At the end of September 2019 US based education agency EduBoston suddenly shut up shop leaving client schools and hundreds of Chinese international students with unpaid tuition fees (see Boston Globe and PIE News). The company specialised in recruiting and enrolling Chinese international students at US High Schools.
Here’s the company’s promo video on YouTube, which was still live as at 30 December 2020:
On 27 November 2019 the US Department of Justice announced that the owner of EduBoston, Keenam “Kason” Park, was charged in relation to a scheme to defraud high schools and international students of millions of dollars in tuition and other fees.
Park was arrested on 28 November and appeared in federal court that day charged with one count of wire fraud.
It is alleged that, over a period of nine years between 2010 and 2019:
- EduBoston (a trading name of K&B Education Group LLC) worked with private high schools across at least 10 US states to recruit international students.
- EduBoston collected tuition and other fees from the students’ families which should have been paid to its client schools.
- The funds were not paid and EduBoston owes over US$5 million to client schools.
- Park used the money for personal lifestyle expenses.
Guilty as charged
On 10 August Park pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. According to the terms of the plea agreement, the government will recommend a sentence of 51 months in prison, two years of supervised release and a fine and restitution/forfeiture of at least $5,192,330.
Doing time
On 9 December 2020 Park was sentenced by a US Court to 60 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of at least $5,192,330.