<p>Yes, they “reported” to the authorities. But they didn’t file a criminal complaint. (I actually doubt that they could - well, anyone can file anything, but, they’d have to have some theory that they were an aggrieved party…) They went to ETS first, and ETS didn’t file a complaint.</p>
<p>It will be interesting to see if Sam has to forfeit the money (I doubt it), and whether Emory lowers his financial aid because of his increased income.</p>
<p>
Yep, it is mean. I just need to point out that though GN (and Long Island) were caught in this scandal, SAT cheating happens across the country and around the world. The only reason it seems so widespread on Long Island is because after one ring was caught, they purposely went looking for more instances of cheating. If they had put as much effort into a country-wide or world-wide investigation as they did into the Long Island investigation, every region where the test takes place would be breaking with stories like this.</p>
<p>So judging an entire community is wrong and, as you put it, “mean.”</p>
<p>If he’s getting need based financial aid, if I were affiliated with Emory I’d pull out the FAFSA and see what he said. If he didn’t report the income, Emory has grounds to expel him. I’m no expert, but I think filing a false FAFSA would also be a criminal offense. </p>
<p>I’m interested in learning whether the frat will pledge him. </p>
<p>I do think that this kind of thing happens more in affluent communities because more kids can pay. But I agree it’s wrong to single out Great Neck. Kudos to the school administration for going to the authorities.</p>
<p>Born -</p>
<p>As I said, I live on the same train line as GN and am very familiar with the community. We actually looked at homes there but decided against it when we realized that the cars in the student lot were nicer than the ones in the teachers’ lot. Riding the train through GN these past 15 years have only cemented in my mind that I am so happy I did not move there. It is almost always the GN people who are hogging the seats or talking at 100 decibels on their cell phones and giving you snotty looks when you complain.</p>
<p>As you said, SAT cheating goes on in many places. It’s as wrong in other places as it is in GN. I just find it difficult to imagine that there are too many other places in the US that have the same confluence of wealth, disposable income, disdain for others and sense of entitlement that pervade some aspects of GN. </p>
<p>The attitude that Sam displays does not exist in a vacuum. That said, I don’t believe jail is the right place for him. I think that he and all the other kids should be expelled from their schools, forced to return all scholarships and financial aid money and banned from applying to college again till they are 25.</p>
<p>joan52-
you go girl!! </p>
<p>BTW, he is still listed on Emory’s people directory (its public). It not only gives his email address, but his phone number! :eek: I would strongly suspect that if he is still permitted to remain enrolled, thre is likely some serious legal negotiating occurring behind the scenes.</p>
<p>There is obviously a demand or that sort of thing. He was just being a good businessman. Marketing his talent.</p>
<p>I know I’m gonna take a lot of heat for the above comment, but hey he’s as responsible as the people who hired him.</p>
<p>Yes, I got a 2400 on my own merit, but there are plenty of kids who are amazingly bright yet screw up on standardized tests. He is the solution to many people’s problems. It’s illegal, but I don’t see how you can be repulsed by him.</p>
<p>It’s capitalism in action. Sell what you have to the highest bidder(s).</p>
<p>YAY!!! If this is true, it’s a step in the right direction.</p>
<p>[Punishment</a> not set for alleged SAT cheater](<a href=“http://www.newsday.com/long-island/punishment-not-set-for-alleged-sat-cheater-1.3419706]Punishment”>http://www.newsday.com/long-island/punishment-not-set-for-alleged-sat-cheater-1.3419706)</p>
<p>What he did was wrong and it obviously isn’t fair for the rest of us if they did get away with this. But just think about this, do you realize how many people must have done this before? It is actually quite simple to do, and those who do it, yeah it isn’t fair. </p>
<p>The response he gives as to helping the kid is somewhat true, your SAT score can do wonders for you in a sense and can change your life, but it isn’t fair. It’s not right that the person who actually get’s a 1600 is paying someone off to get a 2100 when there are so many people getting medicore scores that just have to live with it.</p>
<p>Even though what he did was wrong, maybe it should be an eye opener for the SAT. There security isn’t good enough and the SAT is being weighted so much that people are going to these crazy extremes.</p>
<p>I wonder though If these people had enough money to pay this kid off, why didn’t they just spend thousands to get an SAT tutor?</p>
