Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman are amongst dozens of Americans who have been indicted for involvement with a college admissions scheme.
This morning, federal prosecutors hit William Singer with racketeering, money laundering and obstruction of justice charges for running a scheme that allowed wealthy Americans to buy their children places at top colleges like Yale, Georgetown and Stanford.
Singer allegedly coordinated the operation through his Edge College & Career Network business, whose roster included prominent CEOs and Hollywood stars. He also set up the Key Worldwide Foundation, a fake charity to receive financial bribes.
Prosecutors allege that Singer's company arranged to have fake test-writers take entrance exams and SATs for his clients' children, hired proctors to tamper with incorrect test answers and bribed officials to accept falsified tests.
Huffman has been charged with one count of mail fraud for allegedly paying $15,000 to Singer's "charity" in exchange for improved SAT scores. Her husband, William H. Macy, was not named in the affidavit.
Singer is also accused of creating false athletic profiles for his clients' children.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling in Boston claimed that Singer would accept donations from wealthy parents and then pass along bribes to coaches at schools, who then admitted students despite having no athletic ability. Some coaches are said to have pocketed the bribes, while others channelled them into their school's athletic programs.
Loughlin, of Full House fame, and her husband Mossimo Giannulli are charged with one count of mail fraud. They have been accused of paying $500,000 to have their two daughters accepted into the University of South California on the crew team, despite neither of them having any experience in crew.
The sailing coach at Standford, the former women's soccer coach at Yale, the former water polo coach at USC and the men's tennis coach at University of Texas at Austin are just some of the school employees indicted in the case.
A total of 46 people have been charged in the case; 33 of them are parents of current or soon-to-be college students.
Singer is expected to plead guilty when he appears in court later today.
This morning, federal prosecutors hit William Singer with racketeering, money laundering and obstruction of justice charges for running a scheme that allowed wealthy Americans to buy their children places at top colleges like Yale, Georgetown and Stanford.
Singer allegedly coordinated the operation through his Edge College & Career Network business, whose roster included prominent CEOs and Hollywood stars. He also set up the Key Worldwide Foundation, a fake charity to receive financial bribes.
Prosecutors allege that Singer's company arranged to have fake test-writers take entrance exams and SATs for his clients' children, hired proctors to tamper with incorrect test answers and bribed officials to accept falsified tests.
Huffman has been charged with one count of mail fraud for allegedly paying $15,000 to Singer's "charity" in exchange for improved SAT scores. Her husband, William H. Macy, was not named in the affidavit.
Singer is also accused of creating false athletic profiles for his clients' children.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling in Boston claimed that Singer would accept donations from wealthy parents and then pass along bribes to coaches at schools, who then admitted students despite having no athletic ability. Some coaches are said to have pocketed the bribes, while others channelled them into their school's athletic programs.
Loughlin, of Full House fame, and her husband Mossimo Giannulli are charged with one count of mail fraud. They have been accused of paying $500,000 to have their two daughters accepted into the University of South California on the crew team, despite neither of them having any experience in crew.
The sailing coach at Standford, the former women's soccer coach at Yale, the former water polo coach at USC and the men's tennis coach at University of Texas at Austin are just some of the school employees indicted in the case.
A total of 46 people have been charged in the case; 33 of them are parents of current or soon-to-be college students.
Singer is expected to plead guilty when he appears in court later today.
