Two Plead Guilty to Student Loan Fraud Scheme Targeting Northern Virginia Community College

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- Two Louisiana residents have pled guilty to a loan fraud scheme involving Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale.

Ernest Xavier Taylor, Jr., 31, and Tracie Laverne Mixon, 34, both of Hammond, Louisiana, have pleaded guilty to charges relating to unlawfully using the identities of four people to fraudulently obtain federal student loans from Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) and other schools, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The four different people included three who were in prison at the time their identities were used, and the fourth person was recovering in a military hospital after suffering injuries while deployed as a member of the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Taylor Jr. and Mixon would use the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of these four different people on various submissions, but Taylor Jr. and Mixon would supply their own addresses, emails, and telephone numbers to ensure that communications from the Department of Education, NVCC and the other schools would be directed to them. For example, recorded telephone calls captured Taylor Jr. pretending to be the four different identities when calling to check on the status of financial aid from NVCC, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Taylor Jr. and Mixon’s fraudulent actions allegedly caused NVCC and other schools to offer approximately $67,000 in federal student aid to the various identities used by Taylor Jr. and Mixon, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. In addition to NVCC, the other schools targeted by Taylor Jr. and Mixon are: Front Range Community College; Community College of Denver; Portland Community College; and Black Hills State University.

Each could spend up to five years in prison

Taylor Jr. and Mixon each face a mandatory minimum of two years in prison for the aggravated identity theft when sentenced on Oct. 7. Additionally, Taylor Jr. and Mixon face a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy charged in the case, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kathleen Tighe, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General; and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga. Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian D. Harrison and Edward P. Sullivan are prosecuting the case.

The case is being investigated by the Department of Education, Office of Inspector General and the FBI. The investigation received assistance from the Northern Virginia Community College Police Department.