DETROIT (FOX 2) - A 48-year-old Detroit woman pleaded guilty in federal court to a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $2.5 million in federal student aid funds.
Michelle Denise Hill, said she spent more than a decade filing fraudulent applications for Pell Grants and Federal Direct Student Loans in more than 80 different people's names.
All the fake students she was applying for money for were to attend Wayne County Community College (WCCC) in Detroit.
According to court records, the students she applied for never attended college. Hill obtained the necessary high school diplomas on their
behalf, with many from the same Florida online "fast-track" school, and completed their WCCC online coursework for them, often simultaneously, to create the appearance of academic progress and extend their eligibility for aid across multiple semesters.
Hill paid the students part of the aid money for the use of their identity, according to court documents.
As a result of the scheme, Hill caused more than $3,000,000 in federal student aid benefits to be awarded, with approximately $2,530,854 actually disbursed on the fraudulent claims. Hill has agreed to
pay $2,530,854 in restitution to the Department of Education.
Hill pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Brandy R. McMillion. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 3, where she faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.