Audit exposes grade fraud

A technician at a New York community college has been charged with taking alcohol and cash from students in exchange for using the college's computer to change their grades, writes Jon Marcus.

Elvin Escano was charged with 137 counts of grand larceny, falsifying business records, computer tampering and forgery. The students involved may also face criminal charges, school president Gail Mellow said.

Mr Escano, a 46-year-old computer lab technician in the college, which is part of the City University of New York, allegedly took wine and other alcohol and payments of between $200 and $2,500 (£100-£1,300) to improve student grades.

The scheme was discovered when an audit found discrepancies between grades submitted by instructors and school records.

Mr Escano's lawyer said his client was innocent.