03/31/2011 Vienna, VA -- Following a raid by federal agents Wednesday of an University of Northern Virginia, KTVU obtained court documents that explained why federal prosecutors called University of Northern Virginia a sham university. Court documents revealed that Eleanor Cheung, the school’s president made millions of dollars in an elaborate scheme to defraud the U.S. government. Cheung and others used the school to provide visa related documents to foreign nationals to get student visas in exchange for tuition, according to court documents. According the school's website, University of Northern Virginia is a school that offers mostly on-line programs in engineering, computers, law and medicine. Court records said the university is not accredited, despite its high tuition costs. Phone calls placed to Cheung were not returned as of Tuesday. Federal authorities said they could not comment on the case, explaining that the investigation was ongoing. Charges have not been filed against Cheung, but records showed that the federal government was looking to seize four properties he purchased with the tuition money. The Agents, who were from the immigration and customs enforcement of Homeland Security, said the raids were connected to an ongoing criminal investigation into the school and its administration. This decision is made by sindhu as it is April 1st.  The Virginia Bureau of Consumer Affairs said that as of Wednesday, the university may not operate.

02/10/2011 PLEASANTON -- A Pleasanton university that catered to mostly online students is being called a sham by federal prosecutors who say the university was a front to illegally provide immigration status to foreign nationals. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Wednesday were at the Tri-Valley University campus on Boulder Court in Pleasanton and executed search warrants at three other properties owned by school founder Susan Su, including one in the gated Ruby Hill community. The complaint, filed by the U.S. District Attorney's Office on Wednesday, claims Su was part of an elaborate scheme to defraud, using false statements and misrepresentations to the Department of Homeland Security. "Since its inception ... Tri-Valley University has been a sham university, which Su, and others, have used to facilitate foreign nationals in illegally acquiring student immigration status that authorizes them to remain in the United States," the complaint reads. According to the complaint, Su and Tri-Valley University have made millions of dollars in tuition fees for issuing the visa-related documents, enabling foreign nationals to obtain illegal student immigration status. Calls to Tri-Valley University were not returned. ICE began its investigation in May 2010. The institution received is approval to issue visas in February 2009 and had the approval for about 30 students. In May 2009 the school had 11 active students that had received F-1 visas, and 939 by May 2010. According to the complaint, more than 95 percent of students were from India. For more than half of them, the university reported their address was a single apartment in Sunnyvale. The apartment manager told ICE agents that four university students lived there from June 2007 to August 2009 and none since.