office of External Partnerships at Caldwell University, and Helen Sechrist, a former employee of the Pennsylvania-based firm Ed4Mil LLC, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud each, the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of New Jersey announced in a press release.
“DiBisceglie and Sechrist were part of an elaborate bait-and-switch scheme that stole millions of dollars in Post-9/11 GI Bill tuition assistance,” Acting U.S. Attorney Fitzpatrick said, according to the press release. “Instead of receiving a quality education under the Caldwell brand, the veterans that were recruited by Ed4Mil were enrolled in unapproved online courses without their knowledge, all while members of the conspiracy profited from their hard-earned benefits.”
“Prosecuting fraud against the government is always a top concern of our office, especially when the conduct shamelessly exploits our servicemen and women for financial gain,” Fitzpatrick continued.
Donna L. Neves, the Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Field Office in the U.S. Department of Veterans, said in the press release that “defrauding this important VA program costs our nation’s taxpayers and VA and does a tremendous disservice to our veterans.”
From 2009 to 2013, the two women, along with Ed4Mil founder and president David Alvey and others, took part in the conspiracy to fraudulently obtain the $24 million from the U.S. government using the Post-9/11 GI Bill as vehicle for their scheme. The District of New Jersey’s office noted that the three “aggressively marketed the courses to veterans who were eligible to receive benefits,” deceiving veterans into believing the courses came from Caldwell and met the university’s high standards.
The two women face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine and are scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 24, 2018.
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