I doubt she’ll get a jail sentence, because it’s hard to see how society is better served by punishing incredibly stupid naivete so severely and so expensively. No doubt she’s scared crapless now.
The learning here is that anything with your SSN number on it is easily tracked. Big Brother (and Corporate Marketing Brother) are watching.
I agree it’s scary to think of how one stupid act could lead to such serious consequences. Maybe some good will come from this
There are a lot of stupid things kids do that have consequences that will last a long time. Getting drunk in your dorm can get you thrown out of school, a Minor in Possession charge that will have to be reported on all kinds of government forms for life. Some of the people who adopted when I did were explaining arrests at protests on their applications (and it is worse if you don’t report because you were told it was expunged) 30 years after the event. It took over two years for my niece’s husband to get a work permit in the USA because he’d been ‘detained’ for being drunk in Canada. It was almost worse that he wasn’t arrested, because he had no paperwork to show he was ‘detained.’ He’d reported it on his application, but no agency could provide any records because there weren’t any. Two years of explanations, trips to Montreal, and finally hiring a lawyer to get through the paperwork.
I don’t have a lot of sympathy. If she’d just filled out the forms and been questioned, I’d understand. To falsify documents is a deliberate act. She knew it was wrong.
Ok I’m not saying what she did wasn’t wrong or that she deserves your sympathy. But, I’m not going to to wish fire and brimstone on a person for doing what she did. I ask the question to get an idea of what she may face so I could help her. Now we know what it is. She will get a punishment. She will now likely have a criminal record because of the possible misdemeanor that will keep her from getting most good jobs for life. I think that’s enough. I’m not going to wish prison on someone for something like this especially when people that did far worse things like murder and defrauding millions don’t go to prison. She did something stupid now she will have to live with the record and embrassment. I think that fits the crime.
^it may not be that bad. That is the worst case. You say she has a lawyer, so that is a good start. Hopefully if anything comes of it, DOE IG will accept her “clean start” explanation and be gentle or not involve DOJ if no $ was involved. It would be a bad result. I’ve seen it ruin a life. Over something stupid. I hope it resolves in a non life altering way…you are a good friend for asking/helping.
I hope it doesn’t end bad either. She wanted to be a teacher, she did this because she thought she wouldn’t get a job with her poor grade history. She should’ve just took the chance. Now she might definitely not be able to teach. No school will hire her with a criminal record.
I’m not sure why you thought you could help her.
I’m not sure why she told you what she did-I’m sure if she knew that you went on the internet and asked a bunch of strangers what to do, she wouldn’t consider that being helpful.
Your bad choices define you (and follow you) as much (or more) as your good choices do. Other than advising her to seek legal counsel, I’d stay out of it. You are not helping.
I don’t think she’ll go to prison, but I doubt she’ll ever get a student loan or other federal student aid. Unlikely she’ll get a professional license if she pleads guilty to a crime of dishonesty.
Most likely the attorney will plead it out. She won’t be able topay for college without financial aid. It is a harsh penalty, but forging document is a very serious matter. Checking a box is one thing, but she actually forged documents. You asked what will probably happen, and I think this is it, plead guilty, a fine, pay lawyer, no financial aid for life. Harsh.
That’s what I was thinking the life long consequence is pretty harsh.
The criminal question for financial aid is very specific. Asks about drug convictions.
Getting a professional license is another issue.
But you know…there are a LOT of first time offenders who do a special form of probation, and when done, their record is sealed, and the issue sealed as well.
Her lawyer needs to advocate for her.
But really, she needs to accept that she committed a serious crime…forgery.
The issue is not sealed. The questions used to ask ‘have you ever been convicted of a crime’ and many could answer no, as they werent convicted but had a deferred judgment or other non convicted disposition. Now more often the question is ‘have .you ever been arrested’ or ‘have you ever been charged?’ For security clearances you have to disclose all those arrests and charges. For professional licenses, you must disclose. It’s not an automatic rejection unless you fail to disclose and explain, and this would be an act of dishonesty, so much harder to have excused. Filing for immigration you have to disclose. Filing for visas to other counties you may have to disclose. My nephew got a minor in possession charge and he now has to disclose on all employment applications even though he wasn’t found guilty.
Yes, the question on FAFSA is about drug charges. That’s not the only way they can refuse student loans, and of course you have to be accepted to the school after disclosing the charges. I’m sure her SSN will be tagged in the FA system.
The issue is…for every teaching job one has to be fingerprinted. Background checks are done. I would imagine that the misdemeanor conviction will show up on a background check.
The issue here is schools value honesty. It would be hard to explain away this issue.
It is indeed much easier to be ‘forgiven’ for a crime of passion, like murder, than a crime of dishonesty. A lawyer in Baltimore was disbarred for using plugs in parking meters. Dishonesty. I know a lot of lawyers not disbarred for DUIs or drug crimes. Dishonesty is hard to overcome.
I don’t want Purples’ friend to lose all hope, but it is very serious.
She could still go to college abroad (like in Canada), where they won’t ask about her record, but I don’t think she’ll get financial aid there.
She can go to a Cegep in Quebec (like Dawson or St Lambert, both in Montreal and English speaking); Canadian universities will then use her Cegep record to admit her to their programs, not her US records.