DURHAM -- N.C. Central University could be stripped of some decision-making power if it fails to deal with problems raised in a state report that found at least five NCCU employees used fake Social Security cards.

"They have three months to fully rectify the problems that have been identified or risk losing part of their financial flexibility," said Joni Worthington, a spokeswoman for the UNC Board of Governors.

The board runs the UNC system, of which NCCU is a member.

NCCU contends it has taken action in light of the report, issued Monday by state Auditor Les Merritt's office.

But university officials have remained tight-lipped on whether the employees still work at NCCU and what action, if any, has been taken.

The report found nine NCCU employees who used fake Social Security numbers -- seven that had never been issued and two that belonged to dead people.

The five workers the auditors managed to find admitted they'd bought their cards illegally.

The UNC Board of Governors expects NCCU to conduct an internal audit and develop a plan that deals with the report's findings to the satisfaction of both auditors and the board, Worthington said.

The auditor's report said the university had "taken appropriate actions." But NCCU officials have not revealed whether the employees involved have been fired, their countries of origin or what their jobs were.

A Thursday statement released via e-mail through spokeswoman Sharon Saunders said the university "has strengthened its verification process of Social Security numbers, which includes online verification with the Social Security Administration."

But Saunders said personnel information can't legally be released. Attorneys in NCCU's legal affairs department did not respond to requests for comment.

Also unclear is which prosecutors will have jurisdiction over the case and which enforcement agencies may follow up on the report. Auditors said the document would be sent to Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong, state Attorney General Roy Cooper and U.S. Attorney Anna Mills Wagoner.

Wagoner hadn't received the audit by the end of last week and wasn't sure whether the case would fall under her jurisdiction, echoing a Tuesday statement by Nifong.

"A lot of times you have concurrent jurisdiction with the state and the federal," she said. "It would really depend on the facts of the case. It's where the evidence leads us."

That evidence also will determine which federal agencies could investigate the case if Wagoner decides it should be handled federally. Those agencies could include Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the FBI, but most likely would start with the Social Security Administration, prosecutors said.

Chris Mears, Merritt's director of public affairs, said auditors already have begun checking with the state Division of Motor Vehicles to find out whether the fraudulent Social Security card holders in the report who had valid North Carolina driver's licenses used their numbers to get them.

"We are working with DMV now," Mears said.

If nothing is found, he said, "There may not be a report."

Auditors said numbers resulting from computers "mining" data to uncover irregularities led them to NCCU and may indicate a widespread problem among state agencies.

U.S. Rep. David Price, D-4th, said immigration reform legislation upon which the House and Senate failed to agree this year was designed in part to crack down on the kind of document fraud the audit revealed.

"This is part of a larger problem," he said. "There's been a lot of slippage in enforcement."
 

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