据称，被指控的诈骗者利用被盗身份证件骗取学生援助补助金。联邦检察官周四公布对五名个人的指控，指控他们参与欺诈计划窃取联邦学生援助，这是针对所谓“幽灵学生”祸患的大规模联邦调查中首次提出指控。当局称，所谓的诈骗者通过使用虚假或被盗身份在线注册课程，从而骗取学生援助补助金和贷款，随后销声匿迹，实施了“幽灵学生”诈骗。
The accused scammers allegedly used stolen IDs to secure student-aid grants. Federal prosecutors on Thursday unveiled charges against five individuals accused of participating in fraudulent schemes to steal federal student aid, marking the first charges brought as part of a sprawling federal probe into the scourge of so-called "ghost students." Authorities say the alleged scammers engaged in "ghost student" fraud by using fake or stolen identities to enroll in classes online, where they secured student-aid grants and loans before disappearing.
助理司法部长科林·麦克唐纳周四在新闻发布会上表示，司法部已对内布拉斯加州、弗吉尼亚州和新泽西州的五名个人提出指控，指控他们与外国公民串谋，在显然互不相关的计划中，共同从联邦学生财政援助项目中骗取总计290万美元。指控罪名包括盗窃政府财产、加重身份盗窃和共谋实施电信诈骗。
Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald said at a press conference Thursday that the Justice Department had filed charges against five individuals in Nebraska, Virginia and New Jersey who are accused of conspiring with foreign nationals in apparently unrelated schemes to siphon off a combined $2.9 million from federal student financial aid programs. The charges include theft of government property, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
麦克唐纳说：“如果你窃取美国人的身份，如果你窃取纳税人的钱，如果你利用旨在帮助学生建设未来的项目，我们决心找到你并对你提起诉讼。”
"If you steal American identities, if you steal taxpayer dollars if you exploit programs meant to help students build their future, we are resolved to find you and prosecute you," McDonald said.
内布拉斯加州的嫌疑人在认罪不成立后被羁押候审，而新泽西州的三名嫌疑人尚未答辩。起诉弗吉尼亚州嫌疑人的起诉书目前仍处于保密状态。
The suspect in Nebraska was detained pending trial after pleading not guilty, while the three suspects in New Jersey have not entered pleas. The indictment charging the suspect in Virginia is still under seal.
官员表示，周四公布的刑事指控是名为“捉鬼行动”的政府全方位调查的一部分，该调查跨越全国26个联邦调查局地方办公室的40多起案件。
Officials said the criminal charges unveiled Thursday are part of a government-wide investigation called "Operation Ghostbusters," which spans more than 40 cases in 26 FBI field offices across the country.
美国广播公司新闻部和美国广播公司旗下电视台此前曾调查这一日益猖獗的骗局，官员称，该骗局每年给联邦政府造成数亿美元损失，留下了数量不详的受害者。
ABC News and ABC-owned stations previously examined the growing scam, which officials say has cost the federal government hundreds of millions of dollars each year, leaving an untold number of victims in its wake.
官员称，仅在加利福尼亚州，2024年社区大学申请者中近三分之一被认定为欺诈性申请。
In California alone, nearly a third of all community college applicants in 2024 were identified as fraudulent, officials say.