Charge Is Dropped Against Ex-Official in Chapel Hill Academic Scandal

Prosecutors have dropped a felony charge against Julius Nyang’oro, the former department chair at the center of an academic scandal that has rocked the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the News & Observer reports.

The Orange County district attorney, Jim Woodall, said the charge had been dismissed because of Mr. Nyang’oro’s cooperation with both a criminal investigation and an independent inquiry set to be completed in the fall.

Mr. Nyang’oro had been charged with obtaining property on false pretenses, for accepting $12,000 for a class he did not teach. The allegation was part of large-scale fraud in the department, which featured fake classes populated by disproportionate numbers of athletes. The independent investigation, led by a former U.S. Justice Department official, seeks to find the origin and extent of the fraud.

Prompted by the willingness of individuals “who were previously uncooperative” to talk to its staff, the NCAA announced on Monday that it would resume its 2011 investigation into academic irregularities at the university.