Authorities arrested four Chinese nationals Thursday who were involved in a scheme to falsely take college entrance exams.
The students, aged 21 to 24, used the exam scores to gain admission to Arizona State University, Northeastern University, Penn State University, and, according to prosecutors, paid nearly $7,000 to do it.
After they were admitted, the three were issued student visas by the U.S. State Department.
They face immigration-related charges of conspiring to defraud the United States, prosecutors say. Lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The latest case followed a similar one in 2015 when the U.S. Justice Department charged 15 Chinese nationals in a scheme to pay others to take college entrance exams.
The Institute of International Education reports more Chinese students are enrolling in U.S. colleges and universities, growing by 9 percent over in the 2015-2016 school year.
