SOUTH BEND Ind.
Two Michigan City men accused of selling fake Indiana University degrees and transcripts online have shut down the Web sites after the state filed a lawsuit against them.
It was too early to determine how many fake degrees had been issued or how long the Web sites had been in operation, Attorney General Steve Carter said at a news conference Thursday. He said he did not know if the two Web sites DiplomasAndMore.com run by Michael J. Everett and DocumentProfessionals.com run by David Schoettlin offered degrees from other colleges.
The sites also offered fake high school and GED diplomas, Carter said. The lawsuit filed June 27 seeks up to $5,000 for every fake college degree issued.
A telephone message seeking comment was left Thursday by The Associated Press at the office of their attorney, George Ivancevich. There were no telephone listings for Everett or Schoettlin.
The men agreed to a preliminary injunction shutting down their sites. They also agreed to not sell any more documents and not destroy any records.
Carter said selling degrees online devalues legitimate diplomas and can be dangerous.
