5th Duke of Cleveland hoax

Who is 5th Duke of Cleveland hoax?

The 5th Duke of Cleveland hoax garnered media attention in January 2006 after Joshua Adam Gardner allegedly misrepresented himself to the students and staff of Stillwater Area High School in Oak Park Heights, Minnesota as a fictional fifth Duke of Cleveland from England.

When student journalists began researching Gardner's identity, they soon discovered his listing in an online Florida database as a registered sex offender based on Gardner's 2003 Minnesota conviction for fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. Students informed school authorities, who contacted police. Gardner was booked for violating the terms of his probation in relation to his activities at the school, including contact with minors. Gardner's parole officer recommended that Gardner serve out the 21 months of prison that had been stayed after his conviction in 2003. Gardner was incarcerated in Carver County, Minnesota on April 20, 2006 and released on August 21, 2006 under "intensive supervised release" with supervision to expire on August 19, 2011.