Former Shaw professor sentenced to prison for mail fraud
A professor who managed a grant-funded program at Shaw University aimed at boosting minority students' interest in science and math has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for mail fraud, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Wednesday.
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Ademola L. Ejire, 53, was also sentenced to two years of supervised release after he leaves prison. He was facing up to 20 years in prison.
Ejire pleaded guilty to mail fraud in August. From 2001 to 2012, he managed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Research Apprenticeship Program at Shaw, which provided grant money for qualified high school students to develop their math and science skills.
Investigators said Ejire pocketed $470,000 in grant funds by mailing bogus timesheets that listed his wife as the program coordinator and his children as grant recipients.
“For years, Ademola Ejire funneled grant money intended for high school students into his own accounts,” John Strong, special agent in charge of the Charlotte division of the FBI, said in a statement. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners uncovered his fraudulent scheme and vow to hold those accountable who are trusted to dispense government funding, but choose instead to line their own pockets.”
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