1
Analysis of the Operation Gold Seal “Buyers List”
Nature of the “buyers list”
The Operation Gold Seal “buyers list” is built from a combination of paper and electronic
records. Paper documents were obtained by investigators during search warrants of the
defendants’ homes and offices, while electronic records were found on various electronic
internal and external storage media possessed by the defendants. Information from paper
documents was loaded into a Microsoft Access database. Not all purchase records
contain complete information about a transaction. For example, the name of the
“university” to be printed on a customer’s diploma is only present in some of the records.
About a third of the transactions from the defendants’ degree-selling business are
available in both the paper and electronic records, as shown in the following table. In the
table all transactions for an individual customer have been combined into one record for
that customer.
Transaction record source(s)
Available only in paper records
Available in both paper and electronic
records
Available only in electronic records
Total
Number of transaction
records
2,472 records
3,155 records
3,985 records
9,612 records
There is good consistency between the paper and electronic records. This can be seen
by constructing two different transaction histories for the defendant’s diploma mill
organization (one in which priority is given to paper records and the other in which priority
is afforded to electronic records). When the results are compared, there is a relatively
small discrepancy (See below table).
Transactions used to build sales history
All paper records + electronic records
when paper records are unavailable
All electronic records + paper records
when electronic records are unavailable
Difference
Payments
Revenue
10,537
$7,369,907
10,313
$7,388,164
224
($18,257)
In the following sections, conclusions are based using all paper records in combination
with electronic records, when paper records are unavailable. The reason for using this
combination is because it is felt by investigators that the paper documents are likely more
reliable.
May 12, 2008
2
Total number of buyers
From the transaction history we see the following:
Buyers
9,612
Number of degrees and related
academic documents purchased
10,815
Total
sales
$7,369,907
Country totals
Of 9,612 buyers, the shipping address for 9,165 of the buyers were available. The list of
countries to which the fraudulent academic products were shipped, indicate a total of 131
different countries. The first table is sorted alphabetically by country name, the second
sorted by number of buyers.
Line
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
Abbrev
AL
AG
AR
AM
AW
AU
AT
BS
BH
BD
BE
BJ
BM
BT
BO
BA
BW
BR
BN
CM
CA
KY
CL
CN
CO
CR
Sales vs. country, sorted by country name
Country
Buyers
Albania
1
Antigua and Barbuda
2
Argentina
5
Armenia
2
Aruba
2
Australia
52
Austria
5
Bahamas
6
Bahrain
12
Bangladesh
5
Belgium
6
Benin
1
Bermuda
4
Bhutan
2
Bolivia
6
Bosnia-Herzegovina
5
Botswana
1
Brazil
13
Brunei Darussalam
1
Cameroon
3
Canada
406
Cayman Islands
3
Chile
6
China
6
Colombia
3
Costa Rica
3
May 12, 2008
Sales
$2,160
$1,436
$7,525
$572
$3,147
$59,960
$5,412
$5,968
$7,523
$7,621
$11,558
$835
$12,618
$736
$9,208
$5,014
$1,405
$13,888
$881
$4,064
$290,608
$3,324
$3,985
$3,981
$1,812
$3,033
3
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
CY
CZ
DO
EC
EG
SV
ER
ET
FI
FR
GA
GM
DE
GH
GB
GR
GU
GT
GY
HT
HK
HU
IN
ID
IR
IE
IL
IT
CI
JM
JP
JO
KE
KW
LB
LS
LR
LY
MO
MK
MG
MW
MY
MU
YT
MX
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Finland
France
Gabon
Gambia
Germany
Ghana
Great Britain
Greece
Guam (USA)
