One of most powerful Los Angeles politicians indicted for bribery to get son into usc grad school
L.A. Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas and ex-USC dean indicted on bribery charges
Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas was indicted Wednesday on federal charges that he took bribes from a USC dean in exchange for directing millions of dollars in public funding to the university when he was on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.
Ridley-Thomas is aced of conspiring with Marilyn Louise Flynn, who at the time was dean of USC’s School of Social Work, to steer county money to the university in return for admitting his son Sebastian into the graduate school with a full-tuition scholarship and a paid professorship.
Ridley-Thomas, 66, one of the most powerful figures in Los Angeles politics, is the third L.A. City Council member to face federal corruption charges over the last two years. In a 20-count indictment, he and Flynn face charges of conspiracy, bribery, mail and wire fraud.
The alleged kickback scheme is the latest in a string of scandals that have marred USC’s reputation in recent years. Its former medical school dean was exposed as a user of methamphetamine, heroin and other drugs, and the longtime campus gynecologist was accused of sexual misconduct by hundreds of alumnae, leading to a $1.1-billion settlement, the largest sex abuse payout in higher education history.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-10-13/mark-ridley-thomas-usc-dean-bribery-indictment
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... why on earth would I want to bribe a Top Ten school to take him? Maybe the school might take the bribe, maybe I might not get caught. But how could it possibly be the BEST THING for my child? It couldn't. I'd be better off getting remedial tutoring for my child so he/she could take the SATs over and maybe earn something by his own efforts.
Even if my kid doesn't have the smarts to get into a top-tier school, there are plenty of great smaller schools that would be a much better fit. My child would actually benefit from that kind of parental involvement.
Here's the truth: my son earned A-minus grades in high school, he had great SAT scores and he got into the University of Notre Dame on his own merit. He wasn't pushed by his parents or anyone else in the family. He got there on his own. Parents need to relax and let their children find their own level of achievement.
