High school counselor accused of ‘changing her daughter’s grades to get college scholarships’

A West Virginia high school counselor is accused of using a school computer program to raise her daughter’s grades in order for the teen to obtain college scholarship money. 

Mellissa Krystynak, 49, of Stuart, Florida, has been indicted on six counts of mail fraud.

The mother worked as a counselor from 2011 until 2017 at Greenbrier West High School in Charmco, West Virginia.

Two of Krystynak’s children also attended the school. 

US Attorney Mike Stuart said in a news release that Krystynak used her administrative access to change more than 35 of her daughter’s grades. 

It says one daughter was awarded more than $10,000 in scholarships during her senior year in 2017. 

Those scholarships were merit-based and she applied using fraudulent report cards and transcripts.

The checks would then be mailed to her daughter’s college.  

If convicted, Krystynak faces up to 20 years in prison for each count – totaling up to 120 years if found guilty.  

It is unclear if she performed the alleged grade inflation for more than one of her daughters and how the investigation unfolded. 

It is also unclear which college her daughter goes to and if her children will face any consequences.

She is set to appear on October 3 in front of US Magistrate Omar Aboulhosn. 

Krystynak was a counselor at Greenbrier West High School from 2011-2017