Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin's husband Mossimo Giannulli have been released from custody after they were charged in a massive college admissions scandal.
Huffman and Giannulli are among 50 people, including Loughlin, who have been accused of paying bribes to get their children into America's top colleges.
The Desperate Housewives star was released on $250,000 bond on Tuesday.
Huffman allegedly paid $15,000, which she disguised as a charitable donation, to arrange for someone to change her daughter's answers during the SAT exams.
Charging documents state that both Huffman and her husband, actor William H Macy, agreed to the plan to help daughters Sofia, 18, and 16-year-old Georgia.
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Felicity Huffman (pictured leaving court on Tuesday) has been released on $250,000 bond after she was charged in a massive college admissions bribery scandal
Huffman looked distraught as she waited for her hearing at the Los Angeles Federal Court of Justice on Tuesday
The Desperate Housewives star is among 50 people, including Lori Loughlin, who have been accused of paying bribes to get their children into America's top colleges
Lori Loughlin's husband Mossimo Giannulli was also seen leaving the courthouse on Tuesday
Huffman was dressed casually and kept her head down as she left the federal courthouse on Tuesday night
Macy was in court on Tuesday to support his wife and sat in the front row. Authorities have not disclosed why he was not implicated in the scandal.
Huffman has been charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud. A magistrate judge ordered the actress to restrict her travel to the continental US and she surrendered her passport to the court.
Seven FBI agents showed up to Huffman's Hollywood Hills home at 6am on Tuesday, drew their weapons, and ordered the actress to come out and surrender.
Sources told TMZ that Huffman, Macy, and their two daughters had been asleep inside the home when the agents arrived.
Seven FBI agents showed up to Huffman's home in Hollywood Hills at 6am on Tuesday, drew their weapons, and ordered the actress to come out and surrender. She is pictured here leaving court on Tuesday
Huffman had to surrender her passport to the court on Tuesday. Her next court date is set for March 29 in Boston
Huffman was among a slew of defendants, including Loughlin's husband, who appeared at the US federal courthouse in Los Angeles on Tuesday
Huffman is seen here being escorted by courthouse security officers into an elevator after being released on $250,000 bond
Hoffman is pictured here waiting towards the door to exit the lobby of the courthouse after she was released Tuesday night
Giannulli's bond was set at $1million, forcing him to put the family's primary residence up as collateral to guarantee bond
Giannulli is seen here leaving the federal courthouse with others after being released on $1million bond Tuesday night
Like Huffman, Giannulli (pictured leaving the courthouse) was forced to surrender his passport to the court. He must also appear in court in Boston on March 29
Giannulli was arrested by FBI agents early on Tuesday morning. His wife was supposed to be taken into custody as well, but was in Vancouver for filming at the time
Giannulli's only son Gianni was seen arriving at his home after he posted bail on Tuesday
Another family member was seen trying to cover her face as she arrived at Giannulli and Loughlin's home on Tuesday night
One FBI source said that the guns were drawn as a precaution. Huffman was then taken to a federal building and processed by federal marshals.
Loughlin flew to Los Angeles from Canada on Tuesday afternoon and will surrender to authorities on Wednesday morning.
She has likewise been charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
Loughlin and Giannulli allegedly paid $500,000 to get their daughters Olivia Jade, 19, and Isabella, 20, into the University of Southern California.
Lori Loughlin (pictured with her daughters) has also been implicated in the bribery scandal
Huffman is pictured here with her daughters Sofia and Georgia and husband William H Macy
Sources said that FBI agents likewise arrived at Loughlin's home on Tuesday morning, only to find out she was in Vancouver. They took Giannulli in custody.
Giannulli's bond was set at $1million, forcing him to put the family's primary residence up as collateral to guarantee the bond.
The designer also had to surrender his passport to the court, according to Variety.
Like Huffman, his travel has been restricted to the continental US and both must appear at court in Boston on March 29.
Loughlin's attorney has requested that she be allowed to travel to Vancouver, where she films for the Hallmark Channel, after she is arraigned.
The judge said the request sounded reasonable but would decided at a later date.
Loughlin and Giannulli allegedly paid the half-million dollar sum to get their daughters into USC, which Giannulli graduated from in 1987, as fake rowing recruits. Neither daughter participated in crew.
The scheme was uncovered by the FBI and federal prosecutors in Boston, who discovered that dozens of parents had paid a total of $6million in bribes to get their children into elite schools including Yale, Stanford, Georgetown, and UCLA.
Macy was in Los Angeles federal court on Tuesday to support his wife. Authorities have not disclosed why he was not implicated in the scandal
Charging documents state that both Huffman and Macy (pictured walking into court) agreed to a plan to pay $15,000 to help get their daughter's answers secretly changed on the SAT
Huffman has been charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud. A magistrate judge ordered the actress to restrict her travel to the continental US
Macy is pictured walking into the federal courthouse on Tuesday
In many instances the children were unaware that their parents had paid these bribes, according to federal documents.
Most of those charged either paid to get higher SAT scores or faked an athletic resume that, with the participation of a bribed college coach, helped the children get accepted to a college as a team's recruit.