<p>There’s little doubt that on a ranking of heinous crimes, this would be far down the list. However, that doesn’t negate the fact that what Sam did was both dishonest and unethical. I also believe his"clients" are equally culpable and need to be punished as well. You can be sure these Great Neck kids didn’t have outside jobs, so how did they come up with $3K without their parents knowing? Did they cash in their Bar Mitzvah bonds? It definitely is an affront to those who worked hard, studied, and, yes, even took courses and hired tutors.</p>
<p>There’s a difference, to me, between a one time cheater who acts to “help” a friend, and someone who manages to create a business for himself and crontributes to the creation of an atmosphere where other players join in and the existence of the service is widespread knowledge. That’s capitalism for ya. I think Sam’s next natural step is to claim he’s a victim of his affluent, suburban, successful upbringing - what child could develop a sense of right and wrong surrounded by so much wealth and success?</p>
<p>It’s early for him to have declared a major, but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s Econ or business and if there’s an ethics course requirement, he had better start looking for accommodations - not of the extended time sort, but of the bad character sort, as in - “I’m beyond grasping these concepts, it’s just not in my makeup.”</p>
<p>Why did he leave Michigan? Was he getting out from under some other cloud?</p>
<p>I realize this is all very mean. I’m angry. Each one of us has to respect most of the rules most of the time and his poor judgment, in revealing more of his character to the public, erased any sympathy I might have felt for a kid who got in over his head, who wasn’t using his pre-frontal cortex.</p>
<p>Here is an update on Mr Eshashoff:</p>
<p>“Samuel Eshaghoff, 19, of Great Neck, New York, was arrested Tuesday on felony fraud charges that could result in four years in prison if he’s convicted, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office said. Six students face misdemeanor charges. Their names are not being released because they are minors.”</p>
<p>As for who he harmed: it would be all the students that lost slots in colleges due to the cheaters.</p>
<p>@Joan52 I still think you are being way too harsh on GN, based on the people you’ve met on the train. I live…nearby (not in GN, but not gonna say any more than that) and have many friends from GN. They don’t act like that. Sure some people may, but some people in my town act like that, and I’m sure some people in your town act like that.</p>
<p>jonri, the article you sent alluded to a possible change in Sam E’s punishment. Apparently it HAD been suggested he serve his time tutoring SAT prep to underpriviledged kids, now it appears he might have to do something like spearing trash along the LIE. I applaud this change. He should not get notority and kudos for his test-taking skills. He needs to understand that what he did was WRONG. </p>
<p>aahs12, it appears you think it’s okay to cheat others b/c he was “simply” marketing his skills. (By cheating others, his clients took away acceptances/merit awards from deserving students.) Do you also think Madoff was also marketing his talent?</p>
<p>This “helping save others’ lives”- such a crock of **.
He was also making their wallets significantly lighter and his much heavier… What kind of change is THAT to their lives?? And how selfless is that???</p>
<p>He is full of himself, perhaps beyond moral correction. THIS can be the sort of stuff a psychopath says.
He is marketing himself at all times, which makes me nauseous.</p>
<p>I will TRY to watch the 60 Min interview, though I feel that is SUPPORTING him (eeeewww).</p>
<p>Madoff is not a bad analogy- he also took advantage of his expertise, and a very lax and poorly monitored system. But I am not sure he justified it so much to himself.</p>
<p>If this shyster in the making really wanted to HELP others, he should have reported the lax security to the ETS and CB, and then tutored these kids for freeeeeeeee…</p>
<p>It’s about cheating and I get mini’s point. I’m guessing CB and colleges of every single one of the involved students just wishes this would go away although thosew are exactly the people in a position to take action. I’d put money on thew fact they take very few steps to change anything. Gee, sounds like wall street.</p>
<p>
I don’t think Joan52 is being too harsh on GN so much as being too kind to the neighboring communities on that same LIRR line. As far as I can tell, the scandal involves five area HS’s: GN North and South, Roslyn HS, GN Hebrew Academy, and St. Mary’s (Manhasset). Interesting that two of those are religious-supported.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Organized crime?:)</p>
<p>Iglooo-
Racketeering? If so, that would make this quite prosecutable.</p>
<p>It’s about cheating and I get mini’s point. I’m guessing CB and colleges of every single one of the involved students just wishes this would go away although thosew are exactly the people in a position to take action. I’d put money on thew fact they take very few steps to change anything. Gee, sounds like wall street.</p>
<p>I’m on that same LIRR line. My school was not part of the scandal, nor were many other neighboring communities and their high schools.</p>