IT IS A BILLION DOLLAR
BUSINESS.
SELLING FAKE DEGREES TO PEOPLE
WE TRUST.
SOME OF THE BUYERS, COPS,
FIREFIGHTERS, TEACHERS, AND
ENGINEERS RIGHT HERE IN THE
TAMPA BAY AREA.
IN TONIGHT'S INVESTIGATION,
MARK DOUGLAS SHOWS US WHO TAKES
THE DEGREE MILL SHORTCUT.
AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT IT IS.
IT IS.
EVERYONE YOU WILL SEE IN THE
STORY TONIGHT BOUGHT A BOGUS
DEGREE FROM THE WORLD'S BIGGEST
DIPLOMA MILL BASED IN PAKISTAN.
THERE ARE A THOUSAND SO CALLED
GRADUATES LIVING AND WORKING IN
OUR COMMUNITY.
IT TAKES TIME, MONEY, AND HARD
WORK TO EARN A DIPLOMA.
UNLESS OF COURSE YOU TAKE THE
SAME SHORTCUT FORMER TARPON
SPRINGS FIRE CHIEF ROOK BOOKER
DID.
YOU GOT A DEGREE FROM
ALAMEDA UNIVERSITY.
IT TURNS OUT HE BOUGHT HIS
DEGREE ONLINE FROM A BIG
CORPORATION BASED IN PAKISTAN.
NAMED EXACT.
THE WORLD'S MOST NOTORIOUS
DIPLOMA MILL.
THE SCHOOL DOESN'T EXIST.
IT'S SMOKE AND MIRRORS.
THE RETIRED AGENT STARTED
BUSTING DIPLOMA SCAMS 37 YEARS
AGO.
HE'S WRITTEN A BOOK ON DEGREE
MILLS AND BOUGHT HIS OWN
DIPLOMA UNDER AN ASSUMED NAME.
I PAID $1,000 PLUS A 50-
DOLLAR FEE.
HE NEVER TOOK A TEST OR
ATTENDED A CLASS TO EARN HIS
DEGREE FROM ALAMEDA.
THAT'S NOT HOW COLLEGE
WORKS.
I KNOW.
THAT'S WHY I WALKED AWAY FROM
IT.
FIREFIGHTERS OFTEN SUBMIT
COLLEGE DEGREES TO EARN A PAY
BOOST THROUGH A STATE INCENTIVE
PROGRAM.
BUT BUTCHER INSISTS HE NEVER
PROFITED FROM HIS FAKE DIPLOMA.
I DIDN'T BENEFIT IN ANY WAY
SHAPE OR FORM FROM IT.
OUR DATA BASE OF 5600-DEGREE
MILL GRADUATES LED US TO LARRY
FLUTEY.
YOU'RE ON THAT LIST.
HOLY SMOKES.
HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?
WE CONFIRMED HE'S A FLORIDA
LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER.
BUT HE ALSO CLAIMS HE EARNED A
PHD DIPLOMA FROM GRANT
UNIVERSITY.
A DIPLOMA MILL THAT'S VANISHED
FROM THE INTERNET.
HE CAN'T EVEN FIND HIS ALMA
MATER ON THE WEB.
HE SWEARS HE COMPLETED TWO
YEARS OF RIGOROUS COURSE WORK
BUT HAS NOTHING TO SHOW FOR ALL
HIS STUDIES EXCEPT A PDF COPY
OF HIS DIPLOMA.
THE PROBLEM I HAVE IS I HAD
A COMPUTER CRASH.
AND I'VE LOST A LOT OF FILES.
OUR INVESTIGATION ALSO
UNCOVERED A VA POLICE OFFICER
WHO SUBMITTED HIS FAKE DIPLOMA
IN A FAILED BID TO COME POLICE
CHIEF IN FOLK COUNTY'S LAKE
HAMILTON AND A HILLSBOROUGH
SCHOOL DISTRICT ROTC INSTRUCTOR
WHO ADMITS BUYING HIS DIPLOMA
WITHOUT EVER CRACKING THE
BOOKS.
BUT SWEARS HE NEVER USED IT FOR
HIS TEACHING JOB.
THEY'RE DEVALUING EVERYONE'S
LE LEGITIMATE ACADEMIC
CREDENTIALS.
THEY HELPED FEED A BILLION
DOLLAR WORLDWIDE CRIMINAL
ENTERPRISE.
THE SIZE IS STAGGERING.
THE REVENUES ARE EVEN MORE
STAGGERING.
THE DIPLOMA MILL TRADE AND
THE FBI FIRST BUSTED 37 YEARS
AGO IS NOW BIGGER THAN EVER.
HONESTLY, I DON'T KNOW IF
IT'S EVER GOING TO END.
PAKISTAN'S VERSION OF THE
FBI RATED THEM TWO YEARS AGO
AND ARRESTED ALL THE TOP
EXECUTIVES.
PAKISTAN UNCOVERED EVIDENCE OF
THE COMPANY BLACKMAILING
GRADUATES FOR MORE MONEY.
BUT A JUDGE DISMISSED THE CASE.
AND THE COMPANY IS BACK IN
BUSINESS.
HE BOUGHT HIS DIPLOMA TWO
MONTHS AGO.
IT'S ODD.
IT'S BEEN A DECADE SINCE WE
TALKED ABOUT THIS.
BUT IT'S STILL GOING ON.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO SPOT A PHONY
DIPLOMA.
YOU GOOGLE THE SCHOOL.
LOOK FOR REAL STREET ADDRESSES
THAT REALLY EXIST.
ASK A LOCAL LEGITIMATE SCHOOL
LIKE USF OR HILLSBOROUGH
COMMUNITY COLLEGE IF THEY WOULD
ACCEPT CREDITS FROM THE SCHOOL.
IF THEY DON'T, THERE'S YOUR
ANSWER THERE.
THE BIGGEST SHARE THE DIPLOMA
MILL TRADE ODDLY ENOUGH IS HIGH
SCHOOL DIPLOMAS.
TWO OUT OF THREE FAKE DIPLOMAS
IN FLORIDA, HIGH SCHOOL
DIPLOMAS, WE THOUGHT FOR ALL
THE HARD WORK YOU DO AROUND
HERE.
WE CAME ONE A DIPLOMA FOR YOU.
IT'S A BS DEGREE.
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE.
I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING
ANOTHER DIRECTION.
I'M GLAD YOU STUCK WITH THAT.