A 19-year-old Indian student, Aryan Anand, has reached a plea deal with American authorities after being charged with falsifying records to gain admission to Lehigh University, a private research institution in Pennsylvania. Anand, who had manipulated documents to secure his place for the 2023-2024 academic year, will now return to India under the terms of the agreement.
According to a report from Lehigh University’s student newspaper, The Brown and White, Anand’s fraudulent activities came to light following a police investigation.Anand was found to have submitted fake admission and financial aid documents, and even fabricated his father’s death to receive additional support. The investigation was triggered by a Reddit post where Anand detailed his deception under the username ‘u/transportationOK4728’.
On June 12, Anand was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Jordan Knisley and charged with forgery, with bail set at USD 25,000. He pleaded guilty to one count of forgery, resulting in a sentence of one to three months in Northampton County Prison, which has been served. As part of the plea deal, Anand was required to return to India and Lehigh University chose not to seek restitution of approximately USD 85,000.
The criminal complaint, filed by Northampton County’s District Attorney Stephen Baratta, revealed that Anand created a fake email address impersonating a school principal and altered several documents using tools like Adobe Photoshop and iLovePDF. These falsified documents included a death certificate for his father, tax records, and academic transcripts.
Lehigh University became aware of Anand’s fraudulent actions after a Reddit monitor alerted them to the post on April 26. The post, which has since been deleted, outlined Anand’s deceitful methods in detail. The investigation by Lehigh police confirmed Anand as the author of the post.
Anand’s case highlights the risks associated with falsifying academic and financial records, and his return to India marks the conclusion of a high-profile case of academic dishonesty.
According to a report from Lehigh University’s student newspaper, The Brown and White, Anand’s fraudulent activities came to light following a police investigation.Anand was found to have submitted fake admission and financial aid documents, and even fabricated his father’s death to receive additional support. The investigation was triggered by a Reddit post where Anand detailed his deception under the username ‘u/transportationOK4728’.
On June 12, Anand was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Jordan Knisley and charged with forgery, with bail set at USD 25,000. He pleaded guilty to one count of forgery, resulting in a sentence of one to three months in Northampton County Prison, which has been served. As part of the plea deal, Anand was required to return to India and Lehigh University chose not to seek restitution of approximately USD 85,000.
The criminal complaint, filed by Northampton County’s District Attorney Stephen Baratta, revealed that Anand created a fake email address impersonating a school principal and altered several documents using tools like Adobe Photoshop and iLovePDF. These falsified documents included a death certificate for his father, tax records, and academic transcripts.
Lehigh University became aware of Anand’s fraudulent actions after a Reddit monitor alerted them to the post on April 26. The post, which has since been deleted, outlined Anand’s deceitful methods in detail. The investigation by Lehigh police confirmed Anand as the author of the post.
Anand’s case highlights the risks associated with falsifying academic and financial records, and his return to India marks the conclusion of a high-profile case of academic dishonesty.