Tutor charged in Corona del Mar High hacking scandal waives hearing

An Irvine tutor accused of orchestrating a hacking campaign to change Corona del Mar High School students’ grades waived his right to a preliminary hearing, effectively speeding the case toward trial, according to court records.

Timothy Lance Lai, 29, could face a maximum of 16 years and four months in jail if convicted of 20 counts of felony computer fraud and one felony count of second-degree burglary. He is accused of leading a plot to break into the high school in 2013 and use a keylogger to steal teachers’ passwords that gave him access to the grades.

Typically, before a case can go trial, prosecutors must present some evidence at a preliminary hearing, where a judge will rule whether there’s enough to proceed.

At a June 12 court date, however, Lai waived his right to that hearing.

“Mr. Lai does not want to put any of the students who were involved in this through any more travail and grief than they’ve already gone through,” said Lai’s attorney Donald Rubright.

Eleven students were expelled from Corona del Mar High in the scandal’s aftermath.

Rubright said waiving the hearing does not affect Lai’s plea of not guilty. “Not at this point,” he said.

He declined to comment further.

Lai is due in court Monday and will again be asked to enter a plea now that the preliminary phase has passed.

Newport Beach police arrested Lai in October at Los Angeles International Airport after he arrived on a flight from South Korea. Authorities believe Lai fled the U.S. after the hacking was discovered.

He is now free on $200,000 bail.