WHERE ARE FROM THOSE "DEGREES" EARNED FROM?

A Dade County grand jury released a report Monday along with two indictments after investigating a case where up to 100 teachers in the Miami-Dade School District apparantly purchased fake college credits and credentials to renew their state teaching licenses or become approved to teach additional subjects.

Long time PE teacher William McCoggle from Miami turned himself in to authorities Monday morning before the grand jury report was released. He was charged with grand theft and organized fraud, both first degree felonies.

McCoggle had an agreement with Eastern Oklahoma State College to offer noncredit classes using it's name and accreditation, but it was reportedly never approved by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and ended with the resignation of EOSC's president (This link is to a meeting of the OSRHE and it's compliance review of the agreement - scroll to page 82). However, McCoggle allegedly collected a quarter million dollars through his company, Move On Toward Education And Training (MOTET) for providing fake transcripts without having to attend classes, do any homework, or taking tests.

Another teacher, 26-year-old James Majors, was indicted and charged with grand theft. Majors claimed that he earned a bachelors' degree from Vernell University --- a Middletown, New York school known as an unaccredited "degree mill" which has since declared bankruptcy --- as well as masters' and doctoral degrees from Florida State University. What should have run up a red flag but was not caught by local or state officials is that Majors claimed to have earned the three degrees within as many months. He taught 14 months in Dade middle schools, and was only caught when he applied for a teaching position in neighbouring Broward County.