When will politicians who get there kids into elite schools without merit be going to jail?
1
What a terrible waste this all is.
If only these parents had tried to send their kids to elite public high schools in NYC.
Mayor DeBlasio has just announced his intentions to open those schools up to identity politics by bypassing the stringent admission test and relying more on the really important stuff, like what was done for summer vacation.
This, of course, upsets Asian parents who believe that hard work by their children and the resultant excellence in academia should qualify them to be admitted all by itself.
Without relying on excellence in rowing crew or shooting hoops.
How dare they?
3
"'I am ashamed,'Ms. Huffman said..."
She and all her codefendants should be very ashamed. And not simply because they broke the law.
Perhaps worse still, the role model they set for their children did not and will not help those children, just as getting those children into colleges for which they might not otherwise qualify does them no favors.
My father, who barely made a living and had some businesses fail before he finally hit the right one after 30 years of trying, thought he was a failure. No; all those difficulties led to the one business (a pizza restaurant) that made him a millionaire--without any family help. He left that business 40 years ago and died 4 years ago. People still remember his pizzas with fondness.
These children will instead always suspect that they were failures who simply rode the tide of their parents' money.
2
Is "Operation Varsity Blues" finished? Or will we find out a similar scandal is happening in the wealthy New York neighborhoods and suburbs?
1
"Ms. Huffman, if you're now so contrite, why didn't you turn yourself in on your own at an earlier time?"
3
To the Holier than thou crowd.
Your kid gets jammed up and is guilty. And you have means.
Do you hire the best defense possible so that they walk with community service, pbj, or let them pay the price with a conviction and some time if they get a public defender?
What will you tell them if they ended up being a victim of prison violence and sexual abuse?
Or don't make those social connections necessary to sail thru this life?
This is just a leg up by the connected, an easing into the them that's got club.
Do you think these people even step foot into a place that says" Can I super size your order", let alone let their kids work there? Where on the lot would they park their Bimmer?
Rather your child expunges their guilt on a couch paid for at $500 an hour by a fat heath care company plan, than that child does a day.
1
It's just impossible for me to envision the mindset that these parents had/have that would make such behavior be acceptable. The sad thing, though, is to know that they impart these sorts of values on their children.
4
Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm a man of wealth and taste.
Preventing your child's failure, such as editing their essay, is a "mistake". Failure is the second best thing that can happen to your kid. Succeeding on your own, if on-your-own is ever real, is best.
19
Sorry, I know it seems a bit much, but I want to see Lori Loughlin perp walked out of the courthouse. Her and her oh so christian phoniness. She reminds me of Jimmy Swaggert.
3
Are the kids that vacuous that parents perceive deficits necessitating bribery? (oh, sorry...mail fraud...). 600K goes a long way for tutor money.
3
If it is true that the vast majority of these folks are part of the liberal elite then they should be castigated by a Michelle Goldman Op-Ed every bit as vitriolic as the one written about the out-going Ms Nielsen. However, I won’t hold my breath. That club protects its own.
2
@John -- Coming from someone writing from Ukraine who's complaining about how Kirstjen Nielsen from the Trump administration was treated in the press -- now that's a good one.
3
Whatever you think of the original act, the acknowledgement is refreshing. No word parsing, no excuses.
2
"I am a proud parent of a student at [you name the school]." That bumper sticker slogan reflects the basis of the scandal: derivatively for the children, essentially for the parents who imagine their self-worth and public image are determined by the prestige conferred on them by the degrees which their children receive from elite institutions. (BTW, one can readily imagine that their childrens' allowance includes sufficient funds to write papers and take tests since the children are presumably not academically qualified to do the academic work.
Be sure of one thing. Because they are white and rich and famous, they will get a judicial slap on the wrist and perhaps a few hours of community service. They will act contrite and "accept full responsibility," and then do everything possible to avoid the consequences of their crimes--jail. The lesson to America: "liberty and justice" for sale.
4
We will be very disappointed in Netflix if it releases the new film starring Huffman. I doubt anyone wants to laugh at a Comedy she stars in after what she has done.
6
@Philip W -- I'll be disappointed if they don't release a new film about this scandal with some b-actor playing the role of Huffman.
2
No jail time, not for millionaires!
2
There have to be some many more characters involved in this scandal. How did this scam get past college admittance officers? You’re telling me there is no checks and balances at all?
8
@Marie -- What I would like to know is what happened when these kids showed up to their team sport for which they were supposed to be amazing at and had no experience at all. Just what exactly transpired when Buffy showed up to play tennis or Bif showed up to row crew and neither had any experience?
5
I just have to wonder at Ms. Huffman's "perfect" apology. Does she really believe what she said, or are these just well crafted words from her publicist?
7
Why the strong focus on Felicity and not the the non celebrity rich who constituted the overwhelming majority of those committing these criminal acts? Why not name the prominent lawyers, business executives and CEOs!
10
I cant help but believe these entitled people are only ashamed of getting caught.
6
I truly don't know what type of punishment should be made to the ultra wealthy and their heirs. You would think they would have hired tudors or someone to prep their children. What kind of message do their child have. I'm wealthy I can buy anything so they new mommy and daddy would take care of it. Perhaps the schools should look at who was rejected and have this group pay for their education. Put them in jail a place I hope they don't pay to get out of. Community service? They can't be allowed to leave court just by saying empty words.
This reinforces that the rich can buy anything leaving the rest of us to eat cake.
2
So many of these mea culpas from the elite remind me of that brilliant scene in the film 'Quiz Show'. Van Doren presents an eloquent confession that draws so much praise from the house committee (including its chairman)... And then we have congressman number 4 deliver his opinion:
"