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Test-prep giant Princeton Review is charged with ripping off the feds for millions
Manhattan US. Attorney Preet Bharara says they charged for teaching students in the city that never received
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara says test-prep giant Princeton Review ripped off the federal government.
Test-prep firm Princeton Review swindled the federal government out of millions by falsely claiming it tutored needy city kids, the Manhattan U.S. attorney charges.
From 2006 to 2010, Princeton Review was reimbursed for tutoring services that were either faked or inflated, said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, whose office filed a civil fraud suit Tuesday.
“The Princeton Review and its employees were supposed to tutor needy students, not cheat a federal program,” said Bharara, who didn’t specify how much money is involved.
During those years, city education officials paid Princeton Review $38 million for tutoring funded by the federal government under No Child Left Behind, the suit says.
During that time, Princeton Review staffers submitted phony attendance forms and invoices for thousands of hours of instruction, the suit claims.
Bharara said staffers changed hundreds of kids’ absent marks to present — in one case falsely signing in a student named Dontae as “Donate.”
The company billed for sessions with kids who were on vacation and gave some site managers bonuses of up to $9,600 for reporting high daily attendance, the suit says.
Princeton Review officials said the division responsible for the troubled tutoring program was killed in 2010, and all those employees are gone.
“We are working closely with the U.S. attorney’s office to resolve this matter,” said company spokeswoman Robin Weinberg.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/test...4#ixzz1tj1WNeyI
Manhattan US. Attorney Preet Bharara says they charged for teaching students in the city that never received
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara says test-prep giant Princeton Review ripped off the federal government.
Test-prep firm Princeton Review swindled the federal government out of millions by falsely claiming it tutored needy city kids, the Manhattan U.S. attorney charges.
From 2006 to 2010, Princeton Review was reimbursed for tutoring services that were either faked or inflated, said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, whose office filed a civil fraud suit Tuesday.
“The Princeton Review and its employees were supposed to tutor needy students, not cheat a federal program,” said Bharara, who didn’t specify how much money is involved.
During those years, city education officials paid Princeton Review $38 million for tutoring funded by the federal government under No Child Left Behind, the suit says.
During that time, Princeton Review staffers submitted phony attendance forms and invoices for thousands of hours of instruction, the suit claims.
Bharara said staffers changed hundreds of kids’ absent marks to present — in one case falsely signing in a student named Dontae as “Donate.”
The company billed for sessions with kids who were on vacation and gave some site managers bonuses of up to $9,600 for reporting high daily attendance, the suit says.
Princeton Review officials said the division responsible for the troubled tutoring program was killed in 2010, and all those employees are gone.
“We are working closely with the U.S. attorney’s office to resolve this matter,” said company spokeswoman Robin Weinberg.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/test...4#ixzz1tj1WNeyI
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