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Hong Kong
Hungary
India
Indonesia
Iran
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Ivory Coast (Cote D'Ivoire)
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kenya
Kuwait
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Macau
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
May 12, 2008
8
3
2
3
13
4
2
2
2
6
70
1
69
19
148
17
3
2
1
1
29
2
80
11
27
14
9
15
1
8
20
11
14
16
13
1
6
1
2
2
1
4
51
3
1
13
$5,706
$5,213
$1,630
$7,173
$15,271
$5,351
$198
$2,630
$1,826
$5,331
$45,738
$2,351
$89,282
$31,883
$132,261
$14,741
$2,838
$1,627
$731
$386
$27,537
$936
$71,968
$8,152
$47,964
$17,939
$7,542
$20,533
$1,429
$4,831
$16,985
$19,704
$14,387
$18,475
$20,099
$795
$1,910
$1,185
$1,036
$1,227
$99
$4,600
$61,342
$2,556
$99
$14,609
4
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
MA
NA
NP
NL
AN
NZ
NG
MP
NO
OM
PK
PG
PE
PH
PT
PR
QA
RO
RU
RW
KN
LC
VC
SA
SL
SG
SI
ZA
KR
ES
LK
SD
SR
SE
CH
SY
TW
TZ
TH
TG
TT
TN
TR
TC
UG
AE
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
New Zealand
Nigeria
Northern Mariana Islands
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Peru
Philippines
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Kitts & Nevis Anguilla
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent & Grenadines
Saudi Arabia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turks and Caicos Islands
Uganda
United Arab Emirates
May 12, 2008
1
1
13
10
1
10
49
1
1
5
46
1
5
6
18
12
4
3
1
2
1
1
1
69
1
41
2
34
28
17
4
2
1
2
13
2
12
4
16
1
4
1
5
1
3
65
$551
$1,906
$6,096
$10,239
$1,647
$14,391
$90,591
$951
$1,140
$4,844
$45,103
$1,010
$2,599
$6,442
$22,493
$20,508
$2,199
$2,247
$3,460
$789
$1,495
$1,390
$750
$89,600
$1,344
$35,766
$2,851
$48,604
$18,441
$15,333
$4,628
$2,410
$361
$1,772
$24,542
$2,538
$20,597
$12,123
$13,799
$975
$5,794
$690
$9,109
$99
$11,457
$100,331
5
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
UK
US
UY
UM
VE
VN
VG
VI
WF
EH
YE
YU
ZM
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
USA Minor Outlying Islands
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands (British)
Virgin Islands (USA)
Wallis and Futuna Islands
Western Sahara
Yemen
Yugoslavia
Zambia
buyers with identified nationality
1
7298
3
2
12
6
4
10
1
1
2
6
6
9165
$561
$5,198,320
$3,048
$1,181
$10,048
$5,773
$1,709
$4,151
$99
$99
$4,065
$3,209
$11,145
$7,137,787
Here is the list sorted by number of buyers in each country.
Line
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Sales vs. country, sorted by number of buyers
Abbrev Country
Buyers
US
United States
7298
CA
Canada
406
GB
Great Britain
148
IN
India
80
GA
Gabon
70
DE
Germany
69
SA
Saudi Arabia
69
AE
United Arab Emirates
65
AU
Australia
52
MY
Malaysia
51
NG
Nigeria
49
PK
Pakistan
46
SG
Singapore
41
ZA
South Africa
34
HK
Hong Kong
29
KR
South Korea
28
IR
Iran
27
JP
Japan
20
GH
Ghana
19
PT
Portugal
18
GR
Greece
17
ES
Spain
17
KW
Kuwait
16
TH
Thailand
16
IT
Italy
15
May 12, 2008
Sales
$5,198,320
$290,608
$132,261
$71,968
$45,738
$89,282
$89,600
$100,331
$59,960
$61,342
$90,591
$45,103
$35,766
$48,604
$27,537
$18,441
$47,964
$16,985
$31,883
$22,493
$14,741
$15,333
$18,475
$13,799
$20,533
6
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
IE
KE
BR
EG
LB
MX
NP
CH
BH
PR
TW
VE
ID
JO
NL
NZ
VI
IL
CY
JM
BS
BE
BO
CL
CN
FR
LR
PH
VN
YU
ZM
AR
AT
BD
BA
OM
PE
TR
BM
SV
MW
QA
LK
TZ
TT
VG
Ireland
Kenya
Brazil
Egypt
Lebanon
Mexico
Nepal
Switzerland
Bahrain
Puerto Rico
Taiwan
Venezuela
Indonesia
Jordan
Netherlands
New Zealand
Virgin Islands (USA)
Israel
Cyprus
Jamaica
Bahamas
Belgium
Bolivia
Chile
China
France
Liberia
Philippines
Vietnam
Yugoslavia
Zambia
Argentina
Austria
Bangladesh
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Oman
