Buyers of bogus degrees named

Bill Morlin & Jim Camden | Spokane | July 30

The Spokesman-Review - Hundreds of people working in the military, government and education are on a list of almost 10,000 people who spent $7.3 million buying phony and counterfeit high school and college degrees from a Spokane diploma mill.

The complete list of buyers, which the U.S. Department of Justice has refused to release to the public, has been obtained by The Spokesman-Review.

"There are people in high places with these degrees, and only one of them has been charged with a crime," a source familiar with the list said Monday.

A preliminary analysis of the list by The Spokesman-Review shows 135 individuals with ties to the military, 39 with links to educational institutions and 17 employed by government agencies. Those numbers were derived from e-mail addresses that are part of the list obtained by the newspaper.

Audio: Reporter Bill Morlin talks about who is named in the list

However, the exact number of individuals with ties to the military, government and education is believed to be far greater because many of those buyers used their personal e-mail accounts.

The list includes NASA employee Timothy Francis Gorman, who bought an electrical engineering degree using his e-mail account at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to correspond with the diploma mill, and U.S. Department of Health oncology expert Frank S. Govern, who purchased a doctorate in health care administration.

National Security Agency employees David W. Barden and Barry A. Hester both bought degrees. Hester, who was a computer Web trainer and designer for the NSA with top-secret clearance, paid $1,187 for an information systems and technology degree, the list shows.

Eric Gregory Cole, who was a contract employee for the Central Intelligence Agency, paid $3,801 for a degree in information systems management. His top-secret clearance at the CIA was revoked late last year, months after his name was forwarded to the Office of Inspector General, according to one source.

"It was like pulling teeth to get them to do anything about this guy," the source said.

Eight people who set up and operated the diploma mill, including ringleader Dixie Ellen Randock, were indicted and convicted of federal crimes. Randock, a 58-year-old high school dropout, was sentenced to three years in prison.

Tina July 30, 2008 - 9:45am

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( categories: Miscellany | News )

Diploma mill degree recipients, by organization

Here is a list of people who purchased bogus or counterfeit degrees and certificates and have e-mail address extensions with .mil, .gov or .edu in them. This identifies them as working for the military or government, or attending or working for an education institution.

Some names are annotated with an asterisk (*). These individuals didn't necessarily buy degrees, but their names surfaced for various reasons during Operation Gold Seal, sources familiar with the investigation said Tuesday. They said these individuals should not be considered as confirmed degree buyers

here

Tina July 30, 2008 - 9:50am

Who is hiring these people?

This type of story surfaces periodically, how people with bogus degrees can end up having fairly important jobs at government agencies like NASA.

Given that these places advertise all over the internet now, I would imagine that some gullible souls were taken in by their sales pitch and thought they were getting something of value.

However, I've always wondered how the people doing the hiring don't know the names of these notorious diploma mills and weed the applicants claiming degrees from them out -- particularly at, duh, NASA, NSA Are they really that stupid? Or is there something else going on, i.e. the institution already has their stooge in place or ready to hire, but must adhere to requirement for a certain degree and possibly guiding them to such a mill, and be able to tell THEIR supervisor, yeah, he/ she has a degree....

And how well can these people with IT degrees fit in with their counterparts who really have accredited qualifications?

And then again, there are the true fakers who deliberately seek these institutions out to lend some credibility to them. I knew a man who got a Ph D in Psychology in a VERY short period of time. He was such a screwball I couldn't imagine any accredited institution conferring a degree upon him. When asked where he graduated, he would smile and say, "Columbia." Conveniently, his diploma mill had a very similar name to the prestigious university in NY. I see him on national tv from time to time as "an expert parapsychologist, PhD." I guess he has a delusion that he is the Bill Murray character from Ghostbusters, but as a "parapsychologist" he is unlikely to do much harm. \

But, in conclusion, I can only repeat what Michael Rivero observed, which is, "This explains a lot."

lawalz July 30, 2008 - 9:32pm

It might be interesting

to analyze a bunch of these folks performance evaluations then look at the average evaluations where they work. I suspect you'd find that while some of them suck, some don't. In particular, about half of the best techs I know have no academic training in programming at all. Back when I was loosely involved with that field, I considered asking for a B.Sc. in Comp. Sci ridiculous. Show me your code!

Ian Welsh July 31, 2008 - 11:20pm

I missed this post,

and I so agree with it.

http://mauberly.blogspot.com/

mauberly August 1, 2008 - 7:02pm

Bush?

Don't see Bush's name on the list, and his degree was in exchange for money...he did go to college for some years, I suspect not to work...

Him and all the "legacy" students.

Synoia July 30, 2008 - 5:07pm

Kerry's grades were worse

http://mauberly.blogspot.com/

mauberly July 30, 2008 - 8:44pm

IOKIYAR

Right?

