College admissions cheating scandal: Here is everyone charged in the case
LOS ANGELES - They include Hollywood actresses, former CEOs, a famed parenting book writer, a fashion icon, a Newport Beach college counselor and university athletic officials.
In a college admissions scandal brought to light Tuesday, federal prosecutors allege wealthy parents paid to help their children cheat on college entrance exams and to falsify athletic records of students to enable them to secure admission to elite schools, including UCLA, USC, Stanford, Yale and Georgetown.
Here is a full list of those charged:
- WILLIAM RICK SINGER
Charge: Racketeering conspiracy; money laundering conspiracy; conspiracy to defraud the U.S.; obstruction of justice.
Singer, who owns a for-profit Newport Beach college admissions company, is at the center of the scheme, according to court documents. Wealthy parents paid to have him and others facilitate their children's cheating on college entrance exams and admission to elite universities as athletes, regardless of whether they played the sport, prosecutors allege.
Singer, of Sacramento and Newport Beach, owned Edge College & Career Network and was also CEO of the Key Worldwide Foundation, which he formed in 2012 to provide education to underprivileged students. Prosecutors allege that Singer instructed parents to make payments to the fake charity under the guise of charitable donations.
Singer cooperated with authorities in the investigation and pleaded guilty to the charges in Boston on Tuesday afternoon.
- RUDOLPH "RUDY" MEREDITH
Charge: Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and honest services wire fraud; honest services wire fraud.
Meredith of Madison, Conn., was employed as the head women's soccer coach at Yale University until November 2018. He is accused of accepting bribes in exchange for designating applicants as athletic recruits for the college's soccer team, and gaining them admission to the university.
"Yale has been the victim of a crime perpetrated by a former coach who no longer works at the university," said Peter Salovey, president of Yale said in a statement emailed to the campus community.
Salovey added that he does not believe that any other member of the school's administration or staff knew about the conspiracy.
- MARK RIDDELL
Charge: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and