Prosecutors said in court on Tuesday that some students also lied about their ethnicity on applications to take advantage of affirmative action.
William Rick Singer, the founder of Key Worldwide Foundation, had been identified as the alleged mastermind behind the scandal.
The documents claim that since 2011, Singer has received $25million from parents which was used to payoff or bribe individuals who could 'designate their children as recruited athletes, or other favored admissions categories'.
Huffman and Macy allegedly gave a $15,000 donation to a group that later paid a man who proctored the SAT to her daughter (above)
A recorded phone conversation makes it evident that Huffman is aware that her daughter will be assisted in the test (above)
In one call from last year, Huffman revealed she planned to use the same system for her younger daughter (above) after it worked for her older daughter
In his biography on the website for the Newport Beach-based Key Foundation, Singer is heralded for his ability to get children into the college of their choice.
Singer is also praised for 'helping students discover their life passion, and guiding them along with their families through the complex college admissions maze'.
Huffman paid a $15,000 'charitable contribution to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of her eldest daughter,' according to the complaint.
She also 'later made arrangements to pursue the scheme a second time, for her younger daughter, before deciding not to do so'.
The charging documents state that Huffman had the site where her daughter took the SATs moved from her own high school to a test center in West Hollywood.
Her test was then administered by a proctor who had flown in from Tampa and told investigators that he 'facilitated cheating, either by correcting the student's answers after the test or by actively assisting the student during the exam'.
In this case, Huffman's daughter scored a 1420 out of 1600 in December 2017, which was a 400 point improvement from her PSAT results just one year prior.
Documents revealed that Huffman and Macy decided at the last minute not to have their younger daughter take the SATs with assistance
Soon after the proctor was paid $40,000 by Key Worldwide Foundation, the same organization that Huffman would later give a $15,000 donation to, according to the documents.
The documents also include the transcript of a phone call between Huffman and the individual who facilitated the test in which she admits that her older daughter had assistance and expresses her desire for her younger daughter to get similar help.
In a follow-up call just this past December, Huffman and Macy - who is only referred to as 'spouse' in the complaint - spoke about their younger daughter wanting to get into Georgetown.
It was then decided that the young girl would take the exam twice, once on her own and once with help, to ensure she got the score necessary to get into the prestigious DC university, it is claimed.
Then, at the last second, the couple decided not to have their daughter take the test with assistance.
Loughlin and Giannulli allegedly emailed Singer in 2016 about their daughters' college prospects, stating that they wanted to do the necessary work to make sure the girls got into USC as opposed to ASU.
Emails obtained by investigators revealed it was soon decided that bribes would be paid to have the girls recruited onto the crew team.
A short time after that, photos were taken of older daughter Isabella on a rowing machine.
Loughlin and her fashion designer husband Giannulli allegedly paid $500,000 to get daughters Olivia Jade, 19, (pictured) and Isabella, 20, into the University of Southern California
Olivia Jade has cashed in on being student during her brief time at USC. She posted sponsored content for Amazon Prime on her Instagram account (above) in September that featured an image of her inside her USC dorm room
While Loughlin has deleted all her social media accounts, her teen daughter's Instagram became flooded with critics slamming her over the scandal
Dr Donna Heinel, the senior associate athletic director at USC, presented Isabella as a potential athletic recruit a month later and she was approved for conditional admission.
It was then asked that a check be sent to Heinel for $50,000 from Giannulli, who a short time later asked if he could mention the story to the athletic director at USC when the two men were at Augusta, likely playing at the famed golf club.
Singer stated that this was not a good idea because when he discussed the possibility of Isabella's admission with him the year prior, he thought the family 'would be good for a million plus.'
Isabella received her admission letter the following March, which was followed by another note requesting a donation of $200,000 to Key Worldwide Foundation.
After the amount was wired to the organization, a note was returned that stated no good or services had been exchanged for the money - which according to the documents is false.
This same exact process was then repeated with younger daughter Olivia, it is claimed.
William Rick Singer (pictured at federal court on Tuesday), the founder of Key Worldwide Foundation, had been identified as the alleged mastermind behind the scandal
Problems arose however when Olivia's guidance counselor became curious as to how she managed to receive admission based on her involvement in crew since she did not row.
At the same time, Loughlin complained that her daughter was having difficulty filling out her other college applications, prompting Singer to ask an employee to take care of the task.
An example of a student whose face was photoshopped onto another that was included in court documents
This was done so as not to draw attention to the fact that it was already confirmed Olivia had received conditional admission to USC.
At some point, there was a very heated and public altercation between Giannulli and the counselor, which elicited an email from Heinel asking that it not happen again in the future so as to avoid detection.
Everything began to fall apart in October 2018 when the IRS audited Key Worldwide and began to look into donations made by parents whose children were then admitted to USC.
Loughlin and Giannulli were told by Singer to say they had given the $500,000 to the foundation to help 'underserved kids.'
Singer was charged with racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and obstruction of justice. He has pleaded guilty.
