[ad_1]
Federal prosecutors said that a business owner from Newport Beach, California, had conspired with others to fraudulently accept students as so-called sports recruits.
William "Rick" Singer, of Newport Beach, California, owns and operates Edge College & Career Network LLC, a for-profit consulting and for-profit development company for universities. Singer, 58, also held the position of CEO of Key Worldwide Foundation, a non-profit corporation that he created as a so-called charity, prosecutors said.
Singer pleaded guilty in a Boston federal court on Tuesday for racketeering, conspiracy, money laundering, tax conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
The businessman is one of the witnesses of the cooperation mentioned in the complaint, according to a police source.
"I created a side door that would guarantee access for families," Singer told the judge. "I bribed the coaches for a job, and it happened very often."
Known Actresses
Actress Felicity Huffman and his wife "made a so-called $ 15,000 contribution to [Key Worldwide Foundation] to participate in the cheat system at the college entrance exams on behalf of his eldest daughter, "the complaint said.
She then "made arrangements to continue the scheme a second time for her younger daughter before deciding not to do so," the complaint said.
The Oscar nominee has been charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest service fraud, according to court documents filed Monday in federal court in Massachusetts. A police source confirmed to CNN that the actress had been arrested in Los Angeles.
Actress Lori Loughlin, star of "Full House" and "Fuller House", and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, have been charged with conspiracy to commit postal fraud and to strike honest services.
Giannulli reportedly "agreed to pay bribes in the total amount of $ 500,000" in return for the appointment of their two daughters as recruits to the USC team, while they were not participating in the crew, thus facilitating their admission to the USC. "
The complaint includes alleged emails between a cooperating witness and Giannulli, in which the two men discussed a "game plan" for his eldest daughter whose "academic qualifications were equal to or less than the minimum standards of". Admission of the USC ".
Loughlin wrote at least one email about their young daughter and admission.
Giannulli and Loughlin were recorded during phone calls with a co-op witness who was discussing the IRS verification of activities involved in the alleged scam. If ever asked, Loughlin would say that they donated to the foundation, "end of the story".
Loughlin is on a flight to Los Angeles, where she is expected this afternoon, according to a police source.
CNN has contacted Iconix Brand Group, owner of the namesake fashion company Mossimo.
The winemaker and other parents
Agustin Huneeus Jr., San Francisco resident, owner of vineyards in Napa, California and elsewhere, conspired to "corrupt [senior athletic director Donna] Heinel and Jovan Vavic, the USC's water polo coach, will facilitate his daughter's admission to the USC as a so-called water polo rookie, said the complaint.
Huneeus was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and mail fraud related to honest services, according to the complaint. Heinel and Vavic are accused of conspiracy to commit racketeering.
CNN reached out to the three accused.
Other alleged relatives of the alleged scam include the CEO of a Los Angeles-based boutique marketing company who "agreed to make an alleged donation of $ 50,000" to Key Worldwide in exchange for a witness cooperating who would take the ACT on behalf of his son Houston Test Center, said the complaint.
Another defendant is a resident of Greenwich, Connecticut, a lawyer with an international law firm in New York. The lawyer paid a "$ 75,000 charity donation" to Key Worldwide, the complaint said.
A cooperating witness arranged for the director of the college readiness exam at a private school in Bradenton, Florida, to purport to monitor the examination ACT's daughter's lawyer and "corrects the answers after she has completed it," says the complaint.
Among other parents, there is the founder and president of a food and beverage packaging company that resides in Aspen, Colorado and New York. He and his wife are charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest service fraud.
Coaches and College Administrators
The coaches of Yale, Stanford, USC, Wake Forest and Georgetown are among those involved in the so-called plot. CNN reached out to all schools.
According to the complaint, another parent allegedly "conspired to bribe" Heinel, Deputy Sports Director of the USC, in order to nominate his daughter as a basketball rookie in order to introduce him to the university .
At the request of a cooperating witness, a former assistant coach of USC Women's Football created a fake basketball profile for the accused's daughter, the complaint said. She is charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering.
Heinel allegedly submitted the accused's daughter to a sub-committee of the USC for sports admissions in October 2017 and the student would have been admitted as a basketball rookie. The student entered the USC in the fall of 2018 but did not join the basketball team, according to the complaint.
The University of Southern California said Tuesday about the alleged ploy: "We are aware of the extensive ongoing criminal investigation involving universities nationwide, including USC." USC has been accused of 39, no wrongdoing and will continue to cooperate fully with the government investigation.
"We understand that the government believes that the illegal activities have been perpetrated by individuals who have done everything to hide their actions at the university.USC is currently conducting an internal investigation and will take the necessary legal action," said the communicated.
CNN reviews complaint about other allegations. Back for updates.
Mark Morales from CNN contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link