A 41-year-old nursing home administrator last week was charged with fraud by Pennsylvania officials.

The New Jersey woman allegedly started up several nursing schools and then took off with tuition money paid by prospective nursing students. She has been charged with felony fraud, engaging in deceptive business practices and running corrupt organizations.

She allegedly defrauded people out of "tens of thousands of dollars," police in Upper Merion Township said. The town is nearly 300 miles east of Pittsburgh.

Officials say the woman created two schools that purported to teach licensed practical nurses how to become registered nurses. One school was in Upper Merion and the other was in Delaware.

The schools reportedly had paid teaching staffs. Students were charged $10,000 each in tuition.

However, the four Pennsylvania students were sent letters from the school telling them that they had been expelled for failing to attend the required number of classes, though the students claim they exceeded attendance requirements.

Students requested refunds, but were denied. Several of the students then filed complaints with the local police, according to a newspaper account.

Pennsylvania police officials say they learned that Delaware law enforcement had also been receiving complaints from students, claiming that they, too, had been kicked out of school without good reason.

Officials say the woman also runs a New Jersey beauty school and they are investigating whether there might be legal problems there.

Clearly, she faces significant criminal charges here in Pennsylvania and possibly elsewhere. However, in any number of fraud cases, the real dispute is over accounting practices rather than actual crimes.

Source: phillyburbs.com: "Woman accused of nursing school scam arrested in Willingboro" by Matt Chiappardi: Sept. 25, 2011