'They worried their daughters are as stupid as their mothers.' Kellyanne Conway launches astonishing attack on Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin over admissions bribery charges
- White House counselor Kellyanne Conway slammed actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin on Twitter on Tuesday
- 'They worried their daughters are as stupid as their mothers,' Conway tweeted
- The two actresses were implicated in a massive cheating scandal to get their children into elite universities
- Conway criticized the other 48 parents and coaches charged in the plot
- 'YOU FAILED THESE KIDS,' she wrote
- In many instances, the children were unaware their parents paid bribes to get them into their unversities
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway slammed actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, who were implicated in a massive cheating scandal to get their children into elite universities.
'They worried their daughters are as stupid as their mothers,' Conway, a mother of four, tweeted Tuesday evening.
She also criticized the other 48 people - which included coaches and parents - charged in a plot to get their children into schools including Georgetown, Stanford, UCLA, University of San Diego, USC, University of Texas, Wake Forest, and Yale.
'2 actresses get most attention for college admissions cheating scandal. Yet 48 others were charged, too. Coaches, athletic directors took millions. CEOs Author of ironically titled, “The Modern Girls Guide to Life” Willkie Farr law firm partner YOU FAILED THESE KIDS,' she wrote.
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway slammed actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin on Twitter on Tuesday
Felicity Huffman (left) and Lori Loughlin (right) were implicated in a massive cheating scandal to get their children into elite universities
The scheme was uncovered by the FBI and federal prosecutors in Boston, and involved parents paying bribes of up to $6 million to get their children into these elite schools.
Also charged were 'The Modern Girls Guide to Life' author Jane Buckingham; and Gordon Caplan, a lawyer and a co-chairman of the international law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher.'
In many instances, the children were unaware that their parents had paid these bribes, according to federal documents.
Most of those charged either paid to get higher SAT scores or faked an athletic resume that, with the participation of a bribed college coach, helped the children get accepted to a college as a team's recruit.
Prosecutors said in court on Tuesday that some students also lied about their ethnicity on applications to take advantage of affirmative action.
Huffman has two daughters with husband William H. Macy including Sofia, who is 18, and 16-year old Georgia.
Loughlin and her designer husband Mossimo Giannulli also have two daughters: Olivia, 19, and Isabella, 20.
Macy was not charged but Giannulli was named alongside his wife in the papers.
Huffman, Loughlin and Giannulli are all charged with Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud.
Aunt Becky with the bad heirs: Full House star Lori Loughlin and Oscar nominee Felicity Huffman are two of the 50 parents charged in a plot to get their children into elite schools (Loughlin with daughters Olivia and Bella in February)
Desperate housewife: Huffman allegedly paid a $15,000 'charitable contribution' 'to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of her eldest daughter' (Huffman and Macy with their daughters Georgia and Sofia at the Golden Globes)
Support system: Huffman and Giannulli have been arrested while a warrant is out for Loughlin's arrest (William H macy, who has not been charged, arrives in court on Tuesday)
'Beginning in or about 2011, and continuing through the present, the defendants - principally individuals whose high-school age children were applying to college - conspired with others to use bribery and other forms of fraud to facilitate their children's admission to colleges and universities in the District of Massachusetts and elsewhere, including Yale University, Stanford University, the University of Texas, the University of Southern California, and the University of Southern California - Los Angeles,' stated the 200 page document that was filed on Tuesday.
'This case is about the widening corruption of elite college admissions through the steady application of wealth, combined with fraud,' US Attorney Andrew Lelling said on Tuesday in a press conference.
'There can be no separate college admission for wealthy, and I will add there will not be a separate criminal justice system either.'
William Rick Singer, the founder of Key Worldwide Foundation, had been identified as the alleged mastermind behind the scandalThe documents claim that since 2011, Singer has received $25 million from parents which was then used to payoff or bribe individuals who could 'designate their children as recruited athletes, or other favored admissions categories.'
Huffman paid a $15,000 'charitable contribution 'to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of her eldest daughter,' states the complaint.
'Huffman later made arrangements to pursue the scheme a second time, for her younger daughter, before deciding not to do so,' according to the documents.
The charging documents state that Huffman had the site where he daughter took the SATs moved from her own high school to a test center West Hollywood.
Her test was then administered by a proctor who had flown in from Tampa and told investigators that he 'facilitated cheating, either by correcting the student's answers after the test or by actively assisting the student during the exam.'
In this case, Huffman's daughter scored a 1420, which was a 400 point improvement from her PSAT results just one year prior.
Whoadies: Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli (above with olviia after her graduation in June) used Singer to get both daughters into USC
Soon after the proctor was paid $40,000 by Key Worldwide Foundation, the same organization that Huffman would later give a $15,000 donation to, according to the documents.
The documents also include the transcript of a phone call between Huffman and the individual who facilitated the test in which she admits that her older daughter had assistance and expresses her desire for her younger daughter to get similar help.
In a follow up call just this past December, Huffman and her unnamed spouse spoke about their daughter wanting to get into Georgetown.
It was then decided that the young girl would take the exam twice, one on her own and once with help, to ensure she got the score necessary to get her into Georgetown, it is claimed.
Then, at the last second, the couple decided not to have their daughter take the test with assistance.
