Feds decline to bring charges against Olivet University

Federal investigators from the Department of Homeland Security have declined to file charges against California-based Olivet University in relation to human trafficking allegations made by four former students, according to a Tuesday court filing. The students in 2024 had sued the school claiming university leaders lured them to the United States with the promise of scholarships and forced them to work long hours without pay. They also claimed school staff confined them to the Olivet campus in the California desert city of Anza. However, the school has denied the allegations and claimed the students were instead attempting to convert their temporary visas into permanent residencies through a federal benefit that allows victims of trafficking to remain in the United States for up to four years. According to the University Herald, the plaintiffs were named as defendants in a countersuit brought by the university.

What do we know about Olivet? Pastor David Jang founded the university in 2000 and the school has since opened extension campuses around the country. It is accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education Commission on Education and offers degrees in music, journalism, education, business, and religion. The state of New York in 2022 shut down the local campus in Dover over alleged financial mismanagement and criminal business violations, and California last year revoked the school’s approval to operate. A company tied to Jang, IBT Media, purchased Newsweek in 2013. Newsweek CEO Dev Pragad later purchased a 50% stake in the news organization after individuals connected to Jang were charged with fraud.