Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-11-25
bogus CREDITS.
aAsR are
Law and Medical Students
Obtain Fake Certificates,
Registrar Of New York College
Charges Forgery.
4
Detectives Hunting for Former As.
p ssistants$ 90 for Diploma.

New York. Nov. o4.-Fraudulent is
sue of certificates giving to students
of law. medicine and dentistry credit
for work in the College of the City of
New York. although they had not done
such work. is charged in an indict-
rrent found yesterday against a for
mer employee in the Office of A. d. An
uerso.1, the c. G.. y. Y. registrar. The
omission Of date on one of the GER
tificates, issued to a young man in
tending to make dentistry his profess
SIGN. leo to an investigation by Anier
son. AS result, he complained TO the
district attorney that at least rs such
certificates We're issued Improperly
and that on several of them his name
was forged. The number of these GER
tiiicates may run into the scores. Sew
eral of the certificates were issued to
young men who We're not even stu
dents in the college. ...-
To become Il LAWYER Il doctor or
dentist in this state man must have
a specified regents credit and must
file proof of having such credit. Ger
tificates from colleges are accepted
to show the required studying has been
doEe. and it is such certificates, Ander-
son says. that We're forged. He added
that several OF the spurious certificates
bore his genuine signature. because, in
the hurry Of business in the college,
he signed many certificates on the pre-
sumption that his assistant. who las
beer accused, made Investigations to
satisfy himself that the persons to
who,n such papers were issued were
entitled to them.
Detectives in the district attorneys
office are out searching for Ander-
sons former. subordinate. AS soon as
he discovered the irregularities in the
issuance Of the certificates Anderson
brought tie case to. the attention Of the
trustees of the college. Two weeks ago
they requested the man to resign. He
did so. and detectives who went out
with q warrant for his arrest after the
indictment was found say he has de-
parted from the city. They We're in
formed that he got a place as tray
cling salesman.
Probably the most startling feature
in connection with the alleged fraud
ulent issue of the certificates is that
those Who obtained the benefit of
them may be required to explain how
they got them. The district attorneys
aids intimated that ii the eXplanat tons
were not satisfactory the young men
Involved might lose credit for all the
work they did. Those who had be-
come lawyers. physicians or dentists,
it was said. might lose their right to
practice in this state.
Several of the young men who re-
ceived the certificates We're called as
witnesses before the grand jury to aid
it in finding the indictment. In the
district attorneys Office it was assert
ed that evidence was obtained to show
that from S25 to 800 was paid for each
of the certificates. Andcrson's inyes-
tiSation was supplemented by probe
|conductde by the trustees of the COL
lege through committee headed by
Charles strauss. which gave the evil
dcnce to the district attorney.
Although it was limited that most of
the invalid certificates bore forged
signatures. the indictment charges a
violation of a section of the educa-
ton law which makes it INSIDE
i1leanor for any one to buy. sell or is
sue q fraudulent diploma of any uni
:'ers:ty or college. The penalty is a
years imprisonment or fine Of $500
The certificates are held to be equiv
alent to diplomas, in that they give
credit for certain amount of college
work equivalent to study that must
be obtained to entitle the student to
a certain number of Regents counts.
The one certificate which got through
without being dated was sent back to
the registrar to be corrected. Amber
aor at once pronounced it fraudu-
lent. .-