Loughlin and Giannulli 'agreed to pay bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC crew team - despite the fact that they did not participate in crew - thereby facilitating their admission to USC,' according to the documents.
The couple emailed Singer in 2016 about their daughters college prospects, stating that they wanted to do the necessary work to see that the girls got into USC as opposed to ASU.
Emails obtained by investigators revealed that it was soon decided that bribes would be paid to have the girls recruited as crew coxswains.
A short time after that, photos were taken of older daughter Isabella on an ergometer.
Dr. Donna Heinel, the senior associate athletic director at USC, presented Isabella as a potential athletic recruit a month later and she was approved for conditional admission.
It was then asked that a check be sent to Heinle for $50,000 from Giannulli, who a short time later asked if he could mention the story to the athletic director at USC when the two men were at Augusta, likely playing at the famed golf club.
Singer stated that this was not a good idea because when he discussed the possibility of Isabella's admission with him a year he thought the family 'would be good for a million plus.'
Isabella received her admission letter the following March, which was followed by another note requesting a donation of $200,000 to Key Worldwide Foundation.
After the amount was wired to the organization a note was returned that stated no good or services had been exchanged for the money, which according to the documents is false.
This same exact process was then repeated with the young daughter, Olivia, it is claimed.
Problems arose however when Olivia's guidance counselor became curious as to how she managed to receive admission based on her involvement in crew since she did not row.
At the same time, Loughlin complained that her daughter was having difficulty filling out her other college applications, prompting Singer to ask an employee to take care of that task.
This was done so as not to draw attention to the fact that it was already confirmed that she had received conditional admission to the school.
Then, at some point, there was a very heated and public altercation between Giannulli and the counselor, which elicited an email from Dr Heinel asking that this not happen in the future so as to avoid detection.
This all began to fall apart in October 2018 when the IRS audited Key Worldwide and began to look into donations made by parents whose children were then admitted to USC.
USC fires athletic director who 'accepted $50,000 from Lori Loughlin' as well as water polo coach involved in college admissions bribery scandal
- Director Donna Heinel and coach Jovan Vanic were both fired on Tuesday
- Heinel allegedly helped Loughlin's two daughters get into USC as crew recruits
- Vavic allegedly accepted a $250,000 bribe to designate two students as recruits for his water polo team to help them get into the university
- Fifty parents and coaches, including Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, have been charged in a plot to get their children into some of America's top schools
- Other coaches involved in the scandal come from Stanford, Yale, Georgetown
The University of Southern California has fired two employees who were implicated in a massive college admissions bribery scandal this week.
Senior associate athletic director Donna Heinel and water polo coach Jovan Vavic were both fired on Tuesday.
Heinel allegedly accepted a $50,000 bribe from Full House star Lori Loughlin and her husband to get their two daughters into USC as crew recruits.
Vavic has been accused of accepting a $250,000 bribe to designate two students as recruits for his water polo team to help get them into the university.
Two athletic employees have been fired from the University of Southern California, including one who allegedly accepted a $50,000 bribe from Lori Loughlin to help her daughters (pictured together in 2018) to get into the school
USC water polo coach Jovan Vavic was fired on Tuesday after he was implicated in the major college admissions bribery scandal
The coach was taken into custody on Tuesday in Honolulu.
Fifty parents and coaches, including Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, have been charged in a plot to bribe their children's way into some of America's top schools.
The scheme was uncovered by the FBI and federal prosecutors in Boston, who discovered the affluent parents involved had paid a total of $6million in bribes to get their children into elite schools including Yale, Stanford, Georgetown, and UCLA.
Senior associate athletic director Donna Heinel, who allegedly accepted the bribe from Loughlin, was also fired on Tuesday
In many instances the children were unaware that their parents had paid these bribes, according to federal documents.
Most of those who were charged either paid to get their children higher SAT scores or faked an athletic resume that, with the participation of a bribed college coach, helped the children get accepted to a college as a team's recruit.
Prosecutors said in court on Tuesday that some students also lied about their ethnicity on applications to take advantage of affirmative action.
William Rick Singer, the founder of Key Worldwide Foundation, had been identified as the alleged mastermind behind the scandal.
The documents claim that since 2011, Singer has received $25million from parents which was used to payoff or bribe individuals who could 'designate their children as recruited athletes, or other favored admissions categories'.
In his biography on the website for the Newport Beach-based Key Foundation, Singer is heralded for his ability to get children into the college of their choice.
Loughlin and her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli allegedly paid $500,000 to get daughters Olivia Jade, 19,(pictured) and Isabella, 20, into the University of Southern California
Singer is also praised for 'helping students discover their life passion, and guiding them along with their families through the complex college admissions maze'.
Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli allegedly emailed Singer in 2016 about their daughters' college prospects, stating that they wanted to do the necessary work to see that the girls got into USC as opposed to ASU.
Emails obtained by investigators revealed it was soon decided that bribes would be paid to have the girls recruited onto the crew team.
A short time after that, photos were taken of older daughter Isabella on a rowing machine.
Heinel then allegedly presented Isabella as a potential athletic recruit a month later and she was approved for conditional admission.
