A Kenyan national living in Nebraska in the United States has been charged with forgery over allegations that he stole the identities of American citizens, enrolled them in online colleges without their knowledge and cashed student aid cheques worth about Sh2.56 million ($20,397) issued in their names.
Francis Smith Mogambi, a resident of Lincoln, faces a charge of second-degree forgery, a serious criminal offence under Nebraska law. The charge follows a months-long investigation by the Lincoln Police Department into an alleged scheme involving several American colleges and universities.
According to a sworn statement filed in the case, Mogambi allegedly worked with relatives in Kenya to steal the personal details of US citizens, enrol them in online courses and claim federal student aid on their behalf, with part of the money allegedly sent to Kenya.
The investigation began in April 2026, when police were called to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Student Union following a report of suspected fraud.
A witness familiar with the alleged scheme told detectives that Mogambi had been receiving financial aid cheques made out to students who had been fraudulently enrolled in online colleges, signing them over to himself and depositing the money into his own bank accounts.
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The witness said he learned about the scheme when Mogambi tried to recruit him, offering him about Sh259,000 ($2,000) a week to take part.
Detectives later reviewed photographs of cheques and other documents found at Mogambi’s home, including records from Grand Canyon University. They found that two of the cheques had been sent to his address.
Police then obtained financial records and electronic copies of 10 cheques issued by institutions including Grand Canyon University, American Public University, Colorado Technical University, Ultimate Medical Academy and Chemeketa Community College.
“The cheques were drawn on behalf of different purported students, but they all carried endorsements payable to Francis Smith Mogambi in what appeared to be the same handwriting,” police said.
College records showed that applications had been made for the maximum amount of federal student loans available, and the money was subsequently paid out in the names of the people listed as students.
Some victims discovered the fraud when the loans appeared on their credit reports. On July 10, 2026, investigators interviewed a man from Wisconsin who said he discovered he had been enrolled at Colorado Technical University after a student loan appeared on his credit record.
He told police he had never applied to the institution and knew nothing about any student aid cheques issued in his name. Other victims gave similar accounts, saying they had never applied for loans, did not know they had been enrolled in any college and had never authorised Mogambi to cash cheques for them.
To establish the scale of the alleged fraud, police obtained Mogambi’s records from Bank of America, Wells Fargo, US Bank and Chase Bank through legal orders. They concluded that fraudulent cheques worth about $20,397 had been cashed.
Investigators said they tried to interview Mogambi about the allegations, but he declined to be interviewed.
Student aid fraud of this kind can cause lasting harm to victims, damaging their credit records and their ability to obtain legitimate loans or grants in future. Nebraska authorities have urged anyone who suspects their identity has been stolen to report it to the police promptly, while colleges have been encouraged to strengthen their checks on applicants.
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