CTI Closes Doors (2/19/99)

(2/23/99)

Questions surfaced today concerning the criminal past of one of the founders of Certified Technical Institute. That's the computer school which recently closed its doors and put its students in dire financial straits. News Specialist Scott Light has more.

We first reported last week that CTI shut its doors and left 200 students out in the cold. The company says it's going to file for bankruptcy protection -- but it hasn't filed yet.

In the meantime, students are wondering about the man who founded the company, and left it a few months ago.

His name is Tali Haleua.

He's spent time in prison for theft, but he told me earlier today, his criminal record has nothing to do with CTI's troubles.

Tali Haleua started CTI in 1997 to train students in a booming high tech business world. But from the beginning, students and other high tech schools heard CTI had financial problems.

On top of that, students heard rumors that Haleua had a criminal past, and it turns out the rumors were true.

State prison records show he was convicted of auto theft and deceptive business practices in 1987. In 1997, he pleaded guilty to theft by deception and served a couple months in jail.

It was later that year that he started CTI.

The Utah Board of Regents knew about Haleua's past, but under state law, the Board decided his actions didn't disqualify him from opening his computer training school.

I talked with Haleua. He admits his past and insists that he was trying to make a fresh start with the school.

We also want to point out that Haleua sold CTI about six months ago. He claims at that time, CTI was debt free and doing fine.

Haleua also told us he's prepared to donate more than $100,000 shares of personal stock to the CTI student body.

Some students could certainly use the help -- students paid an average of $15,000 up front.