Peru
Turkey
Bermuda
El Salvador
Malawi
Qatar
Sri Lanka
Tanzania
Trinidad and Tobago
Virgin Islands (British)
May 12, 2008
14
14
13
13
13
13
13
13
12
12
12
12
11
11
10
10
10
9
8
8
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
$17,939
$14,387
$13,888
$15,271
$20,099
$14,609
$6,096
$24,542
$7,523
$20,508
$20,597
$10,048
$8,152
$19,704
$10,239
$14,391
$4,151
$7,542
$5,706
$4,831
$5,968
$11,558
$9,208
$3,985
$3,981
$5,331
$1,910
$6,442
$5,773
$3,209
$11,145
$7,525
$5,412
$7,621
$5,014
$4,844
$2,599
$9,109
$12,618
$5,351
$4,600
$2,199
$4,628
$12,123
$5,794
$1,709
7
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
CM
KY
CO
CR
CZ
EC
GU
MU
RO
UG
UY
AG
AM
AW
BT
DO
ER
ET
FI
GT
HU
MO
MK
RW
SI
SD
SE
SY
UM
YE
AL
BJ
BW
BN
GM
GY
HT
CI
LS
LY
MG
YT
MA
NA
AN
MP
Cameroon
Cayman Islands
Colombia
Costa Rica
Czech Republic
Ecuador
Guam (USA)
Mauritius
Romania
Uganda
Uruguay
Antigua and Barbuda
Armenia
Aruba
Bhutan
Dominican Republic
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Finland
Guatemala
Hungary
Macau
Macedonia
Rwanda
Slovenia
Sudan
Sweden
Syria
USA Minor Outlying Islands
Yemen
Albania
Benin
Botswana
Brunei Darussalam
Gambia
Guyana
Haiti
Ivory Coast (Cote D'Ivoire)
Lesotho
Libya
Madagascar
Mayotte
Morocco
Namibia
Netherlands Antilles
Northern Mariana Islands
May 12, 2008
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
$4,064
$3,324
$1,812
$3,033
$5,213
$7,173
$2,838
$2,556
$2,247
$11,457
$3,048
$1,436
$572
$3,147
$736
$1,630
$198
$2,630
$1,826
$1,627
$936
$1,036
$1,227
$789
$2,851
$2,410
$1,772
$2,538
$1,181
$4,065
$2,160
$835
$1,405
$881
$2,351
$731
$386
$1,429
$795
$1,185
$99
$99
$551
$1,906
$1,647
$951
8
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
NO
PG
RU
KN
LC
VC
SL
SR
TG
TN
TC
UK
WF
EH
Norway
Papua New Guinea
Russian Federation
Saint Kitts & Nevis Anguilla
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent & Grenadines
Sierra Leone
Suriname
Togo
Tunisia
Turks and Caicos Islands
United Kingdom
Wallis and Futuna Islands
Western Sahara
buyers with identified nationality
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
9165
$1,140
$1,010
$3,460
$1,495
$1,390
$750
$1,344
$361
$975
$690
$99
$561
$99
$99
$7,137,787
The following world map indicates the world reach of fraudulent academic products sold
by the defendants. Countries to which degrees were sent are shaded in pink.
U.S. buyers reside in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
May 12, 2008
9
University names used on academic credentials
The names of “schools” were extracted from the “buyers list” when this information was
available: however, this information is available for 2,247 of somewhat more than 10,000
degrees sold, or approximately 22%. But from this small fraction of the defendant’s
degree business, the following startling figures arise.
The defendants used the names of 77 different legitimate schools in their sales. Of
these, 11 were the names of recognized high schools, while 66 were the names of
legitimate post-secondary institutions (nearly all of which are colleges or universities).
The genuine high schools whose names were appropriated can be found in at least 11
different states. (Some popular school names—James Madison High School, for
example—can be found in several different states.) The genuine colleges and
universities span 25 states inside the United States, as well as five foreign countries.
The defendants also used the names of 121 unrecognized schools in their sales of
fraudulent academic products. Some were of their own invention (“St. Regis
University”), while others were the names of diploma mills operated by their competitors
(“University Francophone Robert de Sorbon,” for example).
