2 parents convicted in 1st trial of college bribery scandal
Source: AP
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER
BOSTON (AP) Two wealthy parents were convicted Friday of buying their kids way into school as athletic recruits in the first case to go to trial in the college admissions cheating scandal that embroiled prestigious universities across the country.
Gamal Abdelaziz, a former casino executive, and John Wilson, a former Staples Inc. executive, were found guilty after about 10 hours of deliberations in the case that exposed a scheme to get undeserving applicants into college by falsely portraying them as star athletes.
Abdelaziz, of Las Vegas, was charged with paying $300,000 to get his daughter into the University of Southern California as a basketball recruit even though she didnt even make it onto her high schools varsity team. Wilson, who heads a Massachusetts private equity firm, was accused of paying $220,000 to have his son designated as a USC water polo recruit and an additional $1 million to buy his twin daughters ways into Harvard and Stanford.
They are to be sentenced in February.
John Wilson, center, and his wife, right leave federal court after he was found guilty of participating in a fraudulent college admissions scheme Friday, Oct. 8, 2021, in Boston. Wilson and another wealthy parent Gamal Abdelaziz, were convicted Friday of buying their kids' way into school as athletic recruits in the first case to go to trial in the college admissions cheating scandal that embroiled prestigious universities across the country. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/college-admissions-entertainment-sports-business-water-polo-58b3596b9924796b40d57a6ce71986a7
redstatebluegirl
(12,265 posts)This is fraud nothing less!
Javaman
(62,528 posts)they will build a plea deal between now and sentencing.
they will take their bags of money and buy a lesser sentence for themselves.
money walks, the poor serve time.
justgamma
(3,665 posts)Lori Loughlin already served 2 months in jail for bribery and her husband also served some jail time. Now their Daughter is on Dancing with the Stars.
OnlinePoker
(5,719 posts)Loughlin, her husband, and several others made plea deals.
Rhiannon12866
(205,320 posts)Response to Omaha Steve (Original post)
ExTex This message was self-deleted by its author.
speaktruthtopower
(800 posts)= position of power.
TimeToGo
(1,366 posts)mbusby
(823 posts)...scholarship in Whatsamata U.
nuxvomica
(12,423 posts)These folks may not seem dangerous but when you have someone with a lot of money and "boundary issues" there's no telling what else they might be up to.
bucolic_frolic
(43,155 posts)So basically, they didn't pass either hurdle? Academic record or outstanding athletes? Yeah, I could see that as a problem for admission.
Ron Obvious
(6,261 posts)Last edited Sat Oct 9, 2021, 08:39 AM - Edit history (1)
Maybe I'm too cynical.
IbogaProject
(2,811 posts)They side stepped the Universities, they'd have been fine donating a building. This was they got caught going cheep. Not right either way, but the system that advantages the very wealthy isn't getting changed from this.
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)Have a lengthy sentence of community service involving real physical labor and a heavy fine used to set up college funding for deserving students into trade schools and such.
RVN VET71
(2,690 posts)Unless the schools rejected the bribe offers and were, themselves, responsible for the charges being brought against these awful people, they are as guilty as the parents.