California man pleads guilty to leading test-taking ring for foreign students

Calif. man pleads guilty in visa fraud case

SANTA ANA, Calif. — A Southern California man has admitted he headed a ring that helped people from the Middle East obtain student visas by taking proficiency exams for them.

Eamonn Higgins pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit visa fraud on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana. He faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 9.

Court papers filed last month alleged Higgins and about a dozen associates helped Mideast students fraudulently obtain and keep U.S. student visas in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars.

The fraud ring exposed vulnerability in the nation’s security tracking system for foreigners who attend American schools.