A’s in orgo

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February 10, 2000, Thursday, Final Edition

SECTION: METRO; Pg. B07

LENGTH: 641 words

HEADLINE: Clues to Spielberg Story Emerge; Police, School Officials Relate Chain of Events at Hearing

BYLINE: Tom Jackman, Washington Post Staff Writer

BODY:

When Jonathan T. Spielberg decided he wanted to attend Paul VI High School full time, he went to a nearby Kinko's Copies store, typed a bogus three-page report card and gave himself A's in everything from organic chemistry to U.S. government. He then submitted the "transcript" to the school,he later told police.

He also told a police detective he is 27 years old, not the 14-year-old freshman he had pretended to be in 1998.

The first clues as to how Spielberg fooled the private Fairfax City school into believing he was the teenage nephew of filmmaker Steven Spielberg emerged yesterday during a preliminary court hearing in Fairfax County. Jonathan Spielberg, who legally changed his name from Anoushirvan D.

Fakhran in 1997, did not testify, but school officials and Fairfax City police Detective Michael Boone did, explaining the chain of events that led to Spielberg's arrest on fraud and forgery charges.

Chief District Court Judge Richard T. Horan threw out one forgery charge. Boone testified that Spielberg admitted he has no relative named Spielberg, contrary to what he wrote in his name-change petition, but Spielberg's lawyer successfully argued that the information was not required by law and thus the claim was irrelevant.

However, Horan found there was probable cause to believe Spielberg defrauded Paul VI. Evidence on a child pornography charge will be heard later.

Spielberg and his lawyer, Rodney G. Leffler, declined to comment yesterday.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Ian Rodway introduced as exhibits Spielberg's September 1998 application to Paul VI and a purported transcript from the "Beverly Hills Private School for Actors," which does not exist. On the handwritten application, Spielberg's father is listed as a Beverly Hills "plastic surgen" named "Charls Spielberg"; his mother, Mary Fakhran, is also identified as a doctor.

Spielberg was admitted to Paul VI that September part time, for which he received no class credit, director of admissions Mary Jean Tani told the court.

Last spring, when he indicated a desire to attend full time, Assistant Principal Marie Powell said she asked for evidence of his previous academic work.

Spielberg, who claimed to have been tutored privately, provided the Beverly Hills transcript, which has a Universal Studios logo but no phone number or official seal.

The document says Spielberg took 20 classes from 1997 to 1999 and aced all of them except for a B in journalism. One of the many A's he awarded himself was for "creative writing."

Leffler asked Powell if she had been suspicious about the high grades. She said she'd taken notice but "had no experience with the kind of organization that might provide credit for someone being tutored one-on-one."

Last fall, after the school tried to contact Jonathan Spielberg's family in Hollywood, Steven Spielberg's security firm alerted Fairfax City police. Boone said yesterday that Spielberg initially gave his age as 20, then 26, then 27, and said he typed the Beverly Hills transcript himself at Kinko's.

Asked about the name change, Boone said Spielberg "said he liked Mr. [Steven] Spielberg. He said the name was Jewish and all Jews are related, and that makes him related to Steven Spielberg."

Rodway asked if Spielberg explained why he undertook the seeming ruse after immigrating here in 1992. "He spent a good deal of time talking about . . . Iran," Boone said. "He said his father was arrested and in jail. He said his mother had been beaten, and he was beaten. He had an overall bad experiencewith high school in Iran. He came to the U.S. and wanted to experience a good high school."

Jonathan T. Spielberg, who did not testify, leaves the Fairfax County Courthouse after a preliminary hearing. Spielberg is followed by a Brazilian camera crew covering his case.

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: February 10, 2000