Feds: OC Man Ran Student Visa Fraud Ring

Santa Ana - A Laguna Niguel man accused of orchestrating a visa fraud scheme was in court today, while authorities fanned out across Orange and Los Angeles counties rounding up 16 foreign students allegedly linked to the case.

Eamon Daniel Higgins, 46, appeared before a federal judge in Santa Ana on one count of conspiring to commit visa fraud, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

Higgins allegedly charged up to $1,500 to take exams and do other classroom work for foreign students and $1,000 to take mandatory English proficiency tests, according to the complaint. He allegedly also hired others to take the exams, according to ICE.

Higgins allegedly would use the students' IDs to get California driver's licenses so he and his associates could pose as the students and take the exams and go to class.

Authorities allege the conspiracy began in January 2002 and continued through mid-December, when ICE agents searched Higgins' home and seized a computer along with dozens of phony California IDs and college exams, according to the agency.

ICE investigators allege more than 100 foreign students participated in the scheme, with 47 still living in the country. The students came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Kuwait, Turkey and Qatar, according to ICE.

ICE was investigating with help from the FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.