Currents News Staff
A massive FBI investigation is coming to head as the justice department announced it is charging fifty people in an elaborate scheme aimed at securing admission to prestigious universities.
“We are here today to announce charges in the largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted by the department of justice,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling of the District of Massachusetts. Adding, “We have charged three people who organized these scams, two S.A.T. or A.C.T. exam administrators, one exam proctor, one college administrator, nine coaches at elite schools and 33 parents.”
Among the parents charged are several notable names, including CEOs, a fashion designer, and actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, who were arrested in Los Angeles.
Much of the indictment revolves around a man named William Singer, the founder of a college preparation business.
The scam worked in two ways, through test scores and athletics.
In some cases, parents were allegedly paying for third-parties to take A.C.T. and S.A.T. exams on behalf of their children.
In others, Singer contacted college coaches to help students gain admission as recruited athletes, regardless of their athletic ability.
“For every student admitted through fraud an honest, genuinely talented student was rejected,” said Lelling.