UCF professors implicated in alleged cheating scandal say investigation was ‘sloppy and flawed’

ORLANDO, Fla. — The two University of Central Florida professors who were recently implicated in an alledged cheating scandal are fighting back, calling the university's investigation "sloppy and flawed".

In a statement released Thursday, professor Dr. Lauren Reinerman-Jones and assistant professor Dr. Daniel Barber said the school deliberately and wrongfully besmirched them.

Last month, UCF said it was going to terminate the director of the Institute for Simulation and Training and the two professors following a lengthy investigation.

READ: 3 UCF employees face termination after bribery investigation

The university said the group was involved in helping a student obtain a doctoral degree in exchange for grant funding.

But the professors said that investigation was filled with “opinion and speculation.”

Their statement said the investigation relied on an unauthorized search of secured labs and computers, performed by an unqualified individual adding that the investigators found no evidence that either Reinerman-Jones or Barber were complicit in plagiarism.

READ: Former UCF administrator says he lost his job after filing whistleblower complaint; university disagrees

The statement goes on to say that the allegation against Reinerman-Jones that a Phd was awarded as quid pro quo is not based on specific facts but rather “opinion and speculation,”

and that investigators couldn't find specific information because the investigators misspelled the name of a business.

The two professors said they are working to resolve the issue and clear their names.

In a statement, UCF said it was reviewing the materials submitted on behalf of Barber and Reinerman-Jones as part of their due process.

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