Saudi Student Convicted on Fraud Charges

TUCSON On March 20, 2007, Khalid Altimyat, 26, of Saudi Arabia, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and was sentenced to time served, and ordered to self deport from the United States by United States District Judge John M. Roll, in Tucson. Khalid Altimyat, a citizen of Saudi Arabia, and others agreed to participate in a scheme to defraud the Educational Testing Service by having an imposter take and pass, in Altimyat's name, the Test of English as a Foreign Language, commonly known as the "TOEFL" exam, so that Altimayt could remain in college and maintain his student visa. Investigation revealed that Altimyat provided identifying information, including his name and date of birth, to a co-conspirator who, on May 3, 2001, appeared at a TOEFL test center and attempted to take the exam for Altimyat. The imposter was ejected from the test center before completing the examination. The investigation into this case and others around the country began in 1999 when a scheme to defraud the Educational Testing Service, by having imposters take TOEFL exams on behalf of foreign students at test centers around the country, was uncovered. Foreign students must demonstrate proficiency in the English language to maintain their student status at U.S. universities and colleges. The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The prosecution was handled by Beverly K. Anderson, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Tucson.