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Tuesday 9 april 2019
COLLEGE SCHEME quences.
Continued from Front "My daughter knew abso-
Other parents charged in lutely nothing about my
the scheme include promi- actions, and in my misguid-
nent figures in law, finance, ed and profoundly wrong
fashion, the food and bev- way, I have betrayed her.
erage industry and other This transgression toward
fields. her and the public I will car-
It's the biggest college ad- ry for the rest of my life. My
missions case ever pros- desire to help my daughter
ecuted by the Justice is no excuse to break the
Department. The scandal law or engage in dishon-
embroiled elite universities esty," she said.
across the country and laid Michael Center, the former
bare the lengths to which men's tennis coach at the
status-seeking parents will University of Texas at Austin,
go to secure their children has also agreed to plead
a coveted spot. guilty, prosecutors said
The consultant, Rick Singer, Monday. Center was ac-
met with Huffman and her cused of accepting nearly
husband, 69-year-old ac- $100,000 to help a non-ten-
tor William H. Macy, at their nis playing applicant get
Los Angeles home and ex- admitted as a recruit.Cali-
plained to them that he fornia real estate develop-
"controlled" a testing cen- er Bruce Isackson and his
ter and could have some- wife, Davina Isackson, who
body secretly change are pleading guilty to par-
their daughter's answers, ticipating in both the ath-
authorities said. Singer told letic recruitment and exam
investigators Huffman and rigging schemes, are coop-
her husband agreed to the erating with prosecutors for
plan. a chance at a lighter sen-
Macy was not charged. tence.
Authorities have not said "We have worked cooper-
why. atively with the prosecutors
In a statement offering her and will continue to do so
first public comments since as we take full responsibility
her arrest, Huffman apolo- for our bad judgment," they In this March 28, 2019 file photo, former Texas tennis coach Michael Center, left, departs federal
gized, took responsibility for said in a statement. court in Boston with an unidentified woman after facing charges in a nationwide college admis-
her actions and said she Actress Lori Loughlin, who sions bribery scandal.
would accept the conse- played Aunt Becky on the Associated Press

sitcom "Full House," and an attorney at New York's not guilty.
her fashion designer hus- Davidoff Hutcher & Former Yale University wom-
band, Mossimo Giannulli, Citron LLP. en's soccer coach Rudy
are charged with paying Singer, the consultant, Meredith has pleaded
$500,000 in bribes to get pleaded guilty to charg- guilty to accepting bribes
their two daughters ad- es including racketeering to help students get ad-
mitted to the University of conspiracy on March 12, mitted and has been co-
Southern California as row- the same day the allega- operating with authorities.
ing recruits, even though tions against the parents Stanford's former sailing
neither participated in the and coaches were made coach John Vandemoer
sport. They were not among public in the so-called Op- also pleaded guilty to ac-
those who agreed to plead erations Varsity Blues in- cepting $270,000 in contri-
guilty, and they have not vestigation. Singer secretly butions to the program for
publicly addressed the al- recorded his conversations agreeing to recommend
legations. with the parents, helping two prospective students
Loughlin and Giannulli may to build the case against for admission.
be hoping they can get a them, after agreeing to Stanford University expelled
better deal once the me- work with investigators in a student who lied about
dia attention dies down, the hopes of getting a less- her sailing credentials in
said former prosecutor er sentence. her application, which
Adam Citron. They are also Several coaches have also was linked to the scandal.
accused of paying much been charged, including The university quietly an-
more than Huffman and longtime tennis coach Gor- nounced it had rescinded
some other parents, which don Ernst who's accused the student's admission in
would call for stiffer penal- of getting $2.7 million in a short statement posted
ties under the sentencing bribes to designate at least on its website April 2 after
guidelines. 12 applicants as recruits to determining "some of the
Prosecutors "are likely trying Georgetown. Ernst, who material in the student's ap-
to hold her out as an ex- was also the personal ten- plication is false."
ample, so I would assume nis coach for former first University officials previously
the plea deal was not the lady Michelle Obama and said the student was admit-
same plea deal as the oth- her daughters, and other ted without the recommen-
er defendants," said Citron, coaches have pleaded dation of Vandemoer.q