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Three charged with stealing $20M in 'Free College Benefit Program'
The Center Square ^ | 10/8/26 | David Beasley

Posted on 10/08/2026 3:11:02 PM PDT by CFW

(The Center Square) – An Ohio college that touted a “Free College Benefit Program” was actually illegally funded with millions in taxpayer dollars, according to indictments released Thursday.

A grand jury in Jefferson County indicted three people for stealing $20 million from Eastern Gateway Community College, a state school which has now closed, Ohio State Auditor Keith Faber said.

Michael Perik, Nicole Rowe Colclasure and Michael Geoghegan are accused of diverting Pell grants and other federal financial aid state funds through “fraudulent reimbursements and illegal incentive payments, “ Faber said Thursday.

The “Free College Benefit Program” caused the school’s enrollment to jump, Faber said. Many of the new students lived out of state and took online classes, according to the auditor.

“These public resources were supposed to help disadvantaged students in an area of the state where educational opportunities were scarce,” Faber said. “Instead, it appears these individuals took advantage of their positions, and students were left out in the cold.”

Perik is accused of using four separate for-profit companies he owned to divert money from the college. Those companies controlled attendance verification, enrollment, fees, access to financial and other “critical functions” at the college, according to Faber.

[snip]

Gateway Community College, a public, two-year community college operating under the authority of the Ohio Department of Public Education, was closed in 2025.

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


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; US: Ohio
KEYWORDS: college; democratcorruption; democrats; fraud; ohio; publicschools; schooldistrictfraud
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Every day there is at least one new story of fraud in which crooks (mostly foreigners) are stealing our tax dollars. The Democrats (and most Republicans) have looked the other way for the past two decades because it benefited their bank account and reelection campaign.

Obama made it legal to steal from Americans. All checks and balances were ignored. THIS is why our nation is in so much debt.

1 posted on 10/08/2026 3:11:02 PM PDT by CFW
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To: CFW
Faber

Could open his own place.


2 posted on 10/08/2026 3:16:44 PM PDT by Libloather (Why do climate change hoax deniers live in mansions on the beach?)
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To: CFW

If these programs didn’t exist in the first place, then nobody could ever steal from them.


3 posted on 10/08/2026 3:16:58 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is opinion or satire. Or both.)
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To: CFW

That’s what Nicole gets for hanging out with two Mikes.
Around here, one is enough.


4 posted on 10/08/2026 3:21:10 PM PDT by ComputerGuy
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To: CFW

So Perik, Colclasure and Geoghegan get life in prison and have to pay it back?


5 posted on 10/08/2026 3:23:58 PM PDT by PGalt (Past Peak Civilization?)
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To: CFW

Why does anything FREE always COST the Taxpayers? *SPIT*

Glad these rats got caught. Now, do all the other states!


6 posted on 10/08/2026 3:26:36 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: CFW

https://egcc.edu/

The College is Closed
Explore Your Options Below

Effective September 30th, 2025 the college is permanently closed. Please view your transfer options & FAQ below. Transcripts and replacement diplomas can be ordered electronically 24/7 through the parchment website. All student accounts have been terminated as of Friday, May 30, 2025.


7 posted on 10/08/2026 3:33:14 PM PDT by PeterPrinciple ((Thinking Caps are no longer being issued, but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere))
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To: CFW

Michael Perik, Nicole Rowe Colclasure and Michael Geoghegan are accused of diverting Pell grants and other federal financial aid state funds through “fraudulent reimbursements and illegal incentive payments, “


for those that didn’t read the article, only the headline.


8 posted on 10/08/2026 3:34:54 PM PDT by PeterPrinciple ((Thinking Caps are no longer being issued, but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere))
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To: BenLurkin

No truer words have been spoken. It seems our government has become a fount by which unaccountable giveaway programs get created and never audited.


9 posted on 10/08/2026 3:40:48 PM PDT by VTenigma (Conspiracy theory is the new "spoiler alert")
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To: VTenigma

More news from today:

Two non-citizens were arrested and charged today in Alabama with UNLAWFULLY VOTING in federal elections.

1) A Jamaican national Staciann Pollion Davis, 42, a lawful permanent resident, (shown below) was charged by criminal complaint with allegedly voting as an alien in the November 2024 general election.

2) A Peruvian national Silvia Delgado Phelps, 78, a lawful permanent resident, was charged by criminal complaint with allegedly voting as an alien in multiple elections in Baldwin County, Alabama.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdal/pr/non-citizens-charged-election-crimes?fbclid=IwY2xjawU03IBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mAXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR4v5rDd1gUizKYek5HDaJejEurni85m5S2ytEjTrzMk04TTD3Tt4bggwokQhg_aem_UDpmQLDRPJf0alOlOB1SlA

I wonder how many of the election fraudster’s “foot soldiers” will see some of these new stories on arrests and say “Nah, I’m not doing it this year”.


10 posted on 10/08/2026 4:00:48 PM PDT by CFW
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To: BenLurkin

Bingo.

Uniparty programs.


11 posted on 10/08/2026 4:05:09 PM PDT by Fledermaus (Free Republic is going to be intolerable during the Republican Presidential primary in 2028.)
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To: BenLurkin
If these programs didn’t exist in the first place, then nobody could ever steal from them.

Didn't one of the fraudsters in MN or CA audaciously blame the government for not being better watchdogs to top them from stealing?

Old saying: If it's free then it's for me, I'll take three.

12 posted on 10/08/2026 5:33:27 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: frank ballenger

typo. to stop them


13 posted on 10/08/2026 5:34:27 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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