Contra Costa County prosecutors have charged a former Los Medanos College sports assistant with falsifying his financial-aid form — a scheme discovered as the college investigated a residency scam involving football and men's basketball players.

Pittsburg resident Levon Edwards, 55, will be tried on a felony grand-theft charge and could go to prison for three years, said Steve Bolen, a Contra Costa County deputy district attorney. Edwards, who is also a former Los Medanos student and Deer Valley High School custodian, is accused of misleading financial-aid officers in his attempt to win a school-fees waiver.

Edwards was being investigated in connection in a case in which at least 13 Los Medanos football and basketball players from Louisiana and Florida were passed off as California residents so they could pay significantly lower fees from 2006 to 2008.

The average full-time resident student paid $600 in fees during most of that period, while nonresident students paid about $6,000. No students or other Los Medanos employees will be charged, Bolen said.

"This is going to be the extent of our charges," he said.

Edwards could not be reached for comment, and his attorney, Tom O'Connor, did not respond to interview requests.

College administrators and police are still investigating the sports scheme, said Los Medanos President Peter Garcia, but the school also has decided not to discipline students. Edwards misled the

"They probably didn't know the extent of what they were doing," he said. "They were coached into the behavior. When we look at a power relationship, I think the institution needs to be held responsible."

The college began investigating after an opposing coach complained about the many out-of-state athletes at Los Medanos, authorities said.

Garcia said he would send information on the athletics scheme to state and regional sports associations, which will decide whether to sanction Los Medanos teams.

The school declined to renew Edwards' contract shortly after the scam was discovered a year ago, Garcia said.

Administrators have yet to decide whether to punish other Los Medanos employees, he said. The college has taken steps to avoid future problems, Garcia said, including ensuring more careful comparisons between sports paperwork and other college documents.

Matt Krupnick covers higher education. Reach him at 510-208-6488.