2026-04-30 DOJ SDNY press_release 118 KB 4,366 chars

Florida Woman Pleads Guilty To Orchestrating Multimillion-Dollar Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Fraud

Caption: United States v. Florida Woman, et al.

summary

Nydira Adams, a Florida woman, pleaded guilty to orchestrating a multimillion-dollar federal student loan forgiveness fraud scheme, causing over $5 million in intended losses to the U.S. Department of Education.

paragraph

Nydira Adams, also known as Nadira Adams-McMillan, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for running a scheme that submitted falsified documents to the U.S. Department of Education to obtain Public Service Loan Forgiveness. The scheme targeted the federal student-loan forgiveness program and sought to have more than $5 million in loan debt erased based on false employment and eligibility claims. Adams faces a maximum sentence of 60 months in prison.

narrative

Nydira Adams, a Florida woman known as the 'Student Loan Default Guru,' pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for orchestrating a scheme that defrauded the U.S. Department of Education of over $5 million in federal student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. From March 2023 to January 2025, Adams falsely certified borrowers' employment with public service employers, such as religious institutions and school districts, to qualify them for loan forgiveness, in exchange for thousands of dollars in fees. She submitted fabricated documents and made material misrepresentations to deceive federal officials, directly undermining a program designed to reward genuine public service. Adams' scheme caused an intended loss of over $5 million to the Department of Education. The case was investigated by the Department of Education OIG and U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and is being prosecuted by the Southern District of New York's Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Adams faces a maximum sentence of 60 months in prison. The guilty plea resolves the prosecution pending sentencing.

Enriched metadata

Scheme: health-care-fraud (95%)
Court: Southern District of New York
Outcome: pleaded

Classified health-care-fraud(confidence 95%). No EDGAR filing fingerprint (criminal/DOJ-side scheme). detection rule →

Extracted insights

Dollar amounts 1

$5.00M $5 million $1M–$10M

Entities 5

agency Department of Justice
person florida woman
person fraud division
person nydira adams
scheme_term to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud

Triples 11

Florida Woman Pleads Guilty To Orchestrating Multimillion-Dollar Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Fraud
Nydira Adams Market herself As a Guru
Adams Cause Forgiveness Of Over $5 Million In Federal Student Loan Debt
Adams Operate a Business Under the Name 'Student Loan Default Guru'
Adams Cause Applications To Be Submitted Containing Falsehoods
Adams Claim That One California-Based Borrower Worked Full-Time At a New York-Based Religious Institution
Adams Falsely Represent That Another Borrower Worked Full-Time For a Public School District
Adams Result In Loss Of Over $5 Million To the Department of Education
Adams Plead Guilty To One Count Of Conspiracy To Commit Wire Fraud
Department of Justice Announce Creation Of the Fraud Division
Fraud Division Be Laser-Focused On Investigating And Prosecuting Fraud Against the American People

View original DOJ press releasejustice.gov

Extracted body text (4,366c)

Press Release Florida Woman Pleads Guilty To Orchestrating Multimillion-Dollar Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Fraud Thursday, April 30, 2026 Share FacebookLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. XLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. LinkedInLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. Email For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that NYDIRA ADAMS, a/k/a “Nadira Adams,” a/k/a “Nadira Adams-McMillan,” pled guilty today to carrying out a scheme in which she caused federal student loan borrowers to submit documents containing misrepresentations and false statements to the U.S. Department of Education to take advantage of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. ADAMS’s scheme sought to cause the Department of Education to forgive over $5 million in federal student loan debt based on lies, misrepresentations, and falsehoods. ADAMS pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote.“Nydira Adams marketed herself as a guru, but what she was really selling was fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Adams’s greed cost an important federal program servicing the American public over $5 million. Programs funded by taxpayers and designed to reward genuine public service cannot be treated as personal profit centers. New Yorkers and all Americans want us to make sure their tax dollars are not stolen.”According to court filings and statements made in court proceedings:From at least in or about March 2023 through at least in or about January 2025, Adams held herself out as the “Student Loan Default Guru” and operated a business under the same name. In reality, AdAMS used misrepresentations, false statements, and false documents to deceive the Department of Education into forgiving federal student loans issued to borrowers who paid Adams thousands of dollars for her purported services. On multiple occasions, Adams knowingly and intentionally caused applications for Department of Education relief programs to be submitted that contained falsehoods pertaining to the borrowers’ eligibility for the relief programs. Among other falsehoods, Adams claimed that one California-based borrower worked full-time at a New York-based religious institution and falsely represented that another borrower worked full-time for a public school district. Adams’s scheme resulted in an intended loss of over $5 million to the Department of Education. * * *Adams, 38, of Pensacola, Florida, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 60 months in prison.The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the Department of Education Office of Inspector General – Eastern Regional Office, the New York Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Special Agents assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon C. Thompson is in charge of the prosecution. On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the Fraud Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs. Contact Nicholas Biase, Shelby Wratchford(212) 637-2600 Updated April 30, 2026 Topics Cybercrime Fraud Financial Fraud Component USAO - New York, Southern Press Release Number: 26-116

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