Felicity Huffman, Lori Laughlin: How the scam of admissions to the university worked

TO CLOSE

Officials said the actresses were involved in the biggest corruption case in admired universities in a country, prosecuted by the Justice Ministry.
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They simulated disabilities. They photographed faces on the bodies of different students. They poured millions of dollars in bribes – part of a scam aimed at ensuring that children from wealthy American families enter the country's most selective colleges.

And, say the authorities, they got caught. On Tuesday, federal authorities unveiled the results of an attack on television celebrities and college coaches.

The scam required dozens of bribes from test administrators and relied on different college standards for student-athletes. William Rick Singer, the person at the center of the scam, described the situation more succinctly: "We help the richest families in the United States to educate their children."

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Lori Loughlin, Felicity Huffman (Photo: Frazer Harrison, Getty Images)

Here's how they proceeded, according to hundreds of pages of court documents detailing the allegations – the anatomy of a scam:

Administrator of university exams

Edge College and Career Network would help set up bribes for exam administrators like the SAT or ACT, according to federal prosecutors. In some cases, someone else has passed the test for the student. In other cases, the students received answers during the test. Their test could also be revised afterwards.

A lie leads to another

To get to this point, more deception was needed. These tests usually take place in group sessions, although students with disabilities have more time. They can also pass the test alone. This meant that parents should lie about the fact that their children had learning difficulties.

Students were also required to take tests on sites controlled by the network. Parents were asked to "make a pattern – such as a bar mitzvah or a wedding" which would explain why they had to take the test elsewhere.

In one case, a parent sent the network a sample of his child's writing so that staff could better replicate the physical style of writing. The example read in jagged letters: "This is an example of my current writing style. Thank you for your attention."

Were the students involved?

Apparently not. Many did not know that their parents were paying to illegally change their tests. A key witness, suspected of being Singer, said: "These are all children who would not have[ed] also and then they really have very good. … It was so funny, because the kids are going to call and say, "Maybe I should do it again. I did quite well and if I did it again, I would do better. & # 39; "

What you need to know: College coaches and celebrities indicted in the most important case of admission corruption ever met in elite schools