An Indian medicine graduate has pleaded guilty to charges of loan and scholarship fraud before a US judge in Boston.
36-year-old Arijit Kumar Chowdhury, Tufts School of Medicine graduate, pleaded guilty to a three-count indictment charging him with illegally obtaining approximately USD 98,965 in Stafford loans, fraudulently receiving a half-tuition scholarship from Tufts and lying to US Department of Health and Human Services in order to receive a USD 36,666 grant directed towards disadvantaged students.
Chowdhury, who graduated with both MD and MPH degrees from the medical school, was registered there under the name Steven Valdez, US Justice Department said in a press release.
"As soon as we became aware of the fraud, we cooperated with the US Attorney's Office and conducted our own review of the facts," Dickens Mathieu, the senior labour and employment counsel of the University, said.
Chowdhury, who pleaded guilty to the charges before US District Judge Joseph Tauro on Monday, is yet to be sentenced. Tauro has set the sentencing date for March three next year.
Chawdhury faces a maximum 5-year prison sentence followed by a three year supervised release and a USD 250,000 fine for each of the three counts, according to the US Attorney Office.
He also faces deportation to India following completion of his sentence.
{{/usCountry}}He also faces deportation to India following completion of his sentence.
{{/usCountry}}Prosecuting Assistant Paul Levenson told the court that evidence proves that Chowdhury entered the US in 1980s on a student visa from Texas A&M University. He quit after two years at the school and his visa expired. He nevertheless remained in the US using the name Steven Valdez.