Tampa college official, co-conspirator convicted of embezzling aid for students

A pair of Tampa residents are facing decades in federal prison after being convicted this week on multiple counts of wire fraud for embezzling $835,000 from an unidentified higher education institution.

The pair, Andrea Mitchell, 54, and Lester Best, 53, were found guilty Monday of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 22 counts of wire fraud. Mitchell was also found guilty on two counts of two counts of aggravated identity theft.

According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, they face 20 years in federal prison on each of the conspiracy and fraud counts. Mitchell’s additional convictions call for a two-year mandatory sentence for each count.