Can I be sentenced as a felony if I submitted falsified documents to colleges?
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Can I be sentenced as a felony if I submitted falsified documents to colleges?
I submitted falsified documents to colleges on the common app and pretended to be my guidance counselor and I just would like to know what are the consequences and what should I do?
Asked on December 27, 2016 under Criminal Law, New York
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
Yes: you committed a form of identity theft (pretending to be your guidance counselor) and also fraud (lying about a material or important fact). Given the cost of college tuition, value of college aid packages, etc., doing these things could easily fall under the definition of felonies (i.e. the amounts or value at stake qualifies as a felony). You could face over a year in jail and have great difficulty getting into college after this.
If anyone is or seems to be aware of the deception, retain a criminal defense attorney to help you--you will likely need one.
If no one is aware of the deception and you are just getting calls to follow up on the application, you may be best off withdrawing the application (if asked, you could say you decided to delay college or work for a year first), then reapplying honestly later.
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