It sounds incredible: trusted Texas officials with phony, even illegal diplomas. 

But that’s exactly what the 11News Defenders have found. Experts say it is all part of an attempt to get ahead- the wrong way.

Medical professionals, police, teachers -- in our society, we rely on people to be highly trained experts. Often, they have proof of their expertise such as diplomas and degrees.

But what if some things aren't what they seem?

There's no doubt what Clayton Lust cares about.

11 News: “You love history?”

Lust: “Love telling about it, love talking about it, love reading about it.”

So he went back to school to get an advanced degree.

But he said, “Getting a Ph.D. is not easy.”

One reason why?

“You are going to read at least, at least 150 books a year,” Lust said. “It's a full time job; there's no two ways about it.”

But there's something that makes this University of Houston student unhappy.

“When someone does that, it degrades what I'm doing,” he said. “It absolutely degrades what I'm doing.”

So what's he talking about? Diploma mills: A multi-million dollar booming business where, with just a click of your computer and some big bucks, you can buy a degree in almost anything.

In fact, in Texas it's illegal to use a diploma from a long list of so-called schools.

So why did the 11 News Defenders find County and State officials using phony degrees from those very same institutions?

County Clerk Diane Wilson said she is proud of her degree in public administration.

“It's an accomplishment I want the public to know,” she said. “I have a Ph.D.”

And this Fort Bend politician doesn't hide it. It hangs in her government office; it's on her business cards, and even on an official County Web site where it proclaims: "The Honorable Diane Wilson, Ph.D."

And she said, “I worked very hard for it.”

Only one problem: She got it from Kennedy Western University, an institution that shows up on Texas’ illegal degree list.

11 News: “Kennedy Western has been called a diploma mill.”

Wilson: “Well I, I don't know what their definition of a diploma mill is, but I can tell you the effort I put into it.”

But not everyone agrees.

"I went to a real school,” a former employee of the institution said. “Kennedy Western is not a real school.”

That ex-employee testified during a Congressional hearing on diploma mills.

“I can tell you there is no value to a Kennedy Western education,” they said.

What that hearing determined, along with a federal investigation, was that diploma mills fell into two categories: one where "a student" just bought the degree without doing any work; the other where "a student" did some educational work, which turned out to be far below the normal college experience.

“As for what I learned, the answer is very little,” an undercover federal investigator said.

The investigator posed as an online student and found Kennedy Western fit into that second category. For example, for one class she was given a textbook and a final exam, but: “No papers, homework assignments, online discussions, or interaction with the professor was required,” the investigator said.

But Wilson insists, “I've not had anyone question my honesty or integrity or the effort I put into it.”

That said, she’s not the only Fort Bend official 11 News Investigates discovered with an illegal diploma.

Meet the top boss in Fort Bend County: County Judge Bob Hebert, who says he has a doctorate in management.

Hebert: “You want to know about my throw down degree.”

11 News: “The Ph.D.”

Hebert: “Oh, that’s my throw down degree.”

It’s from California Coast University, which is also on the Texas illegal list.

But the judge claims, “I didn't get the degree to impress you or an employer or a voter. I got it to impress me.”

And he said, “I don't use that degree professionally. I don't sign any documents pertaining to the county as Bob Hebert, Ph.D.”

But 11 News showed him his own Web site.

“It says Ph.D. county judge,” Hebert said.

And the county’s official Web site had it too.

11 News: “You're claiming to be a Ph.D. as the county judge.”

Hebert: “That is an error.”

“Those things are a time bomb in your resume waiting to go off,” director of Standards and Oversight for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Dr. David Couch said. And as for anyone who uses an illegal degree? Counch says: “They've either been deceived or are seeking a quick way to the top.”

But the University of Houston doctoral student is less charitable.

“Why should I trust what they're doing on any level?” Lust said. Especially when you're a government official, especially when you're a government official. That is built on trust.”

And then there is this man: Chen-Feng Lin, a tenured professor at the State’s very own Texas Southern University.

11 News: “Do you claim you're a Ph.D. sir?”

Lin: “Oh yeah, yeah. I got a Ph.D. from Kennedy Western.”

He did say his Ph.D. was from Kennedy Western – something also mentioned on the Texas Southern’s own Web site.

11 News: “The State of Texas says it’s illegal for you to claim you are a doctor inside the state of Texas. Why would you continue to do that?”

Lin: “No I didn't claim that one myself. That's from the department.”

11 News: “Are you going to continue to claim you're a doctor?”

Lin: “Oh yes, yes. I have my Ph.D. degree. Yes.”

Dr. Couch’s reaction? He wasn’t happy.

“I think we’ll have to look into that,” he said.

And for some, Lin's degree is a blow for the university.

“They've degraded that entire institution, not just themselves, not just their department but that entire institution,” Lust said.

Texas Southern University tells us it will soon remove any mention of Professor Lin’s Ph.D. from the University website. 

In addition, both the Fort Bend County Judge and County Clerk have already taken the Ph.D.s down from their websites.

In addition, the Clerk tells us she has ordered new stationary and business cards.

That said, County Judge Hebert says he worked hard for his degree and believes the State law against using it is wrong. Nonetheless, Hebert told 11News his job is to uphold the laws of Texas and says he plans to comply with them.