Operation Varsity Blues: Students Bring a Class Action Against an Alleged Scam of University Admission Involving Lori Loughlin, Felicity Huffman



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BOSTON – Two students filed a clbad action lawsuit against one of the largest fraudulent scams in college in the United States.

Federal prosecutors in Boston on Tuesday accused 50 people, including celebrities such as Loughlin and fellow actress Felicity Huffman, as well as general managers and university coaches.

The latest to date: The Trial

Stanford University, the University of Southern California, UCLA, the University of San Diego, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Wake Forest, Yale University, and Georgetown University were designated suit.

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Erica Olsen and Kalea Wood say that they have not had the opportunity to enroll in the university and that the scandal has allowed "unqualified students" to get into school. enter "highly selective universities".

What is the Varsity Blues operation?

Authorities claim that the operation, dubbed Varsity Blues, revealed 33 parents described by American lawyer Andrew Lelling as a "catalog of wealth and privilege" who collectively paid $ 25 million to an admissions counselor at the university. William Singer, who pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate in an investigation into what Lelling called "increasing corruption of admissions to elite colleges".

READ THE COMPLETE CHARGING DOCUMENT HERE

In exchange for this money, Singer allegedly bribed officials, coaches and college entrance exam administrators, who then helped the students to obtain confessions " not by merit but by fraud, "said Lelling.

In Boston, Singer pleaded guilty to racketeering for conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Parents spent between $ 200,000 and $ 6.5 million to guarantee the admission of their children, officials said.

Who was arrested in this case?

The FBI decided to arrest 46 of the 50 accused.

The majority of arrests took place on Tuesday. Huffman was arrested at home and sources told ABC News that guns had been fired during her arrest. She appeared before the Los Angeles court and a judge allowed her to be released on bail of $ 250,000, with orders not to travel outside the United States.

Loughlin's husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, was also among those arrested on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Loughlin was arrested after returning to the United States after touring Canada. Later in the day, Loughlin was released on bail of one million dollars. During her stay, she was allowed to continue traveling to work on a film project in British Columbia, but she must return her pbadport when this work is completed later this year.

  Lori Loughlin Appears in the Case of Corruption Project at Admission in a Hearing Room on Wednesday, March 13, 2019.

Coaches worked in schools such as Stanford, Georgetown, Wake Forest, University of Southern California and the University. from California, Los Angeles. The former Yale coach pleaded guilty and contributed to the constitution of a case against other people.

All coaches who have been charged and still work in their schools have been dismissed or placed on administrative leave.

The suspects were mainly charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud.

"The arrest of today should be a warning to others," said Joseph Bonavolonta of the FBI Tuesday. "You can not pay to play, you can not cheat to go ahead because you are going to get caught."

What would have happened during the Varsity Blues operation?

In some cases, authorities reported that Singer had asked a student to take the SAT individually with a supervisor whom he had bought in Texas or California. In other cases, Singer allegedly bribed coaches to establish false references designating students as recruited athletes, even when those students did not practice the sport in question.

In a case cited by federal prosecutors, it was alleged that the head coach of women's football at Yale had been paid $ 400,000 to accept a student even if the plaintiff had not played football. The parents of this student would have paid $ 1.2 million to Singer.

Authorities reported that coaches in sports such as football, sailing, tennis, water polo and volleyball were rewarded for placing students on lists of recruited athletes, whatever their abilities and experience. Once accepted, many of these students did not practice the sports in which they were supposed to excel.

Prosecutors said parents were also instructed to report that their children had learning difficulties so they could take ACT or SAT alone and have more time. It made it easier, the prosecutor said.

The applicants' sports references were falsified with staged photographs showing them playing sports or falsified photographs in which their faces were stuck to the bodies of real athletes, announced the authorities.

How the investigation is going on

The national ploy was the subject of lawsuits in Boston, in part because it had been discovered by FBI agents working in a non-profit case. related. They say that false test scores have been submitted to Boston College, Boston University and Northeastern University.

RELATED: Chronology of the course of operation Varsity Blues

Prosecutors said it was not a coincidence that there were no students charged, although they did not exclude him. But they were told that in most cases the students did not know what their parents had done to get them into the college of their choice.

According to court records, Huffman and her husband, actor William H. Macy, "would have made a charitable contribution of $ 15,000 […] to participate in the cheat ploy at the exam." College entrance on behalf of his eldest daughter.Huffman later made arrangements to continue the project a second time, for his younger daughter, before deciding not to do so. "

Federal Agents Assert recorded telephone conversations with Huffman and a cooperating witness. Macy is neither accused nor named in court documents.

The records indicate that Loughlin and her husband "agreed to pay bribes in the total amount of $ 500,000 in exchange for the designation of their two daughters as rookies in the team. of the USC crew, even though they did not participate in the crew, thus facilitating their participation. admission to the USC.

Officials say that they have emails from Loughlin.

The College Board, which administers the SAT, declared to cooperate with law enforcement and issued the following statement:

"The arrests that took place today as a result of An investigation by the US Attorney's Office in Mbadachusetts send a clear message to those who facilitate fraud on the SAT – regardless of their income or status – will be held accountable. comprehensive and strong to fight against fraud, and we work closely with law enforcement as part of these efforts.We will always take all that is necessary measures to ensure fair conditions for the overwhelming majority Candidates who are honest and who respect the rules. "

Authorities said that the list of parents involved could lengthen as the investigation continues during the next few days. rochains months.

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