Man Guilty of Giving Bogus College Degrees
An Orange County man pleaded guilty Monday to mail fraud for running a “diploma mill” offering degrees from a nonexistent university.
Ronald Pellar, 75, pleaded guilty to nine counts of mail fraud in a Santa Ana courtroom before U.S. District Judge Alicemarie Stotler, Assistant U.S. Atty. Donald Gaffney told City News Service.
Pellar faces a maximum term of 45 years in federal prison, Gaffney said, but prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of five years in prison and payment of a $2.2-million fine and about $2 million in restitution.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
