1 May 2018
Artur Samarin hit the headlines in 2016 after he was exposed as living under fake name ‘Asher Potts’, and arrested for attempting to fraudulently acquire a US passport and having sex with a minor, 15.
He was 19 and a sophomore at his local university in Ukraine, when he flew to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the school’s three-month exchange program.
Frustrated and with the clock ticking down to when his visa would expire, it was around this time he met Stephayne McClure-Potts and Michael Potts; a childless couple who he developed a friendship with.
The Potts would adopt him on the condition he changed his age from 19 to pretend to be 14, both to allow himself to be adopted, but his new ‘parents’ would also get a payout from the Social Security Administration and attendant tax benefits.
Ukrainian man, 23, pleads guilty to Pa. high school fraud, sex charges
August 8, 2016 / 4:21 PM / CBS/AP
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A 23-year-old Ukrainian man accused of faking his name and age while attending a Pennsylvania high school and having sex with an underage girl pleaded guilty Monday.
Artur Samarin entered the plea to a number of fraud and sex charges, which carry penalties of up to 40 years in prison and $90,000 in fines.
January 25, 2023
NJ woman pushing 30 fakes way into high school for almost a week before officials noticed
Police said New Jersey school districts must immediately enroll a student without a guardian and even without all the typical paperwork, per state law.
The scheme is said to have unraveled when Shin tried to sign herself out for the day, but was prevented from doing so as a minor. Frustrated, Shin allegedly revealed that she is actually 29.
How do you do, fellow kids! Woman, 29, is charged with posing as a high school student and attending classes for FOUR DAYS before getting busted
- Hyejeong Shin, 29, was arrested last week in New Brunswick, New Jersey
- Officials say she impersonated a minor and enrolled in high school
- Shin attended classes for four days before her alleged ruse was uncovered
By Keith Griffith For Dailymail.com
Published: 19:22 EST, 25 January 2023
An adult woman has been accused of impersonating a minor and fraudulently enrolling as a student in a New Jersey high school.
Hyejeong Shin, 29, was arrested last week after attending classes at New Brunswick High School for four days before her true age was discovered, officials said at a school board meeting on Tuesday.
The purpose of the alleged deception remains unclear, but students at the school expressed shock and fear upon learning the truth about their new classmate.