Legal News

High school student faces up to 38 years in prison for cheating

By Jason Siegel

Two Orange County high school students face felony charges for allegedly hacking into their school's computers, changing grades and stealing test to help them get into college, the Los Angeles Times reported.

One of the two 18-year old students at Tesoro High School faces 69 counts and up to 38 years in prison. The other faces five count with up to a three year prison sentence.

While the Capistrano Unified School District are upset charges were filed and have already taken disciplinary measures, the Orange County Dist. Atty.'s Office told the Times that wasn't just a case of someone cheating on a test but "a more institutionalized cheating scheme."

Between January and May this year, Omar Khan is accused of repeatedly breaking into Tesoro High School, changing his test scores and grades on his school transcripts, as well the transcripts of 12 other students.

According to the D.A.'s office, the jig was up when Khan asked for a copy of his official transcripts to appeal a denial of admission to the University of California. School officials noticed the grading discrepancy and called the Sheriff's Department.

Khan's charged with 11 felony counts of stealing and secreting a public record, seven felony counts of computer access and fraud, six felony counts of burglary, four felony counts of identity theft, three felony counts of altering a book of records, two felony counts of receiving stolen property, one felony count of conspiracy, and one felony count of attempted altering of a public record.

Tanvir Singh, the other teen being charged, faces one felony count each of conspiracy, burglary, computer access and fraud and attempted altering of a public record. He allegedly text messaged Khan last month about breaking into the school to steal a copy a test they were taking the next day.

Press Release, Orange County District Attorney's Office

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on June 19, 2008 (boomark / email).