INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (AP) -- Federal agents Wednesday searched the headquarters of ITT Technical Institutes and its trade schools in eight states, preventing many students from attending classes while officers combed through buildings and questioned faculty.
The Indianapolis-based chain of 77 trade schools said the investigation involved records of such things as student attendance, graduation and recruitment. Most ITT students receive federal financial aid.
Rene R. Champagne, chairman and chief executive, said in a statement that the company was cooperating with investigators. "We have not been informed of any specific allegations or charges at this time," he said.
U.S. Attorney Michael Shelby of Houston, whose office is leading the investigation, issued a statement saying "no conclusions should be drawn from today's activity."
Shelby said law enforcement officers went to ITT campuses in Indiana, Texas, Virginia, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, California and Oregon.
Law enforcement officers did not allow students, staff or faculty to enter about 10 of ITT's campuses. Classes elsewhere were unaffected, and ITT hoped to resume all classes Thursday, company spokeswoman Nancy Brown said.
At the 1,300-student Indianapolis campus, federal postal inspectors searched buildings, and faculty and staff were questioned.
"They've given us no idea specifically what they're looking for," said Brown, who was shut out of the company's headquarters in the Indianapolis suburb of Carmel.
ITT operates in 30 states and has about 37,000 students. The schools offer associate's and bachelor's degrees in technology-related fields such as electronics, computer programming and telecommunications.
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