Ukrainian who faked name and age at US school jailed

Samarin faces deportation during another sentencing next week

A Ukrainian man who posed as a high school student in the US state of Pennsylvania for four years has received a two-month sentence for passport and social security fraud.

Artur Samarin enrolled at Harrisburg High School under the name "Asher Potts" after his visa expired in 2012. 

He faces deportation next week on separate charges including having sex with a 15-year-old girl.

Samarin, who pretended to be 18, was an active member of the school community.

Police in February said he was in possession of a driver's license using the Potts name at the time of his arrest, as well as a social security card obtained using a false birth date. 

He faces further jail time when he is sentenced next week after pleading guilty to six counts including statutory sexual assault, tampering with public records, identity theft, theft by unlawful taking and conspiracy.

He was seen in May 2014 posing with state lawmaker Patty Kim, who tweeted a photo after presenting "Asher Potts" with a certificate introducing him as "a new member of the National Honor Society".

Samarin, 24, was involved in food banks and cadet programmes, according to one report, and was even on the panel of a forum discussing youth violence in the greater Harrisburg area at the start of the year.

Source: BBC