Ghent Beauty Academy Owner Sentenced for Misapplication of Department of Education Funds

Norfolk, Virginia – William Nathan Harris, Jr., age 59, of Portsmouth, Virginia, was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment and ordered to pay $291,837 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Education, for his conviction of misapplication of Department of Education funds. Chuck Rosenberg, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after Harris' sentencing today.

Harris pled guilty on June 13, 2006, to the charge of misapplication of U.S. Department of Education funds during the operation of Ghent Beauty Academy. From July 2001 through July 2004, Harris received approximately $291,837 in U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid. The federal funds came from Pell Grants and Stafford Loans for students that were enrolled in ineligible nail and barber programs, as well as from students that never attended or withdrew from the school.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph DePadilla prosecuted the case for the United States.