[ad_1]
The first two people to stand trial in the college admissions corruption scandal were convicted on Friday. But the two defendants, Gamal Abdelaziz, a former casino executive, and John Wilson, a private equity investor, both parents, have joined a list of dozens of prominent people who have received judgments through plea deals. in the case that federal investigators call Operation Varsity Blues.
The Admissions Program Survey, in which parents funneled millions of dollars through William Singer, a private admissions counselor, to increase their children’s chances of entering universities like the He University of Southern California, Yale, Stanford, and Georgetown, also involved coaches, exam administrators and others.
Of the 57 defendants who have been indicted, 47 have pleaded guilty or have agreed to do so since the indictments were announced in March 2019. Some parents are expected to stand trial in 2022. Here’s what happened to some of the notable defendants , so far.
Gamal Abdelaziz faces up to 20 years in prison after being convicted on Friday of conspiring to commit bribes and fraud, though experts say under sentencing guidelines he is more likely to be less than three years old. Mr Abdelaziz has been accused of paying $ 300,000 in 2018 to get his daughter admitted to USC as a basketball rookie. She was not on the high school varsity team.
John wilson was also convicted of conspiracy to commit bribes and fraud, and was convicted of filing a false income tax return for deducting a bribe. He faces up to 20 years in prison but will likely receive less than five, experts say. Mr Wilson has been accused of paying $ 220,000 in 2014 to have his son admitted to USC as a water polo rookie, despite not being good enough to compete in the university, according to prosecutors.
Guillaume Singer, the admissions consultant at the heart of the scandal, pleaded guilty to racketeering and other charges in 2019 after cooperating with federal investigators since September 2018. He has not been convicted. Mr Singer faces jail time and fines for various crimes committed in operating what he has called a “side door” to universities for his clients.
Lori Loughlin, the actress best known for her role on the sitcom “Full House”, was sentenced to two months in prison and fined $ 150,000 after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit fraud with her husband, Mossimo Giannulli , a fashion designer. Mr. Giannulli was sentenced to five months in prison and fined $ 250,000. Prosecutors said the couple paid $ 500,000 to have their children admitted to USC as rowers. Ms Loughlin’s downfall was swift: she quit her country club and was fired from her role on the Hallmark Channel series “When the Heart Is Called.” Last month it was announced that Ms Loughlin would reprise the role in the drama’s spinoff, according to Variety.
John Vandemoer, who coached sailing at Stanford for 11 years, was among the first to strike a plea deal on racketeering charges. Prosecutors said he passed checks from Mr Singer to development officers at Stanford totaling $ 770,000. Mr. Vandemoer served one day in prison and six months of house arrest. He also lost his job at Stanford and his family’s university subsidized housing. But he has since found a new career: Mr. Vandemoer, who has a degree in geology, recently started a job at a hydraulic engineering company that builds drinking water systems.
Félicité Huffman, award-winning actress and “Desperate Housewives” star, served 11 days in a minimum security prison camp outside of San Francisco in 2019 on fraud charges after admitting to paying $ 15,000 to cheat on his daughter’s SAT exam. Ms Huffman is set to star in an ABC comedy about minor league baseball, according to news reports.
Douglas Hodge, a former managing director of investment management firm Pimco, received the harshest sentence of any parent involved in the affair: nine months in prison and a fine of $ 750,000. Most of the parents indicted in the scandal were found to have paid bribes or committed fraud to enroll one or two children in college. But Mr Hodge exploited the scam more and over a longer period of time, prosecutors said, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to enroll at least four of his seven children in top schools, and was trying to make even with her fifth child.
[ad_2]
Source link