HARRISBURG, Pa. -- The American caretaker of 23-year-old Ukrainian national Artur Samarin made several serious allegations during an approximately 70-minute discussion with reporters on Wednesday, including claims that the boy known to the Harrisburg community as 'Asher Potts' was planning a violent attack at his high school.
Stephayne Potts said she contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and spoke with an Agent Bruce Dupay in "late November, first week of December" to express concern over Samarin's behavior.
"Asher started changing," Stephayne Potts said. "He was talking about kids in school, being negative. Teachers were calling to say he was arrogant, and he wasn’t listening to them. He threatened some of his teachers."
FOX43 spoke with FBI media representative Carrie Adamowski in Philadelphia, who was aware of the case, but declined further comment.
"Department of Justice policy doesn't allow us to confirm nor deny any public complaints which are currently under investigation," Adamowski said. "The Harrisburg office is aware, and they are following developments with local authorities."
Stephayne Potts said once Artur's behavior began to change, she contacted immigration attorney Tabetha Tanner. She says Tanner knew Samarin's visa had expired and he was in the United States illegally. Potts said she had discussed with Tanner the possibility of informing authorities about Samarin's status after his 18th birthday, once he received an education, in the hopes of legalizing his residency.
Potts said Tanner told her to contact the FBI.
FOX43 visited Tanner's office in Mechanicsburg on Thursday. She was not there, but responded later Thursday with a written statement:
Due to attorney/client privilege, I cannot comment about the specific facts of this case. As an immigration attorney, I have never knowingly filed any documentation and/or applications for a client which I knew or had reason to know were forged or otherwise falsified. Prior to filing any applications, I review the client’s personal documentation, and ask clients many questions to ensure that when I sign my name to the documents, they are true to the best of my knowledge.
If a client has done something improper in obtaining an immigration benefit prior to meeting with me and they do not admit to the impropriety, the documents appear to be legitimate, and applications submitted are approved by USCIS, there is no way for me to conclude otherwise. In a case where a client is interested in attending school in the United States, I advise clients that the proper channel is through attendance at a private school and once accepted to a private school, I offer assistance in applying for a student visa.
Harrisburg Police did not respond to phone calls and e-mails seeking comment, and the Harrisburg School District declined the opportunity to comment on the threat of an attack.
A separate claim from Stephayne Potts centers around Artur Samarin's enrollment in Harrisburg High School. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, students need to produce multiple forms in order to gain acceptance into a public school. However, Potts claimed she didn't need any documents in order to enroll Artur in ninth grade.
"I told them the story, the whole nine yards," she remembered. "I told them what his age was, and we enrolled him under Artur Samarin."
Potts insists she believed Samarin to be 14 years old at the time. She said he changed his name to Asher the following year.
FOX43 asked Department of Education Secretary Pedro Rivera on Feb. 29 if had concerns over the safety of the Pennsylvania school enrollment process. At the time, he said he would look into the question. When asked today if he had a chance to look into it, he responded, "We're not going to comment on that. That’s a question best for the school district."
Harrisburg School District spokesperson Kirsten Keys then responded, "We are not at liberty to speak of this case. There’s an active and ongoing investigation. The school district is not at liberty to speak at this time."