Two former Louisiana college students were charged with conspiring to fraudulently obtain CARES Act funds that had been earmarked for college students.

Late last month, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said the two conspired to defraud students from Louisiana College in Pineville, Louisiana, by hacking the college portal to apply for financial aid grants using the names of other students.

Hayden Philip Breaux, 21, and D’Quincy Marquis Jones, 23, both of Louisiana, allegedly used student identification numbers and passwords to apply for emergency financial aid grants, according to a March 25 press release.

They were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit identity theft and five counts of identity theft.

The pair allegedly directed payments toward their own bank accounts between June 5 and June 20, 2020, according to the DOJ statement.

Louisiana College received the emergency funds through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Passed by Congress in March 2020, the CARES Act allocated $2.2 trillion in stimulus funds to provide economic assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Louisiana College has and will continue to cooperate fully with the federal investigation,” Elizabeth Clarke, Louisiana College communications director, said in the press release. “Once college officials discovered possible fraudulent activity by grant recipients in June 2020, we immediately notified law enforcement officials and an investigation ensued.”

The statement said neither Breaux nor Jones is a current Louisiana College student.

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The Yale Dale News, the campus newspaper, takes a look at the situation here.

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"The community at Whitman College made sure I felt welcomed even before I stepped foot on campus," she says.

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Cedarville University in the U.S. state of Ohio says it’s got more than 140 international students representing 44 countries.

Here, the school interviews Jonathan Sutton, director of international student services. He talks about his job and the opportunities for international students on campus.

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Morehouse College, a private, historically Black liberal arts college in the U.S. state of Georgia, offers a guide for international students interested in attending the school.

Among the tips to apply and thrive at Morehouse:

• Take advantage of the school’s orientation program
• Turn to the school’s Center for Academic Success for tutoring, support and more
• Immerse yourself in campus life via clubs and societies

Read the full article here.