Massive Cheating Scandal to Get Children Admitted to Elite Colleges

CO Coach wrote:

otter wrote:

What is shocking to me is that this surprises anyone. I don’t even know why it’s newsworthy. This has been going on since colleges were founded.

And the worst part...200+ FBI agents for over 6 months investigating this? For charges like wire fraud? I want my tax dollars back.

There is a whole lot of tax fraud going on within this scandal. If they go after all the unpaid taxes and apply all possible fines for initial failure to report income, the investigation might pay for itself.

Coach J46 wrote:

What I'm curious about how did these not so steller high school academic students do academically when they got to Harvard. It would seem that someone with 1000 on their SAT wouldn't do too well in classes with those scoring many hundreds of points higher.

You've reminded me of Mathew Martoma who was convicted of insider trading:

I understand this is unethical, but how is this illegal? For example, if a coach received money to get someone admitted into a school, I understand that he would be fired, but I don't see how it could be a criminal matter.

What are the formal charges? Would this apply to other things, like employment? Let's say you paid someone to get you in the door of a company...would that be a criminal offense? I'm not quite sure I understand what's going on here.

Harambe wrote:

Harvard not implicated -- Yale was though. Yale is pretty easy if you know what classes to take. B tier Ivy

Harvard is also easy if you know what classes to take. Go down to the other end of Mass Ave if you want to know what tough is.

I haven't read this long thread, but has anyone made the point that 50 charges is a drop in the bucket compared to the 16 million students in college each year? Let's keep this in perspective. This is nothing. Wrong, yes, but not much of an impact at that small of a number.

This is fraud. Criminal fraud.

Since they used the internet and likely the post office in furtherance it comes under federal jurisdiction as wire fraud. Since it was a conspiracy I understand that some of them have been charged with RICO predicates. Also, since the scheme involved "donating" to his 501(c)(3) charity, any of the parents who deducted these expenses on their taxes would presumptively be guilty of criminal tax evasion as well, although I haven't seen any reporting that anybody has been charged with that.

don't be an idiot wrote:

This is fraud. Criminal fraud.

Since they used the internet and likely the post office in furtherance it comes under federal jurisdiction as wire fraud. Since it was a conspiracy I understand that some of them have been charged with RICO predicates. Also, since the scheme involved "donating" to his 501(c)(3) charity, any of the parents who deducted these expenses on their taxes would presumptively be guilty of criminal tax evasion as well, although I haven't seen any reporting that anybody has been charged with that.

You could say that cheating on a test is "fraud", but I've never heard of anyone being criminally prosecuted for it. Is cheating to get into college considered fraud (in the legal sense), or is the prosecution more along the lines of money being exchanged and not properly accounted for?

Ill Eagle wrote:

don't be an idiot wrote:

This is fraud. Criminal fraud.

Since they used the internet and likely the post office in furtherance it comes under federal jurisdiction as wire fraud. Since it was a conspiracy I understand that some of them have been charged with RICO predicates. Also, since the scheme involved "donating" to his 501(c)(3) charity, any of the parents who deducted these expenses on their taxes would presumptively be guilty of criminal tax evasion as well, although I haven't seen any reporting that anybody has been charged with that.

You could say that cheating on a test is "fraud", but I've never heard of anyone being criminally prosecuted for it. Is cheating to get into college considered fraud (in the legal sense), or is the prosecution more along the lines of money being exchanged and not properly accounted for?

I may have just answered my own question. All of the charges are related to receiving bribes and "honest services mail fraud", "racketeering".

If no money had been exchanged, I don't believe there would be a criminal prosecution.

People don't seem to understand that these exclusive universities do not fail students. Yale's graduation rate is 97% which includes these fake students as well as the real athletes, the legacies, and the large donors who may have SATs of 1200. If you show up and take the tests and hand your papers in, you will get a B. I have an uncle and aunt at Princeton who have confirmed this practice. They get pressure to not even give Cs unless there is a real problem.

