Port Authority Official Defends Online Degree

A suspended Port Authority of New York and New Jersey official is defending an online degree he received from a now-defunct school.

Jay Alpert was suspended with pay earlier this week. His attorney said Friday the senior manager is now suspended without pay.

Port Authority officials are reviewing masters and bachelor's degrees in criminal justice Alpert received from LaSalle University in Louisiana. The distance-learning school closed after its founder was imprisoned on federal fraud charges in 1997.

Attorney Sam Davis calls the suspension "punitive and uncalled for." He says LaSalle gave Alpert credit for courses he'd taken at other accredited universities but that he was required to write papers and read books in the courses in which he received waivers.

The Port Authority didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.

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