Case Study: Shandong Exam Fraud Trials
Case 1: Jinan High School Entrance Exam Fraud Ring
Facts
In Jinan, a group of parents paid exam proctors to alter scores on high school entrance exams (中考).
Proctors manipulated answer sheets and replaced original papers with pre-prepared ones.
Legal Issues
Main charges: fraud (诈骗罪) and tampering with national exams (非法干扰国家考试罪).
Parents and intermediaries charged as co-conspirators.
Outcome
Proctors: 5–8 years imprisonment.
Parents: 2–5 years imprisonment plus fines.
Restitution paid to school authorities for investigation costs.
Significance
Demonstrates courts treat exam tampering as a serious crime against public trust and the education system.
Case 2: Zibo College Entrance Bribery Scandal
Facts
Parents bribed teachers and administrators to inflate scores of their children in Gaokao mock exams, ensuring preferential admissions.
Legal Issues
Charges: bribery (行贿罪) for parents, receiving bribes (受贿罪) for teachers.
Evidence included bank transfers, recorded meetings, and surveillance footage.
Outcome
Teachers received 8–12 years imprisonment.
Parents received 3–6 years depending on bribe amount.
Students were disqualified and barred from admission in that cycle.
Significance
Highlights accountability for both givers and receivers of bribes in educational settings.
Case 3: Weifang University Admission Fraud Case
Facts
Fraudulent agencies sold admission guarantees for top local universities.
Students’ exams were falsified using pre-marked answer sheets.
Legal Issues
Charges: fraud (诈骗罪), illegal operation of business (非法经营罪).
Agencies misrepresented services as “legally sanctioned.”
Outcome
Agency operators: 6–10 years imprisonment.
Complicit school staff: 3–5 years imprisonment.
Students involved were investigated but not criminally charged due to lack of intent.
Significance
Reveals role of illegal intermediaries in exam fraud.
Clarifies that criminal liability depends on intent and participation.
Case 4: Linyi Junior College Exam Paper Leak
Facts
A teacher in Linyi leaked exam papers to students in exchange for money.
Exam authorities discovered abnormal scores and initiated investigation.
Legal Issues
Charges: tampering with national exams (非法干扰国家考试罪), receiving bribes (受贿罪).
Teacher argued the leak was to “help poor students,” which was rejected by the court.
Outcome
Teacher sentenced to 9 years imprisonment.
Money recovered and confiscated.
Students barred from the exam cycle.
Significance
Demonstrates that motive does not mitigate liability in exam fraud.
Case 5: Dongying Fraudulent Test-Taking Operation
Facts
Parents hired impersonators to take entrance exams for their children.
Operation included fake IDs, forged admission letters, and coordinated exam substitutions.
Legal Issues
Charges: fraud (诈骗罪), illegal impersonation (冒名顶替考试罪).
Both students and impersonators were investigated.
Outcome
Main operators: 7–12 years imprisonment.
Parents: 3–6 years.
Students who participated knowingly were expelled and banned.
Significance
Shows the court’s zero tolerance for impersonation and organized fraud in exams.
Case 6: Yantai Teacher Collusion Case
Facts
Multiple high school teachers colluded to leak answers during mid-term exams to a group of students for money.
Legal Issues
Charges: receiving bribes (受贿罪) and illegal interference with national exams (非法干扰国家考试罪).
Outcome
Teachers sentenced to 5–8 years imprisonment.
Students involved were subject to disciplinary measures but not criminally liable.
Significance
Confirms that educational staff bear primary responsibility for protecting exam integrity.
Case 7: Zaozhuang Test Agency Scam
Facts
An unlicensed agency promised “guaranteed top scores” for middle school and Gaokao exams.
They produced fake answer sheets and coached students to manipulate scoring.
Legal Issues
Charges: fraud (诈骗罪), illegal business operations (非法经营罪).
Outcome
Agency leaders sentenced 6–9 years imprisonment.
Falsified exam materials destroyed.
Clients (parents) faced fines and minor prison terms.
Significance
Demonstrates that commercial exploitation of exams is criminally prosecutable in China.
Patterns Observed in Shandong Exam Fraud Trials
Primary liability falls on adults, including parents, teachers, and intermediaries.
Students often face administrative but not criminal penalties unless they actively participated knowingly.
Common crimes include: fraud, bribery, illegal business operations, exam interference, and impersonation.
Sentences vary according to severity, monetary involvement, and public impact.
Courts emphasize deterrence due to societal importance of fair educational access.
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