What Happened?
The FBI arrested dozens of people on Tuesday, March 12, including two well-known actors who are being investigated for allegedly paying to have their children accepted into top universities in the U.S.
Actress Felicity Huffman, best known from her role in the “Desperate Housewives,” was arrested on fraud charges. She is accused of having her daughters’ SAT scores doctored by approximately 400 points, according to USA Today.
Forbes reported that Lori Loughlin, who is known for her role in as Aunt Becky on “Full House,” and her husband were also charged with fraud. Loughlin and her husband are accused of spending $500,000 to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California and falsely reporting that her children were student-athletes.
Officials estimate that more than 50 individuals could be involved and that $25 million has been spent in bribes, according to CNN.
According to Fox News, the institutions in the scope of the investigation are the University of San Diego, the University of Texas at Austin, Wake Forest University, Georgetown University, Stanford University, Yale University and the University of Southern California. The release of new information has opened up a nationwide conversation about fair opportunity in higher education.
The Latest
The alleged ringleader of the operation is William “Rick” Singer. Singer and his company are accused of helping wealthy students cheat on their ACTs and SATs. Singer is also accused of bribing college athletic coaches and officials to say that the prospective student was a recruit for the school’s sports team, according to the New York Times.
Singer has been charged with racketeering and money laundering. Both Huffman and Loughlin have been released on bail, according to the New York Times.
According to another New York Times article, more than nine collegiate sports coaches were either put on leave or fired after being charged in the massive federal investigation on March 12. Two of the coaches charged had won NCAA championships and another even gave private tennis lessons to Michelle Obama and her daughters.
What’s Next
According to USA Today, the scandal is the largest of its kind and the repercussions have potential to change the student admissions process.
USA Today reported that colleges could be expected to democratize their admission via a lottery process. In addition, colleges could begin diversifying their admissions by selecting more federal grant students.
Congress could also potentially be involved to implement laws to regulate which students universities must accept, according to USA Today.
