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SU founder pleads not guilty
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Posted on Aug 06 2004
Saipan University founder Park Soon Kyung will face trial this month, after he pleaded not guilty to criminal charges for allegedly defrauding the institution’s students during his arraignment at the U.S. District Court yesterday.
Chief Judge Alex R. Munson scheduled the trial to begin by Aug. 23. Park yesterday contested the three counts of interstate and foreign transportation of persons in execution of a scheme to defraud in a superseding indictment filed against him Thursday.
Park allegedly procured at least $5,000 from each of some 88 students recruited from the People’s Republic of China to obtain tuition and fees for their enrollment with SU. Park—known to the Chinese students as “Piao Cun Jing”—allegedly claimed that SU offered more than 20 courses, enough to earn a bachelor’s degree.
The defendant allegedly made several misrepresentations to the prospective students—including the nature of courses offered and the facilities at the SU and the students’ ability to work while studying on Saipan.
Investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation revealed that SU’s recruiting catalog depicted the university as one with “a splendid teaching building, beautiful hotel and scenery, when in fact SU has no textbooks and about 20 secondhand computers of which only one works.”
The FBI also discovered that the university signed a contract with the students, which guaranteed that the latter would earn $600 to $1,500 while attending the university. Park allegedly misrepresented that he would open a hospital specializing in massage or a restaurant to employ SU students
Students have also complained about living conditions at their dormitory. The university, which used to be located at the Nauru Building in Susupe, has already stopped operations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Smith sought the forfeiture of money amounting to not less than $500,000, pertaining to the proceeds allegedly procured unlawfully by Park through the operation of the university. The prosecutors identified Bank of Guam accounts in the name of SU and Tinian University, and an account with the Bank of Hawaii in the name of Jesus I. Taisague, the SU president. (John Ravelo)
