Actresses and Business Leaders Charged in College Admissions Bribery Scandal
Federal prosecutors charged dozens of people on Tuesday in a major college admission scandal that involved wealthy parents, including Hollywood celebrities and prominent business leaders, paying bribes to get their children into elite American universities.
Thirty-three parents were charged in the case. Also implicated were top college coaches, who were accused of accepting millions of dollars to help admit students to Wake Forest, Yale, Stanford, the University of Southern California and other schools, regardless of their academic or sports ability, officials said. Along with the Hollywood stars Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, those charged included prominent business leaders, a fashion designer and a top lawyer, officials said.
The case unveiled Tuesday was stunning in its breadth and audacity. It was the Justice Department's largest ever college admissions prosecution, a sprawling investigation that involved 200 agents nationwide and resulted in charges against 50 people in six states. The charges also underscored how college admissions have become so cutthroat and competitive that some have sought to break the rules. The authorities say the parents of some of the nation's wealthiest and most privileged students sought to buy spots for their children at top universities, not only cheating the system, but potentially cheating other hard-working students out of a chance at a college education.
(Score: 2) by DavePolaschek on Thursday March 14 2019, @01:36PM
Just a comment a friend of mine made on Twitter which I thought was pretty darned accurate.
Note that the only real problem I see with the bribery is that it took money from the testing organizations (SAT/ACT) and college endowments and put it directly into the pockets of admissions and athletics staffers. Nor is it especially new. My high school had a course on gaming the SAT/ACT that everyone was required to take.