One of the most notorious scandals of 2019 was the report of college admission briberies involving big-name celebrities. VALLEY is here to give you the latest on everything that’s been happening with these high-profile cases, because as college students, we’re the ones that are affected most by such offenses and should be in-the-know.
Felicity Huffman, known for her long time role as Lynette Scavo on the American TV show “Desperate Housewives” was one of the many parents who were convicted of fraud involving a child’s admission into college. In this case, Huffman admitted to paying $15,000 to fabricate her daughter’s SAT scores. Huffman plead guilty back in May of 2019, and was sentenced in September to a 14-day prison sentence, 250 hours of community service, a $30,000 fine and a one-year supervised release.
Huffman is married to famous actor William H. Macy, known for his role as Frank Gallagher on “Shameless,” yet Macy was not faced with any charges due to his lack of involvement.
While Huffman’s assigned prison date was for the week of Oct. 25, she entered prison early on Oct. 15 and was released just shy of her sentenced 14-days, exiting grounds after just 11.
Maddie McKinley, a sophomore studying IST, shared her opinion with VALLEY on the matter, as she is in agreement that the admissions scandal pertains to college students the most.
I feel that jail was an unnecessary measure for Felicity Huffman and the other parents involved,” says McKinley. “What they did was unfair, but we have to be reasonable. At the end of the day, these people didn’t physically hurt anyone. They’re not a danger to us. Community service is more than fair, and they should absolutely be required to pay a fine, as well. I think that the fine they have to pay should go to students who wish to attend college but cannot afford it.
Lori Loughlin, who is best known for her role as Aunt Becky on the hit 90s comedy “Full House,” and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are another famous pair involved in the scandal. Even though they as well took part in a college admissions scheme to get their daughters into University of Southern California, their crime was much more elaborate.
Loughlin and Giannulli paid $500,000 to William “Rick” Singer, owner of college counseling company “The Key,” to get their daughters Isabella Rose and Olivia Jade as crew team recruits for USC. According to Rolling Stone, Singer is the ring leader behind the scandal, taking money from 33 parents, including Huffman.
Let’s Break This Down
Earlier this year, the couple rejected the plea deal that was offered to them. Shortly after, another charge was thrown their way. Now after their lastest court date, which took place on Oct. 22, they were given a third charge. The first two charges, conspiring to commit mail fraud and conspiring to commit money laundering, both have the potential to serve up to a maximum of 20 years in prison, which, when you do the math, is a total of 40 years. Now with their third charge, conspiring to commit federal program bribery, that can add up to a maximum of 10 years in a federal prison.
Loughlin and Giannulli have definitely had people raising eyebrows due to the lack of remorse that they have been showing. The two have shown nothing but smiles as they attend each hearing, and Loughlin was even spotted signing autographs outside of the courthouse back in April when the case first erupted. According to the same Rolling Stone article, prosecutors are upset by the couples lack of remorse, and are looking for them to show more of it.
Loughlin and Giannulli are still adamant that they are innocent. Their next court date is set for Jan. 17, 2020.
