FBI searches Anamarc College, home of college’s owners
The FBI has confirmed with ABC-7 that it served search warrants to Anamarc College at its Dyer and Santa Teresa, N.M. locations early Wednesday morning.
The FBI was also at the home of Anamarc College owners in El Paso’s Upper Valley. The owners are Ana Maria Pina Houde, CEO of the college, and her husband, Marc Houde, who is the CFO.
FBI officials says that the investigation is still ongoing and did not give further details.
Agents could be seen at the home on Little Lane in the Upper Valley loading items into the back of a black SUV.
An ABC-7 crew also spotted dozens of boxes and files being removed from the Northeast El Paso Anamarc College location on Dyer Street.
Witnesses near the Santa Teresa, NM Anamarc location told ABC-7 they saw FBI agents earlier in the day taking boxes and files from the location on Airport Road, too.
This is the same school that suddenly shut down this summer, leaving students without their money or education.
Last month, Anamarc first told students that summer vacation was beginning early, then told its accrediting agency that it would be closing down entirely.
The school then had to come up with a plan to let its students continue their education, refund their tuition, or face loss of accreditation and possible debarrment from ever operating a school again.
Nearly 600 students were left with no college credit and given no warning when the school closed.
In court documents previously obtained by the ABC-7 I Team, Anamarc alleges employees Enrique Diaz and his wife, Elsa Lorena Pina, embezzled at least a half-a-million dollars from the college’s accounts.
They are the brother-in-law and sister of the CEO.
Diaz admitted in a letter to accepting cash from students in return for lower tuition costs.
KVIA’s Past Anamarc Coverage
Click on links from most recent to oldest.
Some Anamarc students take exams, others wait for info article July 22, 2014 Deadline for Anamarc’s plan for students article July 22, 2014 Congressman Beto O’Rourke meets with Anamarc college students about closing of college article July 21, 2014 Angry Anamarc College students react to school’s sudden closure article July 21, 2014 Problems continue for Anamarc College article July 21, 2014 Anamarc students working to finish degrees video July 17, 2014 Anamarc update: Students finishing exams video July 14, 2014 Anamarc students told not to return video July 11, 2014 Deadline arrives for Anamarc’s student plan video July 11, 2014 Anamarc College financial problems go back years article July 07, 2014 Former employees say Anamarc was mismanaged financially video July 02, 2014 Anamarc reaction video July 01, 2014 Anamarc closing? Video July 01, 2014
