What happens when grant money ends up in the wrong hands? Things get weird, very weird.

Scott Jaschik from Inside Higher Ed reports.

Scholarships for Sex

The financial aid director at North Idaho College was arrested this month and fired for offering to trade scholarships for sex with a student. However, the student wasn’t real.
Joseph Bekken was arrested and jailed on charged of attempted misuse of public funds, attempted procurement of prostitution, burglary, using a computer in a scheme to defraud and bribery.

According to a police report, authorities tracked him down after spotting an ad on Craigslist in the Casual Encounters section that left officers thinking that a faculty member might be inappropriately approaching students at the college, known by its acronym, NIC. The ad indicated a willingness to help a range of students: “Hello. I have a proposition for NIC students. E-mail me and we can discuss.” He then specified that he would be open to women, men or couples.

Authorities then contacted the college, which reported that officials there had been told of a similar post last year, which they at the time believed to be from a faculty member. But they were unable to track down the sender. This time, the college created a fake e-mail account in a student’s name so that police officers could communicate with the person who had posted the Craigslist ad. In e-mail exchanges, the man later identified as Bekken wrote: “I have some grant money that I can get applied to your account. I just look for some fun in return.”