Synoia July 30, 2008 - 5:10pm

Tina...

... kudos for bringing this great piece of Investigative Journalism to the Agonist.

My question will begin with the shopworn analogy: When you see ONE COCKROACH...?? Does Spokane have the only (or largest) Diploma Mill out there? Or, are there (many) others?

THANKS! JB

jbaspen July 30, 2008 - 5:25pm

list of diploma mills

and other unaccredited schools can be viewed here:
http://www.osac.state.or.us/oda/unaccredited.aspx

Tina July 31, 2008 - 2:42am

lol Aussies just buy a sickie for $40.00

news items here. Referenced website no longer works...

graham July 31, 2008 - 3:20am

For the US and Canada too...

There are links off the "fakedoctorsnote.com" page. But don't go there--it's a really odious site with sound and popups.

Petronius July 31, 2008 - 2:20pm

Surely the dumbest part

is forking over bunches of dollars for a bogus degree in the first place. If you're bound and determined to get a job by fraudulent means, why not just whip up a fancy diploma on ye olde photoshoppe in the privacy of your own home. Something vaguely British might be particularly impressive. Simple. Cheap. Just as likely to lead to your sudden dismissal in a cloud of shame as the costly one. Or a lengthy prison term where you can while away the hours working on a legitimate degree. A literal no-brainer.

Chickadee July 31, 2008 - 3:39pm

Psst. Hey mister. Wanna buy a doctorate?

Well, I've been checking 'em out and so far I'm terribly partial to Olde Belford U. "No admissions. No attendance. No hassle." Their Online PhD and Doctorate degree program promises

This university diploma programs and degree programs allow professionals and working adults like you to get Doctorate degrees online on the basis of life experience or by submitting a Doctoral Thesis. You can receive this accredited degree online without attending classes or taking admissions anywhere.

Life experience? Hey, I've got life experience. What could be easier?

Well, uhm, there's the $549 bux part, but listen, your PhD package will include the following documents:

• 1 Original Accredited Life Degree
• 2 Original Transcripts
• 1 Award of Excellence
• 1 Certificate of Distinction
• 1 Certificate of Membership
• 4 Education Verification Letters

All this in just 7 days with 100 percent money back guarantee.

I hope their server doesn't break with the made rush of Agonistas - or at least those with "life experience" - racing over there to become instant experts. Making a choice from the vast list of majors available may be the most time consuming part of the process. Personally, I'm torn between Medicine and Law. Anybody think a degree in "Women's Spirtuality" has good job prospects? I wonder if you get money off on that "endonontics" degree if you know what it is. If you don't know, of course, you'll have to submit a thesis. Bummer. Better to go for the "Aviation Management" degree instead. Hell, everybody's been on a plane.

Chickadee August 2, 2008 - 12:22am

The best part

If Your Preferred Major is not Listed Here

We offer a wide range of majors under this program. If you are unable to find the major that you are looking for, however, just type it here and we will introduce it as a new addition to our doctorate curriculum.

Perhaps a nice pastime would inventing majors and convincing them to offer them. Hopefully there is no fee involved.

_{"Frankly, we've lost a lot in recent years." - General Colin Powell}

Raja August 2, 2008 - 12:15pm

Waste Management?

Seems profitable in some circles for qualified individuals with life experience. (See "Sopranos").

Also, for the career minded, a "Private Contractor" degree with a major in "Interrogation Procedures" has seen a surge in demand over the past few years.

Chickadee August 2, 2008 - 1:37pm

PhD, the easy way

Tribune reporter Russell Working tells about his adventures with diploma mills, where $699 and 'life experience' would earn him a degree in just about anything.

Chicago Tribune, By Russell Working, August 9, 2008

Brain surgery, anyone?

Just slip on a hospital gown and step into my operating cubicle here at the Tribune.

Let me clear my desk of printouts, unwashed coffee cups and old newspapers so you can stretch out. Comfy? Now, I'll need a tool sharp enough to crack open your skull. Scissors might work, if I hammer on them with my shoe.

There, there. Trust me. I'm a doctor—or I will be as soon as I fork over my medical school tuition.

Recently, I received approval for a series of bogus academic credentials, including a "Doctorate Degree in Medicine & Surgery" from a diploma mill called Ashwood University. All I have to do is persuade my editors to pay $699 "tuition," including a $75 surcharge guaranteeing me a 4.0 grade-point average.

Suddenly, degree mills are a hot topic. Some 9,600 people nationwide—among them Berwyn police officers and a Chicago Public Schools instructor—are suspected of buying junk degrees from St. Regis University, a criminal enterprise in Washington state in which eight employees have pleaded guilty to fraud.

_{"Frankly, we've lost a lot in recent years." - General Colin Powell}

Raja August 10, 2008 - 10:36am

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