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Roselle couple accused of stealing $205,000 from College of DuPage

A Roselle couple have been charged with stealing $205,580 from the College of DuPage through an elaborate scheme involving financial aid fraud, authorities said Wednesday.

Cedric Ramey, 40, and Mary Allen, 37, both of the 800 block of Shawnee Trail, are being held in DuPage County jail on bonds of $1 million and $500,000, respectively. Neither is affiliated with the Glen Ellyn-based school.

The state's attorney's office says that from February 2012 through May 2014 the pair recruited friends to provide personal information they then used to apply for admission to COD and for loans and grants from the Department of Education, awarded through the school.

The recruits then would withdraw from the courses, collect refunds of tuition balances and split the money with Ramey and Allen, authorities said.

The scheme began to unravel in 2013, when a woman told authorities she received a tuition bill from COD but never attended the school. A probe by COD police with assistance from the state's attorney's financial crimes unit led authorities to Ramey and Allen.

"Not only did the alleged actions of Mr. Ramey and Ms. Allen cost the College of DuPage hundreds of thousands of dollars, their actions may have also hindered other students with a legitimate need in their search of financial aid," DuPage State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a written statement.

A grand jury on Tuesday returned a 20-count indictment against both Ramey and Allen. The most serious charge is theft over $100,000 from a school or place of worship.

Their next court appearance is scheduled for May 22 in front of Judge Robert Miller.

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