Sam Eshaghoff, a nineteen year-old sophomore at Emory University, was arrested along with six others, for his part in an SAT cheating ring. Eshaghoff was allegedly paid up to $2,500 from Great Neck North High School students to write their exams for them. Whiz kid Eshaghoff consistently scored between 2140 and 2220 out of a total available 2400 points for his “clients.”
The six students discovered in the alleged scheme all signed up to take the test off school grounds. Eshaghoff would allegedly manufacture phony driver’s licenses with the student’s name and his own picture in order to slip by monitors at the test-taking sites. School Administrators began hearing rumors of the alleged scheme and upon investigation, found six students whose SAT scores when compared to grade point averages respectively, exposed large discrepancies between the two. After a thorough handwriting analysis, Eshaghoff was thought to be the test-taker of all six exams. Eshaghoff now faces charges of scheming to defraud, criminal impersonation and falsifying business records. If convicted, he could face up to four years in prison for his actions. The six others in question face misdemeanor charges. Prosecutors are handling the cases with priority, noting that it is no small indiscretion that these teens’ role in the scheme has left hard-working, honest students out of the running for competitive slots in good colleges.
With rumors still popping up about Eshaghoff’s possible fraudulence with other students, the investigation continues. The prosecution has extended their inquiries into other school districts on Long Island that may have been a part of this SAT scam.