Nationwide College Cheating Scandal - Actresses, Business Owners Charged, Mar 2019

[Mercedes]

Sources familiar with the case said FBI agents have seized numerous cell phones and other evidence they believe will lead them to other parents, college employees and others who might have participated in admissions bribery.

We know a number of wealthy parents from some of the most exclusive private schools in L.A. were calling around Tuesday, asking if Rick Singer, the ringleader who just copped a plea, kept lists of clients. As one source put it, "These parents are sweating bullets."

On a different front, sources at USC familiar with the scandal tell us the University has known about the investigation for around 2 months, but they did not investigate ... because they didn't want to undermine the feds.

College Bribery Scandal Triggers Scores of Nervous, Rich Parents

I guess more names will be out soon...

Even if Singer didn’t keep a client’s list, I would think Key Worldwide has a list of donors. I am pretty sure the IRS is interested in this.

 

[Gardenista]

People Ask If The College-Cheating-Scam Actresses Will Be Jailed Like The Black Moms Who Used Fake Addresses To Send Kids to Better Schools

The college bribery scandal has outraged many who remember the Black mothers who were served jail time for lying about their addresses so their children could attend school in a better district.

In one particular 2012 instance, a homeless Connecticut mother was sentenced to five years for using a babysitter’s address so her son could attend a better elementary school. The state of Connecticut accused Tonya McDowell of stealing $15,686 worth of education from the city of Norwalk when her child should have been enrolled in Bridgeport school.

In 2011, Kelley Williams-Bolar, of Ohio, was also jailed for lying about her residency to send her child to a better school. In the end, Williams-Bolar was sentenced to 10 days in county jail and put on three years of probation. She was also required to perform community service.

LOCK THEM UP!!!

 

[JudgeJoe]

People Ask If The College-Cheating-Scam Actresses Will Be Jailed Like The Black Moms Who Used Fake Addresses To Send Kids to Better Schools

The college bribery scandal has outraged many who remember the Black mothers who were served jail time for lying about their addresses so their children could attend school in a better district.

In one particular 2012 instance, a homeless Connecticut mother was sentenced to five years for using a babysitter’s address so her son could attend a better elementary school. The state of Connecticut accused Tonya McDowell of stealing $15,686 worth of education from the city of Norwalk when her child should have been enrolled in Bridgeport school.

In 2011, Kelley Williams-Bolar, of Ohio, was also jailed for lying about her residency to send her child to a better school. In the end, Williams-Bolar was sentenced to 10 days in county jail and put on three years of probation. She was also required to perform community service.

EXACTLY! Get those photoshop moms IN and get the “equal access” moms OUT. But not until the EA moms meet up with the PS moms & EDUCATE them on what fairness should look like. Not suggesting a cat fight- just a good old-fashioned piece-of-their-what-for!

 

[JerseyGirl]

If anyone wants to read the Affidavit in Support of the Criminal Complaint, it lists each individual case:

Nationwide College Cheating Scam Complaint | University And College Admission | Test (Assessment)

DEFENDANT (PARENTS) - PAGE NUMER
GREGORY ABBOTT 36
MARCIA ABBOTT 36
GAMAL ABDELAZIZ 83
DIANE BLAKE 169
TODD BLAKE 169
JANE BUCKINGHAM 15
GORDON CAPLAN 22
I-HSIN “JOEY” CHEN 42
AMY COLBURN 193
GREGORY COLBURN 193
ROBERT FLAXMAN 196
MOSSIMO GIANNULLI 88
ELIZABETH HENRIQUEZ 44
MANUEL HENRIQUEZ 44
DOUGLAS HODGE 162

FELICITY HUFFMAN 72
AGUSTIN HUNEEUS, Jr. 96
BRUCE ISACKSON 107

DAVINA ISACKSON 107
MICHELLE JANAVS 153
ELISABETH KIMMEL 143
MARJORIE KLAPPER 79
LORI LOUGHLIN 88
TOBY MACFARLANE 180
WILLIAM E. McGLASHAN, Jr. 58
MARCI PALATELLA 137
PETER JAN SARTORIO 177

STEPHEN SEMPREVIVO 186
DEVIN SLOANE 129
JOHN B. WILSON 122
HOMAYOUN ZADEH 199
ROBERT ZANGRILLO 118

 

[stx722]

IMO, the current bribe scandal only hit MSM bc 2 celebrity names are associated, otherwise no one would really care. And we look at the $500k payout and majority of us get incensed bc only the top earners in our society have that kind of money to throw away. That’s what we’re mad about.

