College admissions scandal shows inequality in America’s education system
April 3, 2019
Multiple reports have surfaced regarding the college admissions scandal that lists out over 50 names of high-profile actors, actresses and other wealthy parents who have allegedly paid the way for their child’s admission to some of the most prestigious universities in the country.
Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman are two of the many names mentioned who have been charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services fraud.
The two are accused of paying Rick Singer, a college admissions consultant, tens of thousands of dollars to help their children cheat on college admissions exams such as the ACT and SAT.
Additionally, it has been confirmed that one of the schemes involved parents paying for fake athletic credentials so their children could be admitted to the athletic program and the selected university itself.
According to U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Andrew Lelling, Singer helped parents take staged athletic photos in exchange for up to $6.5 million as well as arranging for students to take online high school classes where Singer would take the place of the student so the higher grades could be submitted for admission to selected universities.
Loughlin and her husband are accused of paying Singer nearly $500,000 for such services, and Huffman is accused of paying $15,000 for similar services that Singer provided the wealthy families.
The money was labeled as contributions to Singer’s “Key Worldwide Foundation” to avoid suspicion from other college admissions consultants.
The foundation’s webpage has been taken down and is unavailable at this time.
Singer pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and obstruction of justice Tuesday, April 2.
“All of these things, and many more things, I did,” said Singer while in court Tuesday. “I created a side door that would guarantee families would get in.”
Olivia Jade, a YouTube creator and Loughlin’s daughter, is under public scrutiny for putting up a fake persona regarding her college acceptance. Jade was obtaining large amounts of money from YouTube subscribers and sponsors based off her content that was centered around her life at the University of Southern California.
The relatable college content drew the eyes of many sponsors and Jade was quickly making millions that allegedly hinged on her mother’s involvement in the admissions scandal.
Jade has since lost an overwhelming majority of her YouTube sponsors and continues to lose online subscribers.
Colleges and universities involved in the admissions scandal include Georgetown University, Stanford University, UCLA, University of San Diego, USC, University of Texas, Wake Forest University and Yale University.
According to Lelling, this is the largest college admissions scam ever to be prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice.