Three more guilty pleas in college admissions scandal.

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Although they grind slowly, the wheels of justice do grind.

Three more parents have negotiated a guilty plea deal for trying to bribe their child’s way into college. Sentencing hearings will be over the next several months.

Four more parents await trial.

8/24/21 – Wall Street Journal – College-Admissions Cheating Scandal Yields New Guilty Plea – Marci Palatell agreed to plead guilty to one felony count a month before trial. She admitted to one federal felony of what is called conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud. We have seen that charge a lot. I think that’s a catchall for cheating. The plea agreement outlines six weeks in prison, two years supervised release, $250K fine, and 500 hours of community service. Interesting note is that the same set of terms negotiated by Elisabeth Kimmel in the following paragraph. She confessed to conspiracy to pay $500,000 to get her son admitted into USC as a fake football player.

As of the time of this article she is the 46th person to enter a guilty plea. There is one more person scheduled for trial soon. Three other parents are going in front of a jury in January 2022. Three coaches and an athletics administrator have trial dates in November 2021.

8/12/21 – Wall Street Journal – Former Media Executive Agrees to Plead Guilty in Varsity Blues College Admissions ScandalElisabeth Kimmel agreed to plead guilty to one felony count the month before trial was scheduled to begin.  She allegedly paid approximately $275K to get daughter into Geogetown as a fake tennis player and approximately $250K to get son into USC as fake pole vaulter. Plea deal calls for six weeks in prison, two years supervised release, $250K fine, and 500 hours community service. She is 45th to plead guilty.

7/9/21 – AP – USC professor admits to tax charge in admissions scandal – Homayoun Zadeh entered guilty to one felony count of filing false tax return.  He claimed a $100,000 deduction on his tax return for the amount he paid to get his daughter into USC as a lacrosse player. Although the payment from him was to a legitimate charity, the government asserted (and he entered guilty plea to show his agreement) he knew he received significant benefit in return and therefore no deductions appropriate.

The plea agreement outlines six weeks in prison, $20,000 fine, and 250 hours of community service. In the plea deal the government agrees to drop felony charges of federal programs bribery along with money laundering conspiracy.

Sentencing is scheduled for 11/10/21.

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