It was then asked that a check be sent to Heinel for $50,000 from Giannulli, who a short time later asked if he could mention the story to the athletic director at USC when the two men were at Augusta - likely playing at the famed golf club.
Singer stated that this was not a good idea because when he discussed the possibility of Isabella's admission with him the year prior, he thought the family 'would be good for a million plus.'
The couple emailed William Rick Singer Singer, the alleged mastermind behind the scandal, in 2016 about their daughters college prospects. They stated that they wanted to do the necessary work to see that their daughter got into USC as opposed to ASU
This same exact process was then repeated with their young daughter, Olivia, in 2017
At the same time, Loughlin complained that her daughter was having difficulty filling out her other college applications, prompting Singer to ask an employee to take care of that task
Then, at some point, there was a very heated and public altercation between Giannulli and the counselor, which elicited an email from Heinel
Isabella received her admission letter the following March, which was followed by another note requesting a donation of $200,000 to Key Worldwide Foundation.
After the amount was wired to the organization, a note was returned that stated no goods or services had been exchanged for the money - which according to the documents is false.
This same exact process was then repeated with younger daughter Olivia, it is claimed.
Problems arose however when Olivia's guidance counselor became curious as to how she managed to receive admission based on her involvement in crew since she did not row.
At the same time, Loughlin complained that her daughter was having difficulty filling out her other college applications, prompting Singer to ask an employee to take care of the task.
Olivia Jade has cashed in on being student during her brief time at USC. She posted sponsored content for Amazon Prime on her Instagram account (above) in September that featured an image of her inside her USC dorm room
Loughlin and Giannulli (picutred in 2012) allegedly paid the half-million dollar sum to get their daughters into the school as fake rowing recruits. Neither daughter participated in crew
This was done so as not to draw attention to the fact that it was already confirmed Olivia had received conditional admission to USC.
Then, at some point, there was a very heated and public altercation between Giannulli and the counselor, which elicited an email from Heinel asking that this not happen again in the future so as to avoid detection.
Everything began to fall apart in October 2018 when the IRS audited Key Worldwide and began to look into donations made by parents whose children were then admitted to USC.
Ali Khosroshahin, the former women's soccer coach at USC, and Laura Janke, the former assistant women's soccer coach, are also charged in the case alongside Heinel and Vavic.
'We are aware of the ongoing wide-ranging criminal investigation involving universities nationwide, including USC. USC has not been accused of any wrongdoing and will continue to cooperate fully with the government’s investigation,' USC said in a statement on Tuesday.
The former Full House star is among 50 people, including fellow celebrity Felicity Huffman (pictured with her daughters and husband William H Macy), who have been accused of paying bribes to get their children into America's top colleges
Singer (pictured at federal court on Tuesday), the founder of Key Worldwide Foundation, had been identified as the alleged mastermind behind the scandal
'USC is in the process of identifying any funds received by the university in connection with this alleged scheme. Additionally, the university is reviewing its admissions processes broadly to ensure that such actions do not occur going forward.'
And USC was not the only school where employees were taking bribes.
An example of a student whose face was photoshopped onto another that was included in court documents
Gordie Ernst, the tennis coach at Georgetown who famously gave Michelle Obama and her daughter lessons, received $2.7million according to prosecutors, while Yale soccer coach Rudy Meredith pocketed $400,000 for allowing a recruit who had never once played the sport onto the team.
Stanford University has fired sailing coach John Vandemoer after he was charged with accepting $270,000 in contributions to the school's sailing program for agreeing to recommend two prospective students for admission.
The school said on Tuesday that neither student came to Stanford but that 'the alleged behavior runs completely counter to Stanford's values.'
Vandemoer pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering, which carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
He was released on his own recognizance pending his sentencing, which is scheduled for June 12.
REVEALED: FBI uncovered the massive, nationwide college fraud scheme by ACCIDENT while working an unrelated undercover operation
- The Washington Post reported the FBI received a tip about the scheme last year
- That tip then sparked a sprawling, nationwide corruption probe dubbed Operation Varsity Blues
- Fifty parents and coaches have already been charged in connection with the plot, according to an indictment filed in federal court on Thursday
- The scheme involved parents paying bribes of up to $6million to get their children into elite schools between 2011 and 2018
- Among those charged were actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin
The FBI reportedly uncovered the bombshell college admissions bribery scandal by accident while working on an unrelated undercover operation.
Officials say the sprawling, nationwide corruption probe dubbed Operation Varsity Blues was sparked when someone being interviewed for an unrelated case tipped authorities off.
Fifty parents and coaches have already been charged in connection with the plot that involved parents paying bribes of up to $6million to get their children into elite schools between 2011 and 2018, according to an affidavit filed in federal court on Tuesday.
Among those charged were Oscar nominee Felicity Huffman, Fuller House star Lori Loughlin, and a former tennis coach for the Obamas.
Boston's US attorney Andrew Lelling warned that the investigation is ongoing and others could be charged.
