A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

DSU Associate Registrar Pleads Guilty in Tuition Bribery Scandal

Delaware State University logo Dover

DOVER, Del. (AP) - A former associate registrar at Delaware State University has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes to change the registration status of hundreds of out-of-state students so they could pay cheaper in-state tuition at the historically black university.

Crystal Martin pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of federal program bribery, a charge related to the school's receipt of federal funds. She faces up to 10 years in prison, with sentencing set for July 1.

Prosecutors say that between 2013 and 2017, Martin accepted bribes from a DSU graduate who lives in New Jersey in exchange for agreeing to change the registration status of hundreds of out-of-state students, using forged residency documents prepared by the unidentified coconspirator.

The students paid either Martin or her coconspirator, with Martin collecting more than $70,000 in bribes.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.