The college application process has been flawed forever. Only the top % of HS students with extensive extra-curricular activities have a shot at top tier schools - unless they’re a side project of some philanthropic who wants to “help a kid in need”.

How about this: regardless of demographics, HS ranks, income, hardships and physical location — why don’t we go by test scores alone? Not sports ability or alumni status, not donations and coaches’ recommendations. The kids that want to go will have to work harder to get the grades and prove themselves. It may hurt mommy and daddy’s feelings that junior didn’t go to their alma mater, but parents need to stop living their kids’ lives for them . There are plenty of second and third tier options - we just don’t want to admit some of us have second and third tier kids, academically.

Why don’t they roll all that money into giving teachers higher salaries and bettering the education system our kids are growing up in to prepare them for what’s ahead? The whole, “if you teach a man to fish” thing...

IMO, and based on multiple research results, the scores are biased, results misused and the tests are not accurate predictors. The entire system for determining who gets in and who doesn't, is broken. I 100% agree with you that not everyone's kids are first tier performers. I tutored several students my age back in college that couldn't cut it, and shouldn't have been there. As my good friend used to say, "College ain't for everybody!"

 

[Herat]

Even if Singer didn’t keep a client’s list, I would think Key Worldwide has a list of donors. I am pretty sure the IRS is interested in this.

Reading about Key Worldwide I recall that someone paid Key $6.5 million to get their kid into an elite school.

For that kind of money, I’m surprised they didn’t go through the regular “approved” route and not risk a huge IRS investigation for fraud

 

[Gardenista]

Reading about Key Worldwide I recall that someone paid Key $6.5 million to get their kid into an elite school.

For that kind of money, I’m surprised they didn’t go through the regular “approved” route and not risk a huge IRS investigation for fraud

I thought the same thing. I wonder what the going rate is to legally buy your kid's way into school.

 

[Inthedetails]

This newsweek story has more interesting celebrity comments-- including one from George Lopez drawing a comparison between the scandal and Pres Donald Trump saying “Let me get this straight.. They were faking documents so their children can have a better life… Hmmm,” said a meme he posted on Instagram.

I might be off base, but I don't think Lopez was referring to Trump, though I suppose he could have been. I thought he was comparing the elite fudging documents for the benefit of their kids' future to people in the country illegally faking documents for the purpose of providing a better life for their kids or parents in bad school districts lying about their address so their kids can attend a better school.

I thought Lopez was saying people shouldn't throw rocks at the little people for doing the same things the elite do for their families.

jmo

 

[stx722]

I thought the same thing. I wonder what the going rate is to legally buy your kid's way into school.

Typically a building or endowment, etc.

 

[Inthedetails]

Typically a building or endowment, etc.

I keep seeing references to endowments, libraries, etc.

The people in this case did not donate anything to the school. It all went to a scammer who set up a fake charity.

I know some people might not see the difference, but at least with an endowment or other donation, the school and student body actually benefit from it. With this bribery and cheating case, the only persons befitting was the individual family and the scam artist they hired.

jmo

 

[stx722]

I keep seeing references to endowments, libraries, etc.

The people in this case did not donate anything to the school. It all went to a scammer who set up a fake charity.

I know some people might not see the difference, but at least with an endowment or other donation, the school and student body actually benefit from it. With this bribery and cheating case, the only persons befitting was the individual family and the scam artist they hired.

jmo

That's correct.

