A former Bentley University student is suing after he was expelled from the university due to involvement in a pyramid scheme. The senior claims he was wrongfully blamed.
The plaintiff, who is being referred to as John Smith in the lawsuit, was a senior at the Massachusetts university with an offer to be a Graduate Student-Athlete at Bryant University. Smith claims the university has since revoked their offer after his expulsion. Bentley University is renowned for their business programs, with an average cost after aid being around $40,000 annually.
John Smith is reported as a “coach and mentor” for children in his community, as well as being involved in a group for Christian athletes, and the Bentley Investment Group. The statement furthers that a Venmo money-making scheme had been circulating around Bentley University for years, being especially popular with athletes. Smith claims he has heard about team members being involved since he was a freshman.
In the lawsuit, Smith claims he was recruited into a money-making opportunity by someone named Eli, who asked him to recruit other athletes and students. Smith claims he was unaware of Venmo-based scams and told other team members about it. Thousands of dollars were transferred over online banking apps such as Venmo and Cashapp, with the majority of money ending up with Eli, Smith claims. Eli would then transfer it to Smith and others working under him. It was not stated if Eli was a student or not, as the pair met over Snapchat.
When students began to realize that they were losing money, one student confronted Smith and asked for their money back, totaling over $4,000. Smith claims he was threatened by the unnamed student, who then reported him to the Bentley Police after Smith didn’t pay the student back. This resulted in a disciplinary hearing involving Smith and other students. Smith was charged with psychological harassment.
Smith was suspended, then expelled after an investigation and decision by the Student Conduct Board. His request to appeal was denied. His lawsuit claims that he was wrongfully blamed for the scheme and should not have been expelled. He furthers that he was not provided with proper information about his hearing and came underprepared with evidence, and was not informed of his ability to change his statement. The suit is seeking for Bentley to rescind its expulsion, hold a new disciplinary case and pay him at least $75,000 along with attorney fees.
Neither Bentley University nor the attorneys representing John Smith have released further statements at this time.