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The FBI reportedly uncovered a bombshell college admissions bribery scandal by accident when they received a tip about it while working an unrelated undercover operation, officials say. That tip then led to a sprawling, nationwide probe in which 50 parents and coaches have been charged. Boston's US attorney Andrew Lelling (center) warned that the investigation is ongoing and others could be charged during a press conference on Tuesday
The affidavit states: 'Beginning in or about 2011, and continuing through the present, the defendants - principally individuals whose high-school age children were applying to college - conspired with others to use bribery and other forms of fraud to facilitate their children's admission to colleges and universities in the District of Massachusetts and elsewhere, including Yale University, Stanford University, the University of Texas, the University of Southern California, and the University of Southern California - Los Angeles.'
'This case is about the widening corruption of elite college admissions through the steady application of wealth, combined with fraud,' US Attorney Lelling said at a press conference after the affidavit was filed.
'There can be no separate college admission for wealthy, and I will add there will not be a separate criminal justice system either.'
Desperate housewife: Huffman allegedly paid a $15,000 'charitable contribution' 'to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of her eldest daughter' (Huffman and Macy with their daughters Georgia and Sofia at the Golden Globes)
Full House star Lori Loughlin and Oscar nominee Felicity Huffman are two of the 50 parents charged in a plot to get their children into elite schools (Loughlin with daughters Olivia and Bella in February)
Officials say Operation Varsity Blues is only about a year old, but the case authorities were working on when the initial tip about the scheme came out is unknown.
Three cooperating witnesses were identified in the 200-page affidavit filed on Tuesday.
The first to cooperate in the probe, beginning in April 2018, has been identified as Rudy Meredith, head coach of women's soccer at Yale.
Meredith, referred to in the affidavit as Cooperating Witness 3, allegedly pocketed $400,000 for allowing a recruit who had never once played the sport onto the team.
A second cooperating witness joined the probe in September 2018, and is referred to as Cooperating Witness 1 (CW-1) and was identified as William Rick Singer, the mastermind behind the entire scandal.
Prosecutors say Singer, founder of the college consulting business Edge College & Career Network, also known as The Key, in Newport Beach, California, collected $25million from parents since 2011.
He then used that money to payoff or bribe individuals who could 'designate their children as recruited athletes, or other favored admissions categories.'
A third cooperating witness who began working with prosecutors in February 2019 was identified as Mark Riddell, the director of college entrance exam preparation at a private college preparatory school and sports academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Riddell would allegedly take college entrance exams for students or correct their answers afterward, according to the affidavit.
'My families want a guarantee': The mastermind who bragged about getting 800 rich kids into colleges and ran a nationwide admissions bribery scheme before pleading guilty, cooperating and putting his California mansion up for sale
- William 'Rick' Singer, 58, pleaded guilty in Boston federal court on Tuesday to charges including racketeering conspiracy and obstruction of justice
- He admitted to be the mastermind behind the million dollar college admissions bribery scheme
- Singer bragged about getting 800 rich kids into colleges and guaranteed that he could get them locked in before their senior year
- Just weeks before the scheme came crashing down, Singer put his six-bedroom mansion in Newport Beach on the market for $2.6 million
The man who has pleaded guilty to being the mastermind behind the million dollar college admissions bribery scheme bragged about getting 800 rich kids into colleges and guaranteed that he could get them locked in before their senior year.
William 'Rick' Singer, 58, pleaded guilty in Boston federal court on Tuesday to charges including racketeering conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
'I'm absolutely responsible for it,' Singer said in court. 'I put everything in place.'
Singer was charged with running the largest college admissions fraud scam in U.S. history through his small college preparation company in Newport Beach, California.
The scheme relied on bribes, phony test takers and even doctored photos depicting non-athletic applicants as elite competitors to land college slots for the offspring of rich parents, including actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin.
William 'Rick' Singer, 58, (above leaving court) pleaded guilty in Boston federal court on Tuesday to charges including racketeering conspiracy and obstruction of justice
Just weeks before the scheme came crashing down, Singer put his six-bedroom mansion in Newport Beach on the market for $2.6 million.
He also owns a property in Sacramento, according to online records.
Singer, who is one of 50 people charged, bragged about his 'side door' scheme and boasted of getting almost 800 children into colleges, according to court documents related to the case.
In a June 2018 call with a wealthy parent, Singer described how his scheme worked, saying: 'What we do is we help the wealthiest families in the U.S. get their kids into school'.
'My families want a guarantee. They want this thing done. They don't want to be messing around with this thing. They want in at certain schools.
'So I did 761 what I would call 'side doors'.
'So if you said to me 'here's our grades, here's our scores, here's our ability, and we want to go to X school' and you give me one or two schools, and then I'll go to those schools and try to get a guarantee done.'
Singer said he aimed to have the students locked into colleges during or before their senior year of high school.
'Before her senior year, hopefully we can have this thing done, so that in the fall, before December 15th, you already know she's in. Done,' he said, according to the court documents.
Singer, who is the founder of the Edge College & Career Network and Key Worldwide Foundation, bragged about his 'side door' scheme and boasted of getting almost 800 children into colleges, according to court documents related to the case
Just weeks before the alleged scheme came crashing down, Singer put his six-bedroom mansion in Newport Beach (above) on the market for $2.6 million
He ran the scheme through his Edge College & Career Network company in Newport Beach.
