THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

PRESS RELEASES

New York City Woman Pleads Guilty In Manhattan Federal Court To Fraud In Connection With Federal Financial Aid To Attend Online State College

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that STEPHANIE BROWN pled guilty today to engaging in fraud in connection with federal financial aid to attend an online state college. BROWN pled guilty in Manhattan federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge James C. Francis IV and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 8, 2014, at 10:00 a.m.

According to Information, documents filed in the case, and statements made today in court:

In 2011, BROWN forged documents, made false statements, and submitted false and fraudulent documents to the United States Department of Education (“Department of Education”) in order to obtain federal financial aid for prospective students of a State of New York online college. As a result of BROWN’s fraud, the Department of Education provided federal financial aid to individuals who otherwise would not have qualified for such aid. As part of her plea agreement with the Government, BROWN agreed to make restitution in the amount of $117,840.

BROWN, 53, of Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of federal financial aid fraud. She faces a maximum of one year in prison; one year of supervised release; and a $25 special assessment. The statutory maximum sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge. In addition to the prison sentence, BROWN has agreed to restitution in the amount of $117,840.

Mr. Bharara praised the investigative work of the Department of Education’s Office of the Inspector General.

This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Carrie H. Cohen is in charge of the prosecution.

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U.S. v. Stephanie Brown Information  (PDF)