Technology
College admissions scandal: Full list of people sentenced
Sentencings have begun for the college admissions scandal, in which federal prosecutors say parents paid about $25 million to get their students into elite schools like the University of Southern California, Stanford, and Yale.
Court documents reviewed by Insider said the scheme involved bribing college athletic coaches to recruit students regardless of their athletic ability, and bribing entrance exam administrators to falsify ACT and SAT answers. Federal prosecutors have charged 51 people.
Prosecutors say the scheme was led by William “Rick” Singer, a so-called college-prep professional who ran a sham charity that was found to be at the center of the scandal. He has pleaded guilty.
Dozens of wealthy people, including actors Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, as well as CEOs, high-profile lawyers, and college coaches were charged as part of the scheme.
Here’s the full list of people who have been sentenced in college admissions scandal.
Former Stanford University sailing coach John Vandemoer was sentenced to one day in prison
Former Stanford University sailing coach John Vandemoer was the first person to be sentenced as part of the college admissions scandal.
He sentenced to one day in prison, with time served. He was also sentenced to two years supervised release and has to pay a $10,000 fine.
Vandemoer was fired from Stanford and pleaded guilty to racketeering charges shortly after being indicted.
Prosecutors alleged in court documents that Vandemoer accepted $610,000 in bribes to facilitate the admissions of students as salinity recruits. Court documents say the funds were put into Stanford’s sailing program.
Prosecutors had asked a federal judge in Boston to sentence Vandemoer to 13 months in prison.
Felicity Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in jail
Felicity Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in jail after admitting that she paid $15,000 to have her daughter’s SAT answers falsified as part of the scandal.
The “Desperate Housewives” actor pleaded guilty to fraud charges in May. She was the first parent to be sentenced in the scandal.
Along with the 14-day prison sentence, Huffman was fined $30,000 and ordered to do 250 hours of community service. She will be on supervised release for a year.
An affidavit said that Huffman arranged for her eldest daughter, Sophia, to take the SAT at the West Hollywood Test Center, where her answers were later corrected. Huffman then disguised the $15,000 as a charitable donation for disadvantaged young people.
Court documents said Huffman arranged for her younger daughter, Georgia, to be part of the scheme as well but later decided against it.
“I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues, and the educational community,” Huffman said in a statement in April after agreeing to plead guilty.
Prosecutors initially recommended four months in prison for Huffman but later lowered that to 30 days.
Parent Devin Slone was sentenced to four months in prison
Devin Sloane, the founder and chief executive of a drinking water and wastewater systems business in Los Angeles, California, was sentenced to four months in prison, 500 hours of community service, 2 years of supervised release, and has to pay a fine of $95,000.
Prosecutors alleged in court documents that Sloane paid Singer $250,000 to have his son admitted to the University of Southern California as a water polo recruit.
According to the affidavit, Sloane bought water polo gear of Amazon to stage a photoshoot with his son for a USC application.
Sloane told Singer that he purchased a ball and a cap off of Amazon for the photoshoot in a June 2017 email, court documents said. Sloane’s son did not actually play water polo and his high school did not have a team.
When consulting with a graphic designer, Sloane was advised to take the photos in an indoor pool, court documents said.
Prosecutors alleged that a false athletic profile for Sloane’s son called the teen a “perimeter player” who played for the “Italian Junior National Team” and the “LA Water Polo” team.
His son’s high school counselor questioned the application because the school did not have a water polo team, according to court documents.
Sloane called the questioning “outrageous,” court documents said.
Prosecutors asked a federal judge in Boston to sentence Sloane to one year and one day in prison, along with one year of supervised release, and a fine of $75,000.
Parent Stephen Semprevivo was sentenced to four months in prison
In September, Stephen Semprevivo, a Los Angeles-based executive at a privately held provider of outsourced sales teams, was sentenced to four months in prison, two years of supervised release, 500 hours of community service, and a fine of $100,000.
Semprevivo pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, admitting to paying Singer $400,000 to get his son into Georgetown University as a recruited tennis player.
According to a criminal complaint filed in March, a portion of the funds went to Georgetown’s then-tennis coach Gordon Ernst, who helped facilitate Semprevivo’s son’s recruitment to the school as a tennis player, despite knowing the teen did not play the sport.
Semprevivo’s son, Adam Semprevivo, enrolled in Georgetown in Fall 2016. Adam Semprevivo filed a lawsuit against Georgetown in May, attempting to fight his expulsion.
Prosecutors had asked a judge to sentence Stephen Semprevivo to 18 months in prison, a year of supervised release, and a fine of $95,000.
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