Florida GOP Candidate Accused of Faking College Diploma

Miami University has reportedly called out a Republican candidate running for a Florida legislative seat for allegedly fabricating her college credentials. Melissa Howard, running for the GOP nomination for a House seat, had apparently gone to great lengths earlier this week to dispute claims she’d faked her Miami University degree, having flown back to Ohio to supposedly obtain her transcripts as proof. Howard then posted photos on Facebook of herself posing proudly with her Bachelor of Science in Marketing. On Saturday, however, Miami University general counsel Robin Parker reportedly reached out to local news outlets the Herald-Tribune and FLA News Online to dispute Howard’s claims. Parker was quoted by both publications saying that while Howard did attend the university, there is no record of her earning a degree. The school also sounded the alarm over other inconsistencies in Howard’s story, saying they do not offer a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and that the signatures shown on her supposed diploma don’t match the school officials who would have signed the diploma. Howard has yet to comment on the allegations.