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Chinese Man on Student Visa Sentenced in Counterfeiting Case

FILE - Counterfeit iPhone accessories are seen in this handout photograph taken Oct. 23, 2011. A Chinese national in the U.S. on a student visa was sentenced Tuesday for smuggling counterfeit Apple products from China into the U.S.
FILE - Counterfeit iPhone accessories are seen in this handout photograph taken Oct. 23, 2011. A Chinese national in the U.S. on a student visa was sentenced Tuesday for smuggling counterfeit Apple products from China into the U.S.

A Chinese national in the United States on a student visa was sentenced to three years in prison Tuesday for smuggling counterfeit Apple products from China into the U.S.

Jianhua "Jeff" Li, 44, pleaded guilty in the District of New Jersey to one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods and labels and smuggle goods into the United States, and one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Products coming from China included fake iPhones and iPads, according to court documents.

"From July 2009 through February 2014, Li, working through his company Dream Digitals, conspired with Andreina Becerra, Roberto Volpe, Rosario LaMarca and others to smuggle and traffic into the United States from China more than 40,000 electronic devices and accessories, including iPads and iPhones, along with labels and packaging bearing counterfeit Apple trademarks," the Justice Department wrote in a news release.

Li's sentence will be followed by a year of supervised release.

Li shipped the devices separately from the labels to avoid detection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials, the release said.

"The devices were then shipped to conspirators in the United States. Proceeds were funneled back to conspirator accounts in Florida and New Jersey via structured cash deposits and then a portion was transferred to conspirators in Italy, further disguising the source of the funds. Over $1.1 million in sales proceeds were wired from U.S. accounts into accounts Li controlled overseas," the release said.

LaMarca, Becerra and Volpe previously pleaded guilty to their respective roles in the scheme. LaMarca was sentenced July 21, 2017, to serve 37 months in prison.

Becerra and Volpe were sentenced Oct. 15, 2018, to serve three years' probation and 22 months in prison, respectively.

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San Diego school requires course in climate change 

FILE - San Diego firefighters help Humberto Maciel rescue his dog from his flooded home in Merced, California, Jan. 10, 2023.
FILE - San Diego firefighters help Humberto Maciel rescue his dog from his flooded home in Merced, California, Jan. 10, 2023.

If you want an undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego, you’re going to have to take a course in climate change.

The requirement, which affects students who will graduate in 2028, is meant to prepare students for the future, according to a report by ABC News. (October 2024)

‘Study away’ programs in the US can provide enrichment opportunities 

FILE - Students walk on the campus of Boston College, April 29, 2024, in Boston.
FILE - Students walk on the campus of Boston College, April 29, 2024, in Boston.

While studying abroad can expose students to new cultures and experiences, researchers are finding that domestic ‘study away’ programs can be helpful as well.

Some students, including those on an international visa, may not be able to study abroad, but they can travel to other locations in the U.S. for enrichment experiences, Ashley Mowreader writes in Inside Higher Ed. (October 2024)

Fewer students disclose race in applications to top colleges 

FILE - An unidentified person walks past Harvard yard at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 7, 2023
FILE - An unidentified person walks past Harvard yard at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 7, 2023

FAfter the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in college admissions last year, fewer students are disclosing their race or ethnicity in applications to top colleges.

Writing in USA Today, Zachary Schermele notes that the data is preliminary, but it could signal a change in the way students are approaching college applications. (October 2024)

Overall college enrollment is up, first-year enrollment down 

FILE - A student delivers packages to the dormitory at DePaul University in Chicago, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024.
FILE - A student delivers packages to the dormitory at DePaul University in Chicago, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024.

For the second year since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, college enrollment has climbed in the United States.

But the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center noticed a substantial drop in the number of freshmen, which could be troubling for future enrollment, according to a report in Forbes. (October 2024)

South African universities embrace AI, seeing it as equalizing tool

South African universities embrace AI, seeing it as equalizing tool
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The rise of AI tools like ChatGPT has sparked debate in higher education, raising questions about ethics and integrity in teaching, learning and knowledge creation. In South Africa, some academic institutions are taking a proactive approach, integrating AI into their curricula. Experts say this step is not only innovative but also helps level the playing field among students. Zaheer Cassim reports from Johannesburg.

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