Between 2011 to 2018, Singer would charge from $100,000 to as much as $2.5 million per child for the services, which were masked as contributions to a scam charity - Key Worldwide Foundation - that he ran.
Those charitable donations were then funneled to the coaches and administrators at various colleges.
'I was essentially buying or bribing the coaches for a spot,' Singer said as he pleaded guilty to charges on Tuesday. 'And that occurred very frequently.'
Prosecutors have so far named 33 parents, 13 coaches, and associates of Singer's business as being involved in the scheme.
Nine coaches are accused, including former Yale women's soccer coach Rudy Meredith; UCLA soccer coach Jorge Salcedo, Wake Forest volleyball coach Bill Ferguson and Stanford sailing coach John Vandemoer.
More than 30 parents are accused of paying bribes, including well-known actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Laughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli.
Singer, above as CW-1, bragged about his 'side door' scheme and boasted of getting almost 800 children into colleges, according to court documents related to the case
Singer was charged with running the largest college admissions fraud scam in U.S. history through his small college preparation company in Newport Beach, California
They are accused of conspiring with Springer to beat the system and ensure the students were admitted or had a better chance to be admitted to certain colleges or universities, including Yale, Stanford, Texas, UCLA, USC, Wake Forest and others.
In many cases, the students were not aware that their parents had arranged for the cheating, prosecutors said, although in other cases they knowingly took part. None of the children were charged on Tuesday.
Prosecutors said Springer orchestrated several methods, including bribing those administering college entrance exams to provide answers, change answers or allow someone other than the student to take the exam.
He also bribed college coaches or athletic administrators to make it appear the students were athletes being recruited to the school, including creating fake athletic credentials like Photoshopped images.
Another method was having someone take classes in the place of a student and using those grades on applications.
The scheme began to fall apart in October last year when the IRS audited Key Worldwide and began to look into donations made by parents whose children were then admitted to USC.
THE FULL LIST OF PEOPLE CHARGED WITH COLLEGE ADMITTANCE SCAM
THE STARS
Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli spent $500,000 getting their two daughters into USC, according to prosecutors
Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli
Actress Loughlin and her fashion designer husband Mossimo are among the three most well known names on the list. They have two daughters, Olivia, 20, Isabella, 19, and Mossimo also has a son from a previous relationship. It is not clear which of their children is in college.
Olivia is a YouTube star who has amounted millions of fans online but she is also enrolled at USC, as is their 19-year-old daughter Isabella.
They allegedly paid $50,000 to get their oldest daughter into USC under the guise that she was a crew coxswain when in fact she does not row crew.
Felicity Huffman is accused of paying a $15,000 bribe to get her oldest daughter Sofia into USC
Felicity Huffman
Huffman is best known for her role on Desperate Housewives.
She is married to fellow actor William H. Macy but he has not been charged in the indictment.
The pair have two daughters, Sofia, 18, and Georgia, 16.
Huffman is accused of paying $15,000 for someone else to sit her daughter Sofia's SAT exam which got her into USC.
THE COLLEGE PROFESSORS, COACHES AND 'MASTERMIND'
Rick Singer ran The Key, a college preparation business
William Rick Singer, the 'mastermind'
Singer is accused of leading the scam. He led a college counseling program and, according to prosecutors, also ran a fake charity through which he funneled bribes. The scam worked in two ways; he would have people come into the exam to correct students' answers and he also then bribed sports coaches to offer them scholarships, in some cases for sports they did not even play.
Rudolph Meredith
Meredith is a women's soccer coach at Yale. In his bio on the college's website, he is heralded as the 'winningest' coach, with 24 seasons under his belt.
Mark Riddell
Riddell is the director of IMG Academy , a college entrance exam preparation company.
Rudolph Meredith, the women's soccer coach at Yale (left) and Mark Riddell, director of IMG Academy
John Vandemoer
Vandemoer is the head sailing coach at Stanford.
Gordon Ernst
Ernst is the head of women's tennis at the University of Rhode Island.
He taught at Georgetown in the past and worked as a personal tennis coach for Michelle Obama and her daughters, Sasha and Malia, while they were in the White House.
John Vandemoer (left) is the head sailing coach at Stanford. Gordie Ernst was Michelle Obama's private tennis coach when she was First Lady. He is now the head of women's tennis at the University of Rhode Island.
Igor Dvorskiy
Dvorskiy is the president of the West Hollywood College Preparatory School and he worked at the West Hollywood Test Center
Niki Williams
Williams worked as a test administrator at one of the test centers Singer told parents he 'controlled'.
Houmayoun Zadeg
Homa H Zadeh is a professor at USC. He is the Associate Professor and Director, Advanced Education Program in Periodontology.
Michael Center
Center is the men's soccer coach at the University of Texas.
Homa H Zadeh (left) is a professor at USC. Michael Center (right) is the men's soccer coach at the University of Texas.
Donna Heinel
Heinel is the senior women's athletics director at USC. She is alleged to have accepted a $50,000 from Lori Loughlin and her husband, among others, for admitting fraudulent tests.
Laura Janke
Janke is a former assistant soccer coach at USC. She allegedly took payment from Loughlin and her husband for their youngest daughter.
