York University says it has discovered that a controversial executive it fired in 2010 over fraud allegations misrepresented his academic credentials when it hired him, the Toronto Star reported. The Canadian institution is in the midst of a lawsuit accusing the former official, Michael Markicevic, of leading a scheme involving two dozen other parties that featured scores of fraudulent home-improvement invoices. Mr. Markicevic has denied the lawsuit’s claims.
Mr. Markicevic submitted a résumé for a management position at York that said he held an M.B.A. degree from “Auburn State University,” the newspaper reported. The university’s lawyers noted that no such institution exists, and confronted him with correspondence from Auburn University indicating that he neither attended nor received a degree from the Alabama institution. However, when York announced his appointment, in 2004, the institution said he had a degree from Auburn, according to the newspaper.
