A Brooklyn couple is accused of preying on immigrant families in Chinatown who wanted to take English as a second language classes, reports NBC NY.
Police say they collected nearly 25-thousand dollars in tuition payments before abruptly shutting down the school.
Patrick and Joanne Panettieri were arrested in Syracuse two weeks after the school shut down.
Authorities believe they targeted both Asian and Hispanic immigrants.
“As soon as I walked in, I felt like they just needed me to work that day because they had nobody else,” said Benjamin Gabrielle, a former teacher at the school.
Bail has been set at $150,000.