Teen hacker faces 38 years in jail for fudging school grades

Silicon Valley, June 20 (PTI) - A teenager of South Asian
descent in the U.S. is facing 38 years in prison for
repeatedly breaking into his high school and hacking computers
to change his grades and steal tests along with his friend.

Omar Khan, 18, is being held in jail in lieu of USD
50,000 bail after he was accused of 69 counts and could face
more than 38 years in prison, if convicted.

Another student, Tanvir Singh, also 18, is accused of
five counts and could face up to three years in prison.

Singh was released after appearing before a judge in
Newport Beach. Singh's arraignment was postponed until July 8.

The two belong to Tesoro High School, the wealthy
southern Orange County school in California which regularly
earns a spot on Newsweek's list of best American high schools.

The investigation is continuing, and additional charges
could be filed or additional students could be involved, said
Jim Amormino, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's
Department was quoted as saying by 'Los Angeles Times'.

He said the crimes were unusual for Orange County,
and fairly sophisticated, considering the suspects' ages.

"I think they wish they would have put their talents
into studying," Amormino said.

Carol Lavacot, the attorney for Khan, described him as
a "really nice kid. he's only 18 years old."

"It's just a very sad situation all the way around....
There's a lot more going on than meets the eye at this point,
with a lot of kids," she said.

Authorities claim Khan broke into the school using a
stolen master key at least six times at night and on weekends
between January and May.

Using passwords stolen from teachers, Khan allegedly
hacked into computers and changed test scores. He also
installed software so he could access the system from other
locations, prosecutors allege.

Though he is accused primarily of changing his own
grades, prosecutors allege that he also altered the grades of
12 other students.

After being caught cheating on an English test April 18
and given a failing grade, Khan broke into the assistant
principal's locked office to steal the test back and conceal
evidence that he had cheated, prosecutors said.

The charges against Khan include 34 felony counts of
altering a public record and 11 felony counts of stealing and
secreting a public record.

Singh allegedly exchanged text messages with Khan on May
19 to plot breaking into the school that night to steal a
copy of a test they would take the following day.

Singh was charged with one felony count each of
conspiracy, burglary, computer access and fraud, and attempted
altering of a public record. PTI