40°
Dozens of people, including coaches at top universities around the country and a pair of Hollywood actresses, have been charged in a college admissions bribery takedown, federal authorities announced late Tuesday morning, March 12.
Actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin are two of the 33 parents and nearly 50 people charged in the largest college admissions scandal ever prosecuted by the Justice Department.
Private admissions counselors and Division I coaches received millions of dollars for getting students admitted as athletes to Yale, Stanford and the University of Southern California, regardless of their academic or sports ability, officials said at a news conference in Boston.
Rudy Meredith, who resigned last fall as the winningest women's soccer coach in Yale University history, was among nine coaches indicted. Meredith is accused of accepting a $400,000 check from the family of a Yale applicant he ensured would be admitted to the university as part of the women’s soccer team. Meredith was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and honest services wire fraud.
William "Rick" Singer, who operated a college counseling and preparation business as well as a nonprofit, was identified by authorities as the ringleader of the scheme.
In many cases, the students accepted to join college teams did not even play those sports in high school.
The investigation remains active with additional targets possible, Justice Department officials said.
This is a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Garfield-Lodi and receive free news updates.
