A federal grand jury in Medford has returned a nine-count indictment against a Central Point woman for fraudulently obtaining over $36,000 in federal student aid…by enrolling her dead spouse in three different colleges and universities.
Between September 2017 and April 2019, 55-year-old Cynthia Pickering allegedly signed up her late spouse at Eastern Oregon University, Rogue Community College, and Western Oregon University, and submitted multiple applications for federal student aid. This prompted the institutions to disperse the funds into Pickering’s checking account. She attended online classes posing as her spouse to collect the money.
After her arrest on Tuesday, Pickering pled not guilty before a U.S. Magistrate judge. She’s been released pending trial in late January. Wire fraud is punishable up to 20 years in prison, and student aid fraud up to five years.
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