Donna Heinel (left) is the senior athletic director at USC. Laura Janke (right) is a former assistant soccer coach
Ali Khosroshahin
Khosroshahin is the head women's soccer coach at USC.
Jovan Vavic
Vavic is the head coach for the men's and women's water polo teams at USC.
Ali Khosroshahin (left) is the head of women's soccer at USC and Jovan Vavic is the head of the men's and women's water polo teams at USC
PARENTS
Bill McGlashan
McGlashan is a prolific private equity investor who is the founder and managing partner of the firm TPG Growth.
He is also at the helm of The Rise Fund, a social impact fund he launched with Bono.
Gregory and Marcia Abbott
New York couple Gregory and Marcia Abbott, 68 and 59, were also named.
Gregory Abbott is the founder and chairman of International Dispensing Corp., a successful food and beverage packaging company.
The couple, who have homes in New York City and Aspen, Colorado, allegedly paid a total of $125,000 to have someone take the ACT and SAT subject tests for their daughter so she could gain entrance to Duke University.
Bill McGlashan and Gregory Abbott are pictured
Gamal Abdelaziz
Abdelaziz stepped down as president and COO of Wynn Resorts in 2016.
He is accused of bribing Donna Heinel, the senior women's athletics director at USC, to recruit his daughter for the basketball team in 2017.
According to court documents, his daughter played high school basketball but was not gifted enough to get recruited as an athlete so he arranged for her to be one.
He then made a $300,000 'donation' to the fictitious charity run by 'ringleader' Rick Singer and then made monthly $20,000 payments directly to Heinel.
His daughter got into the college but never joined the basketball team, according to the documents.
In a phone call with the fixer, they said: 'I’m not going to tell the IRS anything about the fact that your $300,000 was paid to Donna-- Donna Heinel at USC to get [your daughter] into school even though she wasn’t a legitimate basketball player at that level.'
Jane Buckingham
Buckingham is the owner of the now defunct market research firm, Youth Intelligence. She sold the company in 2003.
She is charged in the scheme for allegedly paying $50,000 to have someone else take her son's ACT exam in July 2018 because he had tonsilitis.
Buckingham sent a handwriting sample for her son to a test taker and had him take a fake exam at home so he wouldn't know about the fraud, court documents indicate.
Gamal Abdelaziz, the president and COO of Wynn Resorts (left) and Jane Buckingham, the owner of the now defunct market research firm Youth Intelligence
Gordon Caplan
Caplan is a financial attorney and partner at the firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher in New York City. He lives in Connecticut.
He allegedly paid $75,000 to have Singer arrange a proctor to corrected his daughter's answers after she took the ACT in November or December 2018.
Robert Flaxman
Flaxman is the CEO, Co-founder, Crown Realty & Development, Inc, a real estate company based in Orange County.
Gordon Caplan (left) is a financial attorney and partner at the firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher in New York City. Robert Flaxman (right) is the CEO, Co-founder, Crown Realty & Development
Agustin Huneeus
Vineyard owner Huneeus owns a range of wines that are produced in Napa Valley.
He allegedly participated in both the college entrance exam cheating scheme and the college recruitment scheme for his daughter in 2017 and 2018 by conspiring to bribe Heinel and Jovan Vavic, the USC water polo coach, to facilitate his daughter’s admission to USC as a purported water polo recruit, according to the indictment.
Elisabeth Kimmel
Kimmel, of Las Vegas, Nevada, is the former president of Midwest Television. She sold it in 2017 for $325million.
She allegedly used the scheme to get her daughter into Georgetown and her son into USC by pretending the former was a tennis player and the latter was a pole vaulter.
Kimmel ultimately facilitated $475,000 in payments to KWF, according to the affidavit.
Toby MacFarlane
MacFarlane and his wife Christy are well known on the San Diego social and charity circuit.
He sits on the board of multiple companies and the family has their own trust but it is not exactly clear what he does.
Elisabeth Kimmel is the former president of Midwest Television. She sold it in 2017 for $325million. Agustin Huneeus, whose family owns vineyards in Napa Valley, was also charged
Marjorie Klapper
Diane and Todd Blake
I-Hsin "Joey" Chen
Amy and Gregory Colburn
Marci Palatella
Peter Jan Sartorio
Stephen Semprevivo
Devin Sloane
John Wilson
Robert Zangrillo
Steven Masera
William Ferguson
Martin Fox
Jorge Salcedo
Bruce and Davina Isackson
Mikaela Sanford
David Sidoo
Michelle Janavs
Elizabeth and Manuel Henriquez
Douglas Hodge
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2019/03/13/judge-sets-bond-at-250000-for-felicity-huffman-in-college-bribery-scandal/
Main photo article Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin’s husband Mossimo Giannulli have been released from custody after they were charged in a massive college admissions scandal.
Huffman and Giannulli are among 50 people, including Loughlin, who have been accused of paying bribes to get their children into A...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/03/13/05/10915310-6802093-Felicity_Huffman_pictured_leaving_court_on_Tuesday_has_been_rele-a-9_1552454569531.jpg
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