Parody Man wrote:

Why bribe unqualified kids into elite universities? They'd just fail, right? It's not like colleges are just a $200,000 daycare for adults, or that a lobotomized baboon could fake his way through a liberal arts program. These are rigorous academic institutions here.

Another anecdote: got into Harvard Law, Kagan gives introduction orientation, tells everyone the "hard work" (admissions) is over, you'll all graduate and for the rest of life be universally acclaimed for being Harvard Law and successful at whatever in life, thx to the Harvard Law label. Et cetera. (and you will be so appreciative, with large future gifts to our endowment)

Ill Eagle wrote:

Ill Eagle wrote:

You could say that cheating on a test is "fraud", but I've never heard of anyone being criminally prosecuted for it. Is cheating to get into college considered fraud (in the legal sense), or is the prosecution more along the lines of money being exchanged and not properly accounted for?

I may have just answered my own question. All of the charges are related to receiving bribes and "honest services mail fraud", "racketeering".

If no modney had been exchanged, I don't believe there would be a criminal prosecution.

Genius.

Ivies Suck wrote:

People don't seem to understand that these exclusive universities do not fail students. Yale's graduation rate is 97% which includes these fake students as well as the real athletes, the legacies, and the large donors who may have SATs of 1200. If you show up and take the tests and hand your papers in, you will get a B. I have an uncle and aunt at Princeton who have confirmed this practice. They get pressure to not even give Cs unless there is a real problem.

This is largely correct. The harder it is to get into a college, the harder (generally) it is to fail out.

The top-ranked schools have to keep their graduation rates up and are loath to kick out anyone--in part because that would be "admitting" that the student had no business being there in the first place, in part because they want that high retention/graduation statistic so their ranking won't slip.

[Full disclosure: I managed to flunk out of an Ivy, but a) this was back in the 1970s, before USN&WR started its rankings, and b) I came back after a year and eventually graduated on time with a 3.xx cumulative average--at a time when the median graduate's GPA was 2.xx.]

Ill Eagle wrote:

If no money had been exchanged, I don't believe there would be a criminal prosecution.

So you're saying that if the crime that was committed hadn't beed committed, there would be no prosecution? Strikes me as a crazy theory, but I'll mull it over in my little noggin for a spell before I react too strong to it.

USC student Olivia Jade spent the night on the yacht of the Chairman of USC's Board of Trustees billionaire Rick Caruso.

We've learned 19-year-old Olivia was on Rick Caruso's yacht in the Bahamas. Caruso's daughter, Gianna, Olivia and several other friends were spending spring break in the area.

Gianna and Olivia have been friends for quite some time, occasionally posting photos of them together on social media.

Caruso, a billionaire who has major real estate holdings including The Grove in L.A.: "My daughter and a group of students left for spring break prior to the government's announcement yesterday. Once we became aware of the investigation, the young woman decided it would be in her best interests to return home."

It's 4 Charity wrote:

A charity that allegedly laundered bribes in exchange for getting their children into college on paper claimed to be helping the “underprivileged.”

The Key Worldwide Foundation claimed to help through a variety of activities. On its tax documents, it claimed to:

[quote]Pay the Crips and Bloods to play basketball against each other in Los Angeles.

...

Teach homeless people entrepreneurship by hosting a 5K run.

Ill Eagle wrote:

I may have just answered my own question. All of the charges are related to receiving bribes and "honest services mail fraud", "racketeering".

If no money had been exchanged, I don't believe there would be a criminal prosecution.

Pretty amazing FBI is prosecuting these Hollywood people just for donating money to charity.

The venality of the rich is just amazing. I hope they discover that buttmunching is little more difficult in an orange jumpsuit.

Luv2Run wrote:

Avocado's Number wrote:

What was 30 years ago?

Also 30 years ago was not 1985...

He didn’t get the correct reference anyway. The quote is Orwell but not from 1984.