Information concerning a buyer’s “university” is unavailable for roughly 80% of the
transactions contained in the buyers list. As a result, the quantities of school names
extracted from the buyers list is likely a significant underestimate of the actual totals.
Names. locations, and numbers of degrees sold in the names of legitimate schools are
shown in the next two tables.
Sales of high school degrees in the names of legitimate schools
Name of legitimate school
State
Degrees
1 Blackwell High School
OK
1
2 Boston Latin High School
MA
1
3 Bradford Academy High School
MI
2
4 Carlin High School
NV
2
5 JA High School
MN
5
6 James Madison High School
VA
1
7 James Monroe High School
CA
13
8 Liberty High School
PA
188
9 Tift County High School
GA
1
10 Trinity High School
KY
1
11 University High School
IL
5
11 states
220 degrees
1
Sales of post-secondary degrees in the names of legitimate schools
Name of legitimate institution
State
Country
Ajman University of Science and Technology
United Arab Emirates
May 12, 2008
Degrees
1
10
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
Ambassador College
Ambassador University
American University
Auburn University
Bergen Community College
Biblical Theological Seminary
Bradford College
Bradley University
Brenau University
California State University
California State University Long Beach
California State University, Northridge
Chicago Technical College
Clark Atlanta University
Clayton State University
Clemson University
Concordia
Concordia College
Concordia University
El Camino College
Fairmont State University
Florida Community College
George Washington University
Georgia State University
Heritage
Jackson State University
John Carroll University
Lawrence Technological University
Lethbridge Community College
Marine Corps University
Middlesex University
National Academy of Paralegal Studies
New York Institute of Technology
Northrop University
Northrop University of Engineering & Science
Nova Southeastern University
Penn State University
Point Loma University
Potomac College
Prince George's Community College
Regents College
Sacred Heart College
San Francisco State University
San Jose State University
Shelby State Community College
Spellman College
St. Leo University
May 12, 2008
CA
CA
DC
AL
NJ
PA
IL
GA
CA
CA
CA
IL
GA
GA
SC
MN
MN
WI
CA
WV
FL
DC
GA
WA
MS
OH
MI
VA
NY
NY
CA
CA
FL
PA
CA
VA
MD
NY
CA
CA
TN
GA
FL
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
Great Britain
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
Canada
United States
Great Britain
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
New Zealand
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
1
1
3
2
1
1
8
1
3
2
1
2
1
4
1
1
41
15
124
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
11
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
St. Louis Community College
St. Michael Institute
SUNY Geneseo
Texas A&M University
Trinity
Universidade Estacio De Sa
University of Arizona
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Houston
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Nebraska
University of Phoenix
University of Tennessee
University of the Punjab
Upsala College
Valencia Community College
Vision Christian University
Wayne State University
MO
WA
NY
TX
TX
AZ
CA
TX
IL
NE
AZ
TN
IN
NJ
FL
CA
MI
25
states
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
Brazil
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
United States
6 countries
1
1
1
1
9
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
270
degrees
The locations of the legitimate schools whose names were used by the defendants are
shown in the next two tables.
Home states of legitimate schools
whose names were used by the
defendants’ degree-selling business
AL
NE
AZ
NJ
CA
NV
DC
NY
FL
OH
GA
OK
IL
PA
IN
SC
KY
TN
MA
TX
MD
VA
MI
WA
MN
WI
MO
WV
MS
29 states
Home countries of legitimate schools
whose names were used by the
defendants’ degree-selling business
United Arab Emirates
Brazil
Canada
Great Britain
New Zealand
United States
6 countries
May 12, 2008
12
Here is a United States map showing the home states (shaded) of legitimate postsecondary institutions whose names were appropriated by the defendants.
The following table shows information concerning sales of degrees in the names of
unrecognized high schools and colleges. Again, keep in mind that most “buyers list”
records do not contain information about the “school’s” name used in the transaction, so
the actual number of different schools and number of degrees sold are likely
significantly higher.
