IRVINE : Accused Senior Dismissed From UCI

A UC Irvine senior who was accused of involvement in a scam to steal written exams has been dismissed from the school after refusing to appear before a disciplinary hearing, university officials said Monday.

But the student’s attorney said his client was improperly dismissed.

In order to be readmitted, university spokeswoman Colleen Bentley-Adler said, Amir Bagherzadeh, 22, will have to formally apply and receive specific approval from the chancellor.

But Bagherzadeh’s attorney, Lawrence Ecoff, said that while his client declined a formal hearing before a faculty and student board, he filed notice of appeal within seven days as specified by the university’s rules. He also said his client informally met with Sarah Johnson, the assistant dean of students, and with university ombudsman Ron Wilson.

“Basically, he’s being dismissed without being given an opportunity to present the facts,” Ecoff said.

Bagherzadeh, a biological sciences major, and another student were arrested in February after they used a key to enter the office of the chairman of the molecular biology and biochemistry department, authorities said.

Bagherzadeh has pleaded not guilty to the charges filed at Municipal Court in Newport Beach.

Shortly after their arrests, the second student accused in connection with the thefts shot himself once in the chest and died in a Tijuana hotel.