LATEST FLASH NEWS ABOUT TRIVALLEY UNIVERSITY!!!!!

[sresta]

The U.S. District Attorney's Office has filed a complaint alleging that a small private school in Pleasanton called Tri-Valley University is part of an elaborate scheme to defraud students and the Department of Homeland Security.

According to a complaint filed Jan. 19, which aims to forfeit the school property and several homes in Pleasanton and Livermore, the school's president, Susan Su of Pleasanton, and her associates created a "sham university," that helped foreign nationals in "illegally acquiring student immigration status" authorizing them to stay in the United States.

The complaint said Tri-Valley University got approval to issue student visa documents based on false information. The documents have allowed some students to stay in the United States on F-1 student status, which is for those temporarily in the country for academic purposes.

The school has made millions of dollars in tuition fees, according to the documents, some from students who may not have been legitimately taking classes.

According to teachers and students Patch has spoken with, the bulk of classes offered at Tri-Valley University are online. Its  main office is located in a business park on Bancroft Court and its website states that in April 2010 it purchased a building that featured a library, a faculty-student area, classrooms and research labs.

The school's website describes itself as a "Christian Higher Education Institution aiming to offer rigorous and excellent quality academic programs in the context of Christian faith and world view." It advertises that students can earn degrees from bachelor's to doctorates in engineering, business, law and health sciences.

According to investigators, the school had 1,555 immigrant students on F-1 visas as of September 2010.

The complaint states that Su allegedly committed mail fraud, visa fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.

Calls to the school on Wednesday and today went unanswered.

On Wednesday, federal agents from the U.S. Homeland Security department descended on Pleasanton to investigate properties owned by Su. The properties included the Tri-Valley University offices,  one home on Victoria Ridge Court and another at 1371 Germano Way, in the gated Ruby Hill community.

The Ruby Hill home had been in foreclosure several weeks ago, say local real estate agents. The sale in December was an "REO" — a bank-transacted, "real-estate owned" post-foreclosure sale.

When the five-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath home was constructed in 2005, it sold for nearly $2.7 million, according to public records.

Officials from both the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have declined to comment on the case, saying that the investigation is ongoing.

Su is named as the sole defendant in the complaint, and all parties are scheduled to appear in at the U.S. District Court in San Francisco on April 27 at 1:30 p.m.

The California Bureau of Consumer Affairs confirmed that Tri-Valley University is currently not approved for operation.

Russ Heimerich, spokesperson for the bureau, said the agency denied the school's application to operate because it was found that it did not have accreditation from a national crediting agency.

After Pleasanton Patch published a story about the raid Wednesday, dozens of students began e-mailing the site and posting questions and comments online asking for advice about everything from who to call to get help or how to avoid running afoul of immigration laws.

One student said she was vacationing in India and did not know what she should do when she returns to the United States.

Heimerich says students legitimately enrolled at the school can call the Bureau of Private, Post-Secondary Education at 1-888-370-7589 to learn more about their options.

He said the next steps or actions a student can take will depend on each individual.

According to a press release posted on the Immigration and Customs website, in August 2010 a woman who owned a language school in Florida was sentenced to 15 months in prison for student visa fraud. According to officials, that school illegally issued student visa related documents to foreign nationals. The woman had to forfeit $600,000 in assets and 116 students at the school were placed on administrative arrest for student visa violations.

Lori Haley, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said those who have immigration-related questions can check the agency's website for more information.

Susan C. Schena contributed to this report.

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[littlestar]

"116 students at the school were placed on administrative arrest for student visa violations" dani meaning evadanna seppandi sCo_hmmthink sCo_hmmthink