Sales of bogus degrees in the names of unrecognized schools
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Name of unrecognized school
A+ Technical Institute
Al Qasim University Pakistan
All Saints American University
American Art & Science University
American Capital University
American Capitol University
American Coastline University
American International University
American West Graduate Institute
American West University
May 12, 2008
Degrees sold
2
1
10
1
8
1
2
1
1
90
13
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
Americana University
Americus University
Athenaeum University International
Atlanta School of Paralegal Studies
Audentes Technical Academy
Audentes Technical College
Barrington University
Bayon Educational Counseling
Berkeley Professional University
Berkely Professional University
Blackstone University
Boston College of London
Branford Academy College Preparatory High School
Branford Arts Academy
Breyer State University
Brown's International University
Cambridge International University
Capital American University
Capital University of Arts & Technology
Capitol University
Capitol University of Arts & Technology
Cathedra University
Center for Independent Degree Studies
Cincinnati Technical College
Columbia State University
Concordia Bible College
Concordia College & University
Concordia Graduate Institute
Dalorem University
Davison University
Easton University
Edenvale University
Eucharist Archdiocese University
Eucharist Graduate Institute
Garfield University
Gordon University
Hampton Bay University
Hampton College or College of Hampton
Hartland University
Heartland University
Heral Business College
Holmes Graduate Institute
Holmes University
Holy Acclaim Graduate Institute
Holy Acclaim University
Imperial University College
InTech University
InTech University of Engineering
May 12, 2008
8
1
1
1
1
11
1
1
11
4
79
2
10
1
38
6
3
5
39
5
1
10
1
1
2
1
30
11
1
1
1
1
3
2
1
1
22
1
22
16
1
8
68
2
42
1
12
1
14
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
InTech University of Engineering & Science
International Bible & Seminary
James Monroe International University
James Monroe University
John Foster
Kane College
LaSalle University
Le Lourdes Graduate Institute
Liberty College Preparatory High School
London School of Management Science
Madison College
Maryland University
Maryland University College
Midwest Business College
Mission College Preparatory High School
Monroe University
Monroe University High School
Mount College
Nation State University
National Academy of Higher Education
New Academy of the Arts
New Manhattan University
New University of the Arts
North United University
Northburgh University
Northern Marianas University
Northwest United University
Pelham Graduate Institute, Rio Salado University
Port Rhode University
Primus College
Primus Postgraduate Institute
Primus Postgraduate University
Prometheus College
Robertstown University
Rosemont University
Shefferton University
Southern College in Orlando FL
St. Concordia University
St. George University
St. John Quincy Adams Institute
St. Lourdes Graduate Institute
St. Lourdes University
St. Pauls College
St. Regis University
St. Renoir University
St. Renoir University
May 12, 2008
42
1
3
27
1
2
2
2
5
1
2
3
1
1
175
2
38
1
3
1
7
16
2
2
1
1
64
1
1
2
1
3
5
21
1
1
1
1
1
1
16
177
1
441
1
4
15
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
Stanley State University
Steward University
Tecana International University
Trinity Christian High School
University Francophone Robert de Sorbon
University of Jacksonville
Valorem University
Van Ives University
West American University
West Coast Institute
West Coast Institute of Management & Technology
West Coast University
Western American University
Westmoreland Business Institute
Whitmore College
Wiltshire University
Woodrow Wilson College
total
4
1
2
10
1
2
8
7
8
1
1
11
1
1
3
1
1757
Degree levels
Nearly all the transaction records in the “buyers list” indicate the level of the degree
purchased. Bachelors and high school degrees were clearly the most popular, but note
that the post-graduate diplomas: masters, doctoral, and JD degrees also comprise
about 30% of sales. This is shown in the following table, and the pie chart that follows
the table.
Degree sales by level of degree
Level of credential
Number
Professorships
114
Doctoral degrees
1,145
Masters degrees
1,866
JD degrees
6
Bachelors degrees
3,349
Associates degrees
358
High School degrees
3,425
Miscellaneous certificates
170
total
10,433
May 12, 2008
16
Professorships
Miscellaneous
certificates
Doctoral degrees
High School
degrees
Masters degrees
JD degrees
Associates
degrees
Bachelors
degrees
Degree sales by level of degree
Breakdowns of the kinds of degrees at each level are shown in the next several tables.
