SPOKANE, Wash. — The U.S. Army is investigating soldiers who bought degrees from an illegal diploma mill that was based in Spokane and resulted in prison time for its operators.

It’s also warning soldiers to be wary of phony diploma schemes when they sign up for education and tuition assistance.

The Army’s Human Resources Command is using a list of customers of the diploma mill operated by Dixie and Steve Randock obtained and posted online last summer by The Spokesman-Review.

“We’re doing an inquiry into all of our records,” Lt. Col. Richard McNorton, public affairs officer for the Human Resources Command headquarters in Alexandria, Va., said. “It’s a very laborious process.”

So far, the investigation has turned up about 25 soldiers in the Army, National Guard or Army Reserve who face discipline because they bought fake degrees, and in some cases fake transcripts, and used them to secure promotions, McNorton said. Others have been found who have fake degrees in their files but have since retired.

Retirees might face some administrative action, although the Army’s authority is limited after a person retires, he said.

The investigation was triggered by a series of stories by a Huntsville, Ala., television station about diploma mill customers who worked at a local military base and weapons arsenal.

Reporter Wendy Halloran of station WHNT asked the Human Resources Command about some Huntsville soldiers, and the office opened an investigation using the customer database compiled by the U.S. Justice Department in the case against the Randocks, McNorton said.

They also used The Spokesman-Review’s online version of the database, which lists customers alphabetically and by some e-mail addresses, including military e-mail addresses that end in “.mil.” But those were the “low-hanging fruit,” McNorton said, and the Human Resources Command quickly moved on to the full list.

The Army’s investigation turned up one soldier who purchased eight degrees or certificates from the Randocks. Thurman Towry, a former guardsman and Army Reserve officer who submitted degrees to obtain promotions, faced administrative action short of a court-martial and opted to retire, McNorton said.

“Obviously, with something like this, your career is completely over,” he said.