Court overturns convictions of 2 parents in college admissions scandal
A U.S. appeals court reversed the convictions of two fathers accused of participating in an extensive bribery scheme to get their kids admitted to colleges.
Nicknamed Operation Varsity Blues, the scandal resulted in the convictions of dozens of wealthy parents, athletic officials, and others linked to the scam and "sparked scrutiny over the influence of money on the competitive world of elite college admissions," The Washington Post says. Parents allegedly conspired with admissions consultant William "Rick" Singer to get their kids into competitive colleges "through bribery, rigging entrance exams, and fabricating athletic skills," Reuters reports.
Many of the parents, including actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, pleaded guilty, but Gamal Abdelaziz and John Wilson chose to fight the charges in court. A panel of judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Massachusetts found that the lower court made crucial errors in the trial of Abdelaziz, a former casino executive, and Wilson, a private equity financier.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Circuit Judge Sandra Lynch explained that the district court should not have told the jury that admissions slots constitute property and that the prosecutors failed to prove the two men participated in the broader conspiracy. The appellate court vacated all of Abdelaziz's convictions and all but one of Wilson's (his conviction for "filing a false tax return" was affirmed, the Post adds).
"Nothing in this opinion should be taken as approval of the defendant's conduct in seeking college admission for their children," Lynch noted. "We do not say the defendants' conduct is at all desirable."
Abdelaziz and Wilson's victory was "striking" because the pair were the "first to take their chances in front of a jury," The New York Times writes. Since dozens of other parents pleaded guilty, it seemed "as if the prosecutions were ironclad."
"Almost everybody pleaded guilty, so the government's legal theories weren't really tested until this case was decided," Joshua Sharp, Abdelaziz's lawyer, said on Wednesday.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.
-
Are 'judge shopping' rules a blow to Republicans?
Today's Big Question How the abortion pill case got to the Supreme Court
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Climate change is driving Indian women to choose sterilization
under the radar Faced with losing their jobs, they are making a life-altering decision
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
'A great culture will be lost if the EV brigade gets its way'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published