Professorships
Full professor
Associate professor
Assistant professor
Adjunct professor
total
73
20
3
18
114
Doctoral degrees
PhD and MD
1,004
ND
4
EdD
18
DTh
3
DSc
42
Dmin
7
DFA
1
DDiv
3
DBA
63
total
1,145
May 12, 2008
Masters degrees
MTh
5
MSW
12
MSN
6
MSE
20
MS
521
MEd
11
MDiv
10
MBA
696
MA
585
total
1,866
17
Bachelors degrees
BTh
3
BSN
28
BSE
81
BS
1,242
BPharm
1
BBA
671
BA
1,323
total
3,349
Associates degrees
AS
22
AA
336
total
358
HS
Miscellaneous
Postdoctoral research
Certificate
JD
total
2
168
6
176
High School
3,425
Fields in which customers purchased degrees
Most sales transactions specified a field of “study” for buyers who purchased postsecondary degrees, although many chose unfocused programs such as “General
Studies” or “Liberal Arts.” Some customers requested specialized degrees such as a
Bachelors of Business Administration, effectively declaring a field of study.
Availability of customer's field of "study" in post-secondary degree transaction record
level of degree
Degrees area of "study" specified by buyer area of "study" not specified
Associates
358
202
156
Bachelors
3,349
3,146
203
Masters
1,866
1,705
161
Doctoral
1,145
978
167
Professorship
114
100
14
Miscellaneous credentials
203
156
47
Totals
7,035
6,287
748
The majority of degrees sold can be roughly grouped into the following areas of study:










Business, finance, manufacturing, and commerce
Healthcare, including medicine and the behavioral sciences
Education
Engineering, architecture, computer science, and technology
Law and criminal justice
Physical and biological sciences
Theology and religion
The arts and humanities
Social sciences, social work, journalism, and history
Public safety, environmental management, and urban planning
May 12, 2008
18
Note that some degrees will be included in more than one category (for example, a PhD
in “Biomedical engineering” will appear in the tallies for both healthcare and
engineering.
field of "study"
Assoc. Bach. Masters Doctoral Professor Cert. Total
%
Business, finance, manufacturing,
and commerce
29
1463
882
299
27
67
2767 40.2%
Healthcare, including medicine and
the behavioral sciences
8
279
195
226
20
32
760
11.0%
Education
11
183
140
151
11
20
516
7.5%
Engineering, architecture,
computer science, and technology
19
811
360
128
24
26
1368 19.9%
Law and criminal justice
16
271
99
40
8
5
439
6.4%
Physical and biological sciences
82
43
22
10
0
1
158
2.3%
Theology and religion
3
51
51
77
5
10
197
2.9%
The arts and humanities
5
51
33
61
5
2
157
2.3%
Social sciences, social work,
journalism, and history
0
202
116
79
4
8
409
5.9%
Public safety, environmental
management, and urban planning
3
65
35
9
2
3
117
1.7%
176
3419
1933
1080
106
Total
174 6888 100.0%
The obvious lack of concern for the public’s safety is evident in the total numbers of
degrees issued in fields such as Healthcare, Engineering, and Public Safety.
Some of the healthcare degrees
The following table and graph show the categories of healthcare degrees that were
sold. Note that some degrees (“Nursing education,” for example) will contribute to more
than one category:
Healthcare fields
Field
Nursing
Psychology, counseling, & psychiatry
Substance abuse counseling and treatment
Pediatrics, ob-gyn, general medicine, respiratory medicine
Surgery
Oncology
Dentistry
Radiology
Pharmacy
May 12, 2008
Degrees
47
349
14
36
1
1
10
4
14
19
Occupational health, safety, and medicine
Nutrition
Sports, fitness, and rehabilitation
Public health and education
Laboratory and technical services
Healthcare administration
Hypnotherapy
Alternative medicine
Religious healing
Total
public health and
education
occupational
health, safety, and
medicine
29
14
16
78
22
157
15
36
16
859
pediatrics, obgyn, general
medicine,
respiratory
medicine
Substance abuse
counseling
surgery
oncology
laboratory and
technical services
sports, fitness,
and rehabilitation
counseling,
psychology &
psychiatry
radiology
nutrition
healthcare
administration
dentistry
hypnotherapy
pharmacy
religious healing
nursing
alternative
medicine
Healthcare degrees
The levels of the degrees sold for the healthcare subcategories in the previous table are
shown in the following table and graph. (Note, however, that the total number of degrees
sold is smaller than the sum of categories in the previous table because some degrees
belong to more than one category).
