Man, Woman From Louisiana Accused of Using Veterans' IDs to Defraud Northern Virginia Community College

A man and woman from Louisiana created bogus college applications to siphon federal financial aid payments from the second largest community college in the country, according to a grand jury indictment filed Thursday afternoon.

Investigators with the U.S. Department of Education Office of the Inspector General arrested Tracie Mixon and Ernest Taylor.

In the filings, agents detail a series of efforts by Mixon and Taylor to defraud Northern Virginia Community College. Mixon is Taylor's aunt, according to the documents.

Prosecutors said they stole the identities of at least four people -- including a U.S. Army veteran wounded in Afghanistan -- and registered them as students at the school.

According to the indictment, the pair used their own addresses for those students and that is where the college sent any loan money that was in excess of required school expenses.

The pair's scheme caused Northern Virginia Community College to offer $34,548 in federal loans to the two in 2015, the indictment said.

Those filings also said there is evidence Taylor stole the identities of military veterans to commit the crime, because he became aware large aid awards were available to people with a "military status."

Taylor and Mixon are scheduled to appear in federal court in Alexandria May 27. They are charged with wire fraud, financial aid fraud and identity theft.

Records show the pair were arrested in Louisiana on the same charges in 2011.

Contact Us