 

[Gardenista]

Typically a building or endowment, etc.

I know, but I was looking for a $$$ number.

 

[scriabina]

Re: Jane Buckingham's son's apology:

That's a handsome apology and, I think, sincere. Shows good character that his mother lacks. IMO, MOO.

I am not convinced that is sincere. He took the exam at home and provided a handwriting sample, saying "To whom it may concern,this provides an example of my current writing style. Thank you for your attention." (see link below) How could he not know something was afoot? I'm sure he had at least an inkling.

"...Jane Buckingham, accused of paying someone to take the ACT for her son and then asking for a copy of the exam to administer to him at home so he would think he’d really taken the test."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...l-golden-age-grifters/?utm_term=.91bb606d9df2

 

[Gardenista]

I keep seeing references to endowments, libraries, etc.

The people in this case did not donate anything to the school. It all went to a scammer who set up a fake charity.

I know some people might not see the difference, but at least with an endowment or other donation, the school and student body actually benefit from it. With this bribery and cheating case, the only persons befitting was the individual family and the scam artist they hired.

jmo

Yes, at first I was kind of seeing them as the same but after reading more about it I now get the difference. It's sort of like allowing an athlete in with poor grades who will bring in boatloads of money to the school.

I don't agree with any of them--the scam way, the endowment way or the athlete way, but I understand why the scam way is illegal.

 

[stx722]

I know, but I was looking for a $$$ number.

I think it would depend on the school, the parents' commitment, level of wealth, etc. Likely for the price some of
these parents paid to scammers, they could have received favorable considerations for their children at some of
these schools. IMO, MOO, etc.

 

[Curiousobserver]

Hahaha! That cracked me up!!

That would make an awesome minseries!

 

[Betty P]

People Ask If The College-Cheating-Scam Actresses Will Be Jailed Like The Black Moms Who Used Fake Addresses To Send Kids to Better Schools

The college bribery scandal has outraged many who remember the Black mothers who were served jail time for lying about their addresses so their children could attend school in a better district.

In one particular 2012 instance, a homeless Connecticut mother was sentenced to five years for using a babysitter’s address so her son could attend a better elementary school. The state of Connecticut accused Tonya McDowell of stealing $15,686 worth of education from the city of Norwalk when her child should have been enrolled in Bridgeport school.

In 2011, Kelley Williams-Bolar, of Ohio, was also jailed for lying about her residency to send her child to a better school. In the end, Williams-Bolar was sentenced to 10 days in county jail and put on three years of probation. She was also required to perform community service.

Yes, and not just the actresses. There were 50 people indicted, many of them fathers of students. They should spend time in jail, too.

 

[JerseyGirl]

I know, but I was looking for a $$$ number.

at least $10 million these days:

Inside the Pricey, Totally Legal World of College Consultants

But in recent years the costs of pursuing special treatment for an application have moved beyond comfortable reach even for the rich. A donation to an Ivy-caliber school would have to be valued at $10 million or more to earn an applicant truly special consideration beyond their merits, according to several experienced college admissions consultants.

Steven Mercer, a private college consultant based in Santa Monica, Calif., called $10 million “an entry-level gift that might not even get the attention of the admission office.”

He added, “You have to sometimes go quite a bit higher.”

Mr. Taylor of Ivy Coach agreed that even after a $10 million gift, a student’s application would not be greeted with “no questions asked.”

“It’s not guaranteed,” he said.

 

[Tighthead]

I know, but I was looking for a $$$ number.

Kushner got in for $2.5 million about 30 years ago. I read speculation that it would be 10 times that today.

Of course, schools at the very top have massive endowments and no need for the money, but they keep asking for it and taking it.

 

[stx722]

Kushner got in for $2.5 million about 30 years ago. I read speculation that it would be 10 times that today.

Of course, schools at the very top have massive endowments and no need for the money, but they keep asking for it and taking it.

I was wayyyy off. The internet is amazing. You can find anything on there.