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Kid blags his way into Harvard but tells one lie too many
Quite impressive:| quote: | Student who conned his way into Harvard says sorry
Adam Wheeler lied his way into top-flight university, but his appetite for deception eventually saw him exposed
In the end, Adam Wheeler, a 24-year-old who conned his way into Harvard and benefited from more than $40,000 (£26,000) in grants and prizes, flew too close to the sun. Not content with having bragged his way into one of the world's most prestigious universities, he felt driven to apply – equally fraudulently – for Rhodes and Fulbright scholarships.
The application was a deception too far, and led to the discovery of a string of lies that this week earned Wheeler 10 years on probation and the order to repay Harvard $45,806. He pleaded guilty to all 20 counts against him, including larceny, identity fraud and pretending to hold a degree.
"I'm ashamed and embarrassed by what I've done," he told a Massachusetts court in a voice so quiet it was barely above a whisper. "As much as possible, I want to put this behind me and move forward."
Wheeler's impressive record of deceit began in 2007 when he was expelled from Bowdoin College in Maine for plagiarism. Instead of reflecting on the wrong he had done, he went the other direction, developing a whole new persona and turning lying into an art form.
His successful Harvard application claimed that he had graduated from the elite Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts – in fact he had gone to a state high school in Delaware – and had an impeccable record of academic excellence at MIT. Once having fraudulently gained entry to America's most revered ivory tower, he pursued his fabrications with what prosecutors told the court was compulsive zeal.
As the Harvard Crimson newspaper identified, he created a resume that boasted the authorship of two books and co-authorship of four others, the delivery of lectures in Armenian studies and unblemished grades – all of it hogwash. He also won the $4,000 Hoopes Prize, $2,000 Sargent Prize and an $8,000 Rockefeller research grant, all through plagiarism.
"The history of these offences indicates not only compulsivity, but a lack of moral compass," Judge Diane Kottmyer said.
Wheeler's probation terms forbid him from entering Harvard and ban him from profiting from his escapades.
If he had stuck at that, he might by now have graduated from Harvard and be on the way to building himself a lucrative and desirable career. But he couldn't resist the temptation of pushing it further.
His applications for the Rhodes and Fulbright scholarships were spotted by a Harvard English professor who noticed overlap between his application and the work of a colleague. He was investigated and chose to leave Harvard before he was pushed.
Even then, he couldn't stop. He applied for a transfer to four different universities and was accepted by two before they too cottoned on to his fictitious story.
It appears that Wheeler's addiction to lying has finally been halted. Part of his sentencing terms require him to stay in therapy so that he can come to understand his behaviour.
"The terms of the probation enhance the likelihood that he will in fact move on and lead a law-abiding life," Kottmyer said.
Wheeler is now working in a part-time job, earning the minimum wage, in a charity in Massachusetts.
"He is very interested in non-profit work, he has always been interested in that," his mother Lee Wheeler told the Boston Globe. |
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I wonder how long it'd take for someone to catch him had he not lied after he was already in, that was quite a feat!
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I mean seriously, WTF!
