Houston’s Victorian Beauty College was fined a record $250,000 and permanently closed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The school was known across the country as a place where an individual could purchase a Texas cosmetology license without attending the required school training. “Students” could even pay to have someone else take the licensing examinations for them.

These violations of Texas law have nationwide implications. Students with addresses in at least 25 states were enrolled at Victorian Beauty College, and it is believed that many of them had no intention of practicing as a licensed cosmetologist in Texas; rather they would apply for reciprocity in their state.

In addition to the fine, VBC’s operators agreed to relinquish their licenses and to refrain forever from practicing cosmetology, cosmetology training, or any related occupation. They agreed to furnish information about no less than 45 students across the U.S. who obtained class hours or had examinations taken for them by school personnel.