Problems continue for Anamarc College
Could a local career training college be closing? ABC 7 continues to investigate the problems at Anamarc College, but could the school have been a victim of fraud leading up to this?
Among other indications, teachers are saying that termination letter was sent out dated today to at least some teachers at Anamarc, terminating their employment effective immediately.
ABC 7 has also learned the college may have been a victim of fraud and embezzlement.
Starting in 2012, Anamarc has been embroiled in a legal battle with Enrique Diaz and his wife, Elsa Lorena Pia. A suit alleges that Diaz, who managed student accounts, and Pia – who was the Registrar, embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from the college’s accounts.
Diaz allegedly also accepted cash from students in return for lower tuition costs.
Court documents obtained by ABC 7 include a copy of a letter that appears to be a confession by Diaz admitting to the fraud and embezzlement, and promising to repay it in exchange for the college’s owners not pressing charges.
The document says “I, Enrique Diaz, do hereby freely and voluntarily admit to having taken monies from student payments in amounts yet to be determined by the completion of an ongoing audit and internal investigation.”
Pia and Diaz are the sister and brother-in-law of school CEO Ana Maria Pia Houde.
That case continues, but teachers and students are still being left in the lurch if the college closes.
“There’s students that pay $2,500, $4,000 a month, out of pocket, of their own money, to attend your school,” said Anastacia Rivers, a student at Anamarc. “And there’s no explanation on why it’s going on. We come to school, and there’s no school.”
Anamarc still hasn’t officially commented. ABC 7 has reached out multiple times throughout the day to the administration and owners of the college in person, by phone and by email.
Students and teachers are saying that Anamarc took an early summer break today. There has been some discussion of it possibly reopening two weeks from now.
