Ukrainian lied about his age to be adopted in the US

A guy from the Ukrainian city of Nova Kakhovka, a student at Kherson State University, Arthur Samarin changed his age from 19 to 14 years to be adopted by an American childless couple. In 2017, he was deported to Ukraine, writes Medusa.

PennLive.com / YouTube

Samarin arrived in the US in the summer of 2012, according to the program Work and Travel. He stayed in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and got a job at a chain restaurant red robin - fried potatoes there, got 9,5 dollars per hour. Samarin quickly realized that he wanted to stay in the United States, and began to look for ways to legalize, because Work and Travel The visa expired in a few months.

In Harrisburg, Samarin met a childless married couple, Stephanie and Michael Potts. According to Arthur (it is not known who actually invented this plan), Potts stated that he could stay in the US if they adopted him - but for that, the guy must understate his real age, because American laws prohibit adopting adults. So 19-year-old Arthur Samarin became 14-year-old Asher Potts. In September 2012, he entered Harrisburg School, which allowed his adoptive parents to receive state benefits.

At school, the emergence of a new student did not arouse suspicion. When asked about his accent, Samarin answered that he grew up in a Russian-Jewish district; To those who asked why he changed his name (Samarin started his academic year under his real name), the guy jokingly said: “I am a Russian spy.” He studied well, participated in public life (for example, he taught children to swim as a volunteer at the Youth Christian Association) and became one of the most prominent students in his school. In 2014, when Samarin was admitted to the National Society of Honor, a certificate of entry was presented to him by the congressman from Pennsylvania Patti Kim.

Photos: Facebook Free asher potts

Samarin dreamed of studying aerospace engineering, then obtaining a doctoral degree and working at NASA. But in February 2016, three months before graduation, he was arrested right during the lesson. Police Samarina surrendered adoptive parents. Arthur argues that this happened after he ran away from home. According to the young man, Potts forced him to sleep on the couch in the dressing room and do all the housework; if he could not cope with her, his adoptive parents allegedly threatened to extradite him to the migration service and could even hit him. However, Potts told the police another version - allegedly they did not know the real age of Samarin at the time of adoption, he grew up cruel, threatened them and planned to arrange a shooting at his school.

The charges of the Potts were not confirmed; however, in the fall of 2016, the young man was convicted of forging documents and seducing a minor. Samarin received two months in prison for using a driver's license and a social security card in the name of Asher Potts, and from 11,5 to 23 months for meeting with a 15-year-old girl at school.

“I made a big mistake trying to fulfill my American dream,” Samarin said in his last word.

Arthur's adoptive parents later also appeared in court: Michael Potts was sentenced to two years on probation, his wife Stephanie to five months in prison. Both of them were found guilty of forging documents and harboring an illegal immigrant, but Stephanie’s punishment was more severe because she had previously been accused of fraud and theft.

Samarin spent 14 months in US prisons, and in 2017 was deported to Ukraine. At the Kiev airport, he was met by his mother (according to Ukrainian media, they are divorced from Samarin’s father). The first time after his return, Samarin believed that the American justice system treated him too severely. He even hinted that he would have had the technical skills to support the alleged Russian intervention in the American elections. However, he later stated that at that moment he was just very angry with the US government.

“I wanted Putin to come and make [their] chaos,” Samarin told GQ.

After returning to his homeland, Arthur Samarin recovered at Kherson State University - the university where he studied before leaving for the United States. He realizes that he will probably never again be able to come to the United States, but continues to keep in touch with American friends. They did not stop writing to him - and sometimes even send him money. On average, 100 dollars a month is more than a Samarin scholarship in Kherson.

“Everything was so cool, Mr. Daniel [Riley, GQ writer], and look at me now... It's not the worst place, and I'm surrounded by great people, but there's no opportunity here... It's like Britain before the industrial revolution. A dirty place where people throw slop out of the windows. It's the same thinking here. There are no opportunities, no money, no place where you can realize yourself. But I don’t want to be just... Coal doesn’t want to be coal, it wants to be a diamond,” said Arthur Samarin.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Educated, purposeful, cosmopolitan. Who are the “fifth wave of Ukrainian emigration”?

Opinion: Why Americans are used to sharing

How to overcome the language barrier in English

Truth and myths about denigrating in America

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.