Fed Jury Finds Man Guilty Of Defrauding UConn In Fake Student Case

STORRS, CT — A Ghanaian national living in Fairfield County has been found guilty of fraud in a case of creating fake students with illegally obtained funds at the University of Connecticut.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, said Tuesday that a federal jury in Hartford has found 35-year-old Dickson Alorwornu guilty of fraud offenses. He is also known as "Dixon Al,"and is a citizen of Ghana who has been residing in Greenwich, Avery said.

The trial before U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala began on Oct. 23 and the jury returned guilty verdicts on both counts of an indictment Tuesday afternoon.

According to case records, in December 2017, Alorwornu used other people's names, fake Social Security numbers, and email addresses to submit two non-degree student applications to the University of Connecticut. He then used American Express card information that had been stolen from three people to fund the two student accounts for a total of more than $62,000 in fraudulently obtained funds, Avery said.

In early 2018, Alorwornu withdrew from the courses and requested that UConn refund the money he had deposited, according to case records. UConn subsequently transferred tens of thousands of dollars to bank accounts Alorwornu controlled, according to case records.

The investigation revealed that the email accounts that Alorwornu used to defraud UConn were also used to commit fraud at other universities, Avery said.

The jury found Alorwornu guilty of two counts of wire fraud, an offense that carries a maximum prison term of 20 years on each count. Judge Nagala scheduled sentencing for Feb. 19.

Alorwornu was arrested on Feb. 1, 2023. He is released on a $50,000 bond, pending sentencing.