Phelps, Andrew R

From:

Venezia, Jessica (NOR) [Jessica.Venezia@state.ma.us]

Sent:

Tuesday, May 18, 2010 10:59 AM

To:

aphelps@wbur.org

Subject:

News Release: Former Harvard Student Arraigned On Larceny, Identity Theft, Falsifying Documents,And Related Charges In Connection To Widespread Fraud Scheme

Page 1of 35/18/2010

For Immediate Release Contact

: Jessica Venezia Pastore/Cara O’Brien

May 18, 2010 781-897-8325

Former Harvard Student Arraigned On Larceny, Identity Theft, Falsifying Documents,And Related Charges In Connection To Widespread Fraud Scheme

WOBURN

– A Delaware man has been arraigned on 20 offenses involving larceny,identity fraud, falsifying an endorsement and pretending to hold a degree, Middlesex DistrictAttorney Gerry Leone informed the public today.Adam Wheeler, 23, of Delaware, was arraigned today in Middlesex Superior Court oncharges of larceny over $250 (4 counts), identity fraud (8 counts), falsifying an endorsement orapproval (7 counts) and pretending to hold a degree. The Clerk Magistrate ordered Wheeler heldon $5,000 cash bail with conditions he stay away from Harvard University, MIT, BrownUniversity, Yale University, Phillips Academy in Andover, and McLean Hospital. He must alsoturn in his passport, check in with probation daily, and remain in Massachusetts during thependency of the case.His next court date will be June 9 for a pre-trial conference.

According to authorities, in September 2009, the defendant, a senior at HarvardUniversity, submitted applications for the Harvard endorsement for both the United StatesRhodes Scholarship and the Fulbright Scholarship. The defendant’s application packet consistedof numerous recommendations from Harvard College professors, his college transcript thatreflected perfect grades over three years, a project statement and an application and resumelisting numerous books he had co-authored, lectures he had given and courses he had taught.During the application review process, a Harvard Professor read the defendant’ssubmission and was troubled by the similarities between the defendant’s work and that of another professor. When the Harvard Professor compared the two pieces of work, it was clearthat the defendant had allegedly plagiarized nearly the entire piece. The Professor then reported

T. Leone, Jr.

trict Attorney

THE COMMONWEALTHOFMASSACHUSETTS

MIDDLESEX DISTRICT ATTORNEY

15 COMMONWEALTH AVE WOBURN, MA 01801

Tel: 781-897-8300Fax: 781-897-8301

the finding to University officials.University officials began an internal investigation and confronted the defendant with theallegations, informing him of a disciplinary hearing that he was entitled to attend in order share hisversion of the events. The defendant notified officials that he would not be present and that he wouldawait their decision from home.Following the meeting, a University official began to look into the defendant’s personal file. Itwas discovered that the defendant had submitted a false Harvard transcript with his Rhodes andFulbright application and it was uncovered that the defendant was not a straight A student. Havingmade this realization, University officials began a full review of the defendant’s academic file.Upon review of the file, officials saw that the defendant had transferred from the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology (MIT) and had attended Phillips Academy in Andover. In his application file,the defendant had submitted a full transcript from Phillips Andover indicting that he had graduated fromthe school and a transcript from MIT showing perfect grades from his first year at the school. Inaddition, there were also several letters of recommendations from both MIT and Phillips Andover, aswell as essays and official documents from the College Board indicating that the defendant had taken theSAT exam and received a perfect score of 1600.University officials and Harvard police soon discovered that the defendant had never attendedMIT or Phillips Andover and that his SAT scores were not perfect. In addition, officials found that thedefendant’s recommendations were signed by professors at Bowdoin College in Maine, where thedefendant had previously attended and was suspended from due to academic dishonesty. The professorsnamed on the recommendations all told officials they had never written a recommendation for thedefendant, and some went on to say that they did not even know the defendant. Officials also learnedthat the recommendations the defendant submitted in his Rhodes and Fulbright applications werealtered, changed and expanded upon from the letters the professors at Harvard had actually written.Detectives also learned that while at Harvard, the defendant applied for and won two prestigiouswriting prizes with a submission that had been plagiarized. These two awards, the Winthrop SargentPrize in English and the Hoopes Prize, as well as a research grant, totaled $14,000. In addition to themonies the defendant won in prizes and a research grant, the defendant was awarded financial aid fromHarvard University totaling to over $31,000.Since leaving Harvard, the defendant applied to McLean Hospital for an internship in January,stating that was taking the spring semester off from Harvard to work on two scholarly books. During abackground check conducted by the hospital, it was discovered that the defendant misrepresentedhimself in his application and was not offered an internship. Also in January, the defendant submittedtransfer applications to Yale University and Brown University. In his application to these schools, thedefendant stated that he was currently employed by McLean Hospital as an intern. He also submittedfalse recommendations from an employee at the hospital and from his former dean at Harvard, who hadinformed the defendant of the plagiarism accusation.The defendant was indicted by a Middlesex Superior Court Grand Jury on May 6. Theindictment was immediately sealed while the defendant was located.

On May 10, Delaware authorities located and arrested the defendant in Delaware. On May 17,Massachusetts authorities arrested Wheeler and he was rendited back to Massachusetts.

These charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.Page 2of 35/18/2010