For the past two months, Edward Francis Meinert, Jr., an Extension School student, posed as a transfer student in the College class of '02.

But on Monday it was revealed that Meinert had conned his friends and colleagues, hiding the fact that he was not an undergraduate and that he was also facing an impending Federal prison sentence for fraud.

Meinert, who declined to answer repeated attempts to contact him yesterday, had impressed students at Harvard with his intelligence and congeniality.

He had joined several campus organizations this fall, but his normal Harvard life ended following the publication of an article in the George Washington University (GWU) student newspaper Monday describing the fraud charges.

As of yesterday morning, at least one group, the Sigma Chi fraternity, had suspended Meinert from his status as a pledge because of the deception.

Meinert's trouble began at GWU. U.S. Attorneys in the District of Columbia said Meinert's pattern of theft began there and spanned two years.

The allegations range from stealing more than $8,000 from a federal credit union to obtaining a loan under false pretenses.

Meinert pled guilty to one count of theft and one count of fraud in D.C. in October. At his sentencing Dec. 13, Meinert could face up to 10 years in Federal prison.