FINANCIAL AID DIRECTOR BUSTED FOR SOLICITING SEX IN EXCHANGE FOR SCHOLARSHIPS

JOSEPH BEKKEN

The director of financial aid at North Idaho College was arrested and charged with soliciting sex in exchange for scholarships.

Joseph Bekken had reportedly been making these solicitations through Craigslist’s “casual encounters” section, directed at both men and women, at Idaho and when he previously worked at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.

Spokane police recently discovered, according to The Spokesman-Review, a post by Bekken on Craigslist offering a “proposition for NIC students.” They asked Bekken for more information and he said, “I have some grant money that I can get applied to your account. I just look for some fun in return.”

They sent the posting along to the FBI, who, in turn, alerted local police. The Coeur d’Alene police set up a fake account accepting Bekken’s offer. They exchanged messages for over a week, with Bekken saying at one point, “Well, I’m really antsy honestly. I’ve never done anything like this and I hope it doesn’t come back to bite me. Anyhow, I hope you are discreet and I will be to (sic). If this works, we can keep it going for future semesters.”

They eventually arranged to meet, Bekken got $587 for the fake student, and the cops ended up arresting him. He’s been charged with several felony charges, including solicitation and misuse of public funds.