Student at the center of Howard financial aid scandal maintains innocence

Tyrone Hankerson Jr., the student who allegedly misappropriated thousands of dollars in financial aid at Howard University, maintained his innocence in a statement released by his attorney.

Hankerson,  25, who grew up in Atlanta and moved to Washington, D.C. for school, said in a statement that he had done “nothing illegal or wrong. When the truth comes out, it will be confirmed that I followed all rules and protocol with the approval of the, then, financial aid officers in any grants, scholarships or awards given to me as a student who attended class all year round and traveled abroad.

“Please also know that I would never do anything to hurt an institution I love so much or the thousands of students who are a part of the Howard University Family that I had the privilege to serve during my undergraduate experience at Howard.. It is very sad that in an attempt to attack the current leadership of the school, a portion of my financial profile was illegally shared with media outlets, without any conversation or approval from me or my legal team.”

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Hankerson is represented by Atlanta attorney James Walker Jr.

Walker represents a number of several high-profile clients.

His areas of expertise include tax, nonprofits, entertainment law, television contracts, litigation, business law, intellectual property and corporate law.

Howard officials have fired six employees after an investigation.

According to the Washington Post,  the  investigation revealed that from 2007 to 2016, some employees who received tuition benefits also received university grants.

Hankerson is alleged to have embezzled $429,000 from funds earmarked for financial aid.

Meanwhile, students at Howard continued to hold campus protests over a variety of issues including tuition hikes and housing.