Felicity Huffman and other parents agree to plead guilty in college admissions scandal

[brooklynite]

Source: Los Angeles Times

Actress Felicity Huffman and a dozen other wealthy parents swept up in the far-reaching college admissions scandal have agreed to plead guilty after being charged in the scheme, according to court records.

Huffman and 12 other parents, including Los Angeles marketing guru Jane Buckingham, will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Bruce Isackson, a Bay Area real estate developer, will also plead guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS.

Michael Center, the former men’s tennis coach at the University of Texas at Austin, will also plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Center is accused of accepting $60,000 in cash and a $40,000 donation to his tennis program to ensure a child of Singer’s client was admitted as a recruited athlete.

Huffman is among scores of people facing criminal charges in the scandal, which has snared coaches, administrators and parents.

Read more: https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-felicity-huffman-college-admissions-scandal-20190408-story.html

[oldsoftie]

1. So they got a worse deal than Jussie!

And Jussies actions could have put someone in danger of a retaliatory incident

[RhodeIslandOne]

2. I had forgotten his name

But it's weird how some people just keep bringing him up.

[oldsoftie]

5. I'm sure you forgot his name. But he'll keep getting brought up until justice is served.

From now on, anyone who pulls a stunt like he did will want the same easy deal.

[Blue_Tires]

18. You make it sound like nobody in the history of Chicago

has been let off with a slap on the wrist before Smollett??

I hope to god someone remembers their outrage over Smollett the next time some repeat offender rich white kid mows down a jogger while DUI...

[oldsoftie]

22. I'm sure that story will get plenty of exposure here when it happens again.

They always do

[Honeycombe8]

3. Not surprising you forgot his name. He was a nobody before the scandal...

and now he's a Zero. Or a zippo.

[rocktivity]

9. DING DING DING! Honeycombe8, you're our grand prize winner!

He was a nobody before the scandal...and now he's a zero. Or a zippo.

He's less than a zero, actually, now that it turns out that this is NOT the first time Jussie has been charged with lying to the police and ended up with a plea deal...
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2299224


rocktivity

[Honeycombe8]

10. I know! When I found out he'd lied to police before, I was dumbfounded.

He didn't get away with it then. Why on earth did he think he would now? And who in his right mind would do what he did, to get a pay increase? I can't imagine anyone in show biz is going to hire him, now.

Thanks for the compliment, too!

[Honeycombe8]

4. They should've thrown the book at him. But the city is suing him...

so it's gonna cost him a lot of stress, money (if he can afford a lawyer), and possibly a big money judgment.

But for jail time, he should have gotten SOME. But it can't be compared to this bribes case. Jussie's false report was a misdemeanor, I think, while the bribes case is a felony, I think.

[oldsoftie]

6. True. that WOULD be a difference.

[rocktivity]

17. Jussie's District Attorney Kim Foxx Subpoenaed

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142309531


rocktivity

[rocktivity]

25. 5/1 Update: Jussie Has Been Dealt Out

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2310697


rocktivity

[Jedi Guy]

8. Hopefully she and the rest of the cheaters get admitted to prison.

On their own merits, or lack thereof. Hopefully their spawn get booted out of the universities, too. That'll make some room for kids who actually deserve to be there.

[Honeycombe8]

12. Rich celebrities don't normally go to jail. But they should.

And the ones who took the bribes. Because it did hurt people. Students who deserved those spots in the universities, who had worked hard and gotten the grades, did the extracurricular activities. These people stole those spots away from them.

Did you see the video of the Loughlin kid? A vacuous, superficial Kardashian wannabe, blinking at the camera saying in a breathy voice she only cares about her makeup beauty videos, she doesn't care about school. THAT'S who took the place of a deserving student who wanted a college degree from that university and would have used it.

[Jedi Guy]

14. Agreed, they won't see the inside of a cell. But they definitely should.

If I were a kid who busted my ass all through school and got rejected from one of these universities, I'd be furious. As far as I'm concerned, they stole the future from who knows how many deserving students. I imagine they felt entitled because they're the beautiful people, and they don't care a fig for the unwashed masses.

And yes, I saw the video. It turned my stomach. She's an empty-headed clown who would be nothing without mommy and daddy's money and connections. She stole the place that someone else deserved to have. Who knows what that hypothetical young person might have accomplished had they been able to attend that university?

So much for the meritocracy, eh? Money and fame evidently counts far more than ability and hard work. Surprise surprise.

[Honeycombe8]

20. +1. nt

[DrToast]

23. Actually they were only offered a deal if it included jail time

Huffman will probably get a few months. Which I’m ok with, since she did very little compared to Aunt Becky. She also seems legitimately remorseful.

[Blue_Tires]

19. Yeah, throw the book at these cheating parents but never forget

they never would have gotten the chance unless high ranking administrators at dozens of our supposedly most prestigious universities let it be known through third-party agents that they were "open for business"...

[Honeycombe8]

21. True. I don't know how high.

They also arrested some of the recipients of the bribes...a couple of head coaches, someone else.

[Blue_Tires]

24. Some vice presidents, athletic directors and heads of admissions

damn well better get their heads chopped off, too...

The "network" was laid out in pretty specific detail, there's no mystery here.

[PJMcK]

11. From the article

"Those who have signed plea agreements face recommended sentences of a few months to a year and a half in prison, prosecutors said."

WHAT?!

Felicity Huffman faces 18 months in jail but the proprietor of Trump University walks free?

So much for equal justice under the law.

Don't get me wrong: Ms. Huffman deserves some punishment for her obvious criminal behavior.

So does Trump.

[Honeycombe8]

13. How is it that Trump always escapes justice? nt

[Julian Englis]

15. K & R

[nitpicker]

16. Link to the DoJ PR

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/14-defendants-college-admissions-scandal-plead-guilty