College coaches, Hollywood actresses indicted in admissions bribery case
Posted March 12, 2019 8:44 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
BOSTON — Federal authorities have charged college coaches and others in a sweeping admissions bribery case in federal court.
Among some of those charged are actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin.
Huffman is well known for her role in the TV drama ‘Desperate Housewives’ while Loughlin famously played aunt Becky in ‘Full House’ and it’s Netflix sequel ‘Fuller House’, along with a role on ‘When Calls The Heart.’
Prosecutors say parents paid an admissions consultant $25 million from 2011 through Feb. 2019 to bribe coaches and administrators to label their children as recruited athletes to boost their chances of getting into schools.
Prosecutors allege that fake athletic profiles were also made to make students look like strong high school athletes when they actually weren’t.
Authorities say the consulting company also bribed administrators of college entrance exams to allow a Florida man to take the tests on behalf of students or replace their answers with his.
Those indicted allegedly paid bribes of up to $6 million to get their children into elite colleges in the United States such as Yale and Stanford.
The racketeering conspiracy charges were unsealed Tuesday against the coaches at schools including Wake Forest University, Georgetown and the University of Southern California (USC).
Authorities say the coaches accepted bribes in exchange for admitting students as athletes, regardless of their ability.
With files from The Associated Press, ABC
