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Feds Say Detroit Man Fabricated 1,200 Students to Steal $16M
Townhall.com ^ | September 28, 2025 2:00 PM | Scott McClallen

Posted on 09/28/2025 5:22:59 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

Two Detroit men have been charged for defrauding the higher education system in Federal Student Aid, announced United States Attorney Jerome Gorgon.

The first complaint charges Brandon Robinson, 41, of Detroit with wire fraud related to false Federal Student Aid claims submitted in the names of other individuals. 

Between January 2015 and February 2024, Robinson submitted fraudulent FSA claims for more than 1200 individuals, involving over 100 schools in 24 states. 

Robinson caused over $16 million in FSA benefits to be awarded, with more than $10M disbursed. Additionally, the complaint alleges that Robinson also filed over 100 fraudulent unemployment insurance claims between April 2020 and March 2023, causing the disbursement of over $1 million in UI benefits.

Robinson was arrested earlier this week and appeared in federal court this afternoon on the charges.

Court documents say that Robinson is responsible for leading a years-long scheme to obtain fraudulent Federal Student Aid benefits involving so-called “straw students” who were enrolled for the primary purpose of receiving FSA. 

The second complaint charges Michelle Hill, 48, of Detroit with wire fraud, in connection with a separate FSA scheme. Hill was arrested earlier this week and made an initial appearance in federal court.

Court documents say that between July 2015 and July 2025, Hill obtained fraudulent FSA benefits involving more than 80 individuals, predominantly enrolled at Wayne County Community College. 

The complaint alleges that many of these individuals were enrolled in the same or similar degree programs and were taking the same or similar online courses.  It is also alleged that Hill herself often completed the coursework on the students’ behalf, to make it appear that the students were progressing toward degrees and prolonging their eligibility for FSA benefits. 

As a result of the scheme, it is alleged...

(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; US: Michigan
KEYWORDS: brandonrobinson; crime; detroit; education; federalstudentaid; fisa; fraud; fsa; jeromegorgon; michellehill; michigan; scottmcclallen; strawstudents; townhall; waynecounty; wirefraud

1 posted on 09/28/2025 5:22:59 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Fraud in a federal program??? I don’t think so. Those people are pretty careful with a buck.


2 posted on 09/28/2025 5:25:00 PM PDT by shelterguy
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
The definition of “federal program” -— access to millions via fraud, with the attitude “catch me if you can.”
3 posted on 09/28/2025 5:26:57 PM PDT by Worldtraveler once upon a time (Degrow government)
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To: shelterguy

Fraud in Medicare & Medicaid will curl your hair. Any doctor or fake doctor can file a claim for fake services rendered.


4 posted on 09/28/2025 5:33:05 PM PDT by Bobbyvotes (Work is worship! .... Bhagavad Geeta. )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

The FSA is in dire need of a ‘deep dish’ audit.


5 posted on 09/28/2025 5:58:40 PM PDT by lee martell
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Another Robinson.


6 posted on 09/28/2025 5:59:48 PM PDT by jean michael
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To: shelterguy; Liz; Red Badger; SunkenCiv

Hah!
By the time your federal money gets from a blue state Senator through a blue state House Rep through a blue state Governor through a blue state City Mayor through a blue state department administer through a blue city employee (or 12 blue city employees) to a blue state voter, you are lucky if fraud and theft takes “only” 65 percent of the amount.


7 posted on 09/28/2025 6:02:38 PM PDT by Robert A Cook PE
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To: shelterguy; Liz; Red Badger; SunkenCiv

Hah!
By the time your federal money gets from a blue state Senator through a blue state House Rep through a blue state Governor through a blue state City Mayor through a blue state department administer through a blue city employee (or 12 blue city employees) to a blue state voter, you are lucky if fraud and theft takes “only” 65 percent of the amount.


8 posted on 09/28/2025 6:02:42 PM PDT by Robert A Cook PE
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To: shelterguy; Liz; Red Badger; SunkenCiv

Hah!
By the time your federal money gets from a blue state Senator through a blue state House Rep through a blue state Governor through a blue state City Mayor through a blue state department administer through a blue city employee (or 12 blue city employees) to a blue state voter, you are lucky if fraud and theft takes “only” 65 percent of the amount.


9 posted on 09/28/2025 6:02:42 PM PDT by Robert A Cook PE
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

So it took them 10 years to discover the fraud?


10 posted on 09/28/2025 6:08:30 PM PDT by Monterey98
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Stay in your lane, bros. Defrauding the higher education system is the teachers’ Unions job.


11 posted on 09/28/2025 6:25:52 PM PDT by Texas Eagle ("Throw me to the wolves and I'll return leading the pack"- Donald J. Trump)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
I have posted many times that one of the main reasons the Democrats are so hyper focused on student loan forgiveness is because the Democrats from Obama and continuing until today have been running a massive student loan fraud operation and they wish to erase the debt, (especially up to say the first $25,000 per student. where most of the fraud occurs) in student loan debt to cover up their fraud.

If the Trump Administration chases down many of those in default they will discover the fact that many of those students do not even exist and those that do exist never attended a day of school.

This is a prime example of how it's done - and it is done a lot.

12 posted on 09/28/2025 6:43:34 PM PDT by rdcbn1 (..when poets buy guns, tourist season is over................Walter R. Mead.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
I have posted many times that one of the main reasons the Democrats are so hyper focused on student loan forgiveness is because the Democrats from Obama and continuing until today have been running a massive student loan fraud operation and they wish to erase the debt, (especially up to say the first $25,000 per student. where most of the fraud occurs) in student loan debt to cover up their fraud.

If the Trump Administration chases down many of those in default they will discover the fact that many of those students do not even exist and those that do exist never attended a day of school.

This is a prime example of how it's done - and it is done a lot.

13 posted on 09/28/2025 6:43:38 PM PDT by rdcbn1 (..when poets buy guns, tourist season is over................Walter R. Mead.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

20 - 23...

It seems like defrauding the government is easier to do when Democrats are in the white house...


14 posted on 09/28/2025 6:52:17 PM PDT by sit-rep (START DEMANDING INDICTMENTS NOW!!!!!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Schools have been doing this forever to get extra state and federal taxpayer money.
They lie about the number of students and lie about if they can read and write and do arithmetic.


15 posted on 09/29/2025 12:56:37 AM PDT by minnesota_bound (Making money now. Still want much more.)
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To: Bobbyvotes

“””Fraud in Medicare & Medicaid will curl your hair.””

I


16 posted on 09/29/2025 5:34:43 AM PDT by shelterguy
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To: Bobbyvotes

I’m in Minneapolistan. FRAUD CENTRAL.


17 posted on 09/29/2025 5:36:04 AM PDT by shelterguy
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