Level of degrees sold
Level
Degrees
Professorships
20
Doctoral
214
May 12, 2008
20
Masters
Bachelors
Certificates
Total
187
263
30
714
Professors
Certificates
Doctoral
Bachelors
Masters
Level of healthcare degrees
Two of the degrees were “Doctor of Medicine” degrees, which can be easily mistaken
for the standard MD degree awarded to physicians upon successful completion of
medical school.
Some of the engineering degrees
The following table and graph show the categories of engineering degrees that were
sold.
Engineering degrees
Field
Degrees
Aviation & aerospace engineering
21
Computer engineering
438
May 12, 2008
21
Environmental engineering
16
Industrial & manufacturing engineering
33
Marine & naval engineering
5
Chemical engineering
14
Civil engineering
28
Mechanical engineering
108
Nuclear engineering
1
Electrical engineering
152
Totals
industrial &
manufacturing
816
marine & naval
nuclear
aviation &
aerospace
environmental
electrical
civil
computer
mechanical
chemical
Engineering degrees
Also of particular note are degrees sold in the Education field: thereby undermining a
child or young adult’s likelihood of receiving the qualified education our society would
expect from a holder of such an advanced degree.
Some of the education degrees
The following table and graph show the categories of education degrees that were sold.
Education degrees
May 12, 2008
22
Field
Degrees
Special education
27
English for foreign speakers; bilingual education
29
Physical education
19
Music and dance
15
Elementary Education
32
Administration
59
Early Childhood Education
57
Health
17
Pedagogy, technology, and curriculum development
30
Foreign language
14
English
14
Science & Math
8
Psychology
15
Religious education
23
Adult education
8
Linguistics and language development
9
Other fields
27
Unspecified
143
Total
546
May 12, 2008
23
Linguistics and
language
development
Adult education
Religious
education
Special education
Psychology
English for foreign
speakers; bilingual
education
Physical
education
Science & Math
English
Music and dance
Foreign language
Pedagogy,
technology, and
curriculum
development
Elementary
Education
Health
Early Childhood
Education
Administration
Education degrees
The degree levels range from Associates degrees through Doctoral degrees and
“professorships.” The next table shows the breakdown of degree levels for education
degrees that contribute to the previous table and graph.
Level of degrees sold
Level
Degrees
Professorships
11
Doctoral
151
Masters
140
Bachelors
180
Associates
11
Certificates
19
Total
512
May 12, 2008
24
Certificate
Professor
Associate
Doctoral
Bachelors
Masters
Levels of education degrees sold
Revenue vs. Time
The transaction date is available in the buyers list for 7,860 of 10,815 degrees
purchased, totaling $5.3 million. The remaining transactions in the buyers list bring the
total sales figure for the defendants’ degree-selling business to somewhat more than
$7.3 million, without indicating the date-of-sale.
Year
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
Sales date unknown
Total sales
Estimated revenue
$5,240
$73,423
$195,717
$1,329,482
$1,618,070
$1,646,290
$470,355
$2,027,887
$7,366,464
A graph of the defendants’ estimated monthly revenues is shown in the following. Note
that this plot only includes the $5.3 million in sales for which dates-of-sale are present in
the “buyers list”. The data show a sharp rise in sales in March 2003, when revenues
soared past $50,000 per month for the first time. Sales remained brisk until April 2005.
May 12, 2008
25
Estimated monthly revenue since 1/1/1999 for transactions in
which buyers list date-of-sale data is available
$0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
$250,000
0
1999
12
2000
Month (1 = January 1999)
24
2001
36
2002
48
2003
60
2004
72
2005
84
Note: this graph only includes
$5.3 million of $7.3 million in
total estimated revenues.
May 12, 2008
26
Size of a stack of diplomas
The industry standard for printed diplomas appears to be 72 lb. parchment paper
.011 inches thick.1
Therefore, if all of the fraudulent degrees and diplomas sold by the defendants were
stacked, and weighted to remove air between documents, the pile of diplomas would be
approximately 10 feet high.
If packaged in 1/8 inch thick diploma covers, the pile would be 110 feet high (likely higher
than the same Federal Courthouse in which the defendants are being sentenced).
1
See Micro Format, Inc. web site: http://www.paper-paper.com/weight.html.
May 12, 2008