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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

THE COMMONWEALTH OF
MASSACHUSETTS
MIDDLESEX DISTRICT ATTORNEY
15 COMMONWEALTH AVE WOBURN, MA 01801

d T. Leone, Jr. Tel: 781-897-8300

strict Attorney Fax: 781-897-8301

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 District
Attorney Gerry Leone informed the public today.

Adam Wheeler, 23, of Delaware, was arraigned today in Middlesex Superior Court on
charges of larceny over $250 (4 counts), identity fraud (8 counts), falsifying an endorsement or
approval (7 counts) and pretending to hold a degree. The Clerk Magistrate ordered Wheeler held
on $5,000 cash bail with conditions he stay away from Harvard University, MIT, Brown
University, Yale University, Phillips Academy in Andover, and McLean Hospital. He must also
turn in his passport, check in with probation daily, and remain in Massachusetts during the
pendency 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 Harvard

University, submitted applications for the Harvard endorsement for both the United States
Rhodes Scholarship and the Fulbright Scholarship. The defendant’s application packet consisted
of numerous recommendations from Harvard College professors, his college transcript that
reflected perfect grades over three years, a project statement and an application and resume
listing 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’s
submission 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 clear
that the defendant had allegedly plagiarized nearly the entire piece. The Professor then reported

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the finding to University officials.

University officials began an internal investigation and confronted the defendant with the
allegations, informing him of a disciplinary hearing that he was entitled to attend in order share his
version of the events. The defendant notified officials that he would not be present and that he would
await their decision from home.

Following the meeting, a University official began to look into the defendant’s personal file. It
was discovered that the defendant had submitted a false Harvard transcript with his Rhodes and
Fulbright application and it was uncovered that the defendant was not a straight A student. Having
made 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 Massachusetts
Institute 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 from
the school and a transcript from MIT showing perfect grades from his first year at the school. In
addition, there were also several letters of recommendations from both MIT and Phillips Andover, as
well as essays and official documents from the College Board indicating that the defendant had taken the
SAT exam and received a perfect score of 1600.

University officials and Harvard police soon discovered that the defendant had never attended
MIT or Phillips Andover and that his SAT scores were not perfect. In addition, officials found that the
defendant’s recommendations were signed by professors at Bowdoin College in Maine, where the
defendant had previously attended and was suspended from due to academic dishonesty. The professors
named on the recommendations all told officials they had never written a recommendation for the
defendant, and some went on to say that they did not even know the defendant. Officials also learned
that the recommendations the defendant submitted in his Rhodes and Fulbright applications were
altered, 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 prestigious
writing prizes with a submission that had been plagiarized. These two awards, the Winthrop Sargent
Prize in English and the Hoopes Prize, as well as a research grant, totaled $14,000. In addition to the
monies the defendant won in prizes and a research grant, the defendant was awarded financial aid from
Harvard 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 a
background check conducted by the hospital, it was discovered that the defendant misrepresented
himself in his application and was not offered an internship. Also in January, the defendant submitted
transfer applications to Yale University and Brown University. In his application to these schools, the
defendant stated that he was currently employed by McLean Hospital as an intern. He also submitted
false recommendations from an employee at the hospital and from his former dean at Harvard, who had
informed the defendant of the plagiarism accusation.

The defendant was indicted by a Middlesex Superior Court Grand Jury on May 6. The
indictment 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.

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This case is being investigated by the Harvard University Police Department and investigators
assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s PACT Unit.

The Middlesex District Attorney’s PACT Unit, established when District Attorney Leone took
office, is dedicated to the investigation and prosecution of cases of public protection (including narcotics
and organized crime), anti-terrorism, corruption, and technology. The Unit has investigated and
prosecuted multiple cases of alleged public corruption and organized crime, including:

 Commonwealth vs. Peter Limone, et al, in which more than 140 indictments were brought against
20 men in connection with their involvement in organized crime activities.
 Commonwealth vs. John Buonomo, in which the defendant, the former Register of Probate, is
charged with the theft of thousands of dollars of public monies.
 Commonwealth vs. Richard Stewart and Joseph Falzone, in which the defendants, two
Department of Conservation and Recreation employees, are charged with the theft of more than
2000 feet of cast-iron coping from the Longfellow Bridge and selling it to a scrap yard for
approximately $12,000.
 Commonwealth vs. David Annis, a Lowell police officer charged with extortion and other
charges.
 Commonwealth vs. Paul Camilli, the former Superintendent of Public Works in the town of
Maynard, who is charged with soliciting cash payments from a private developer in exchange for
relaxing the permitting and inspection process for a construction project.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney John Verner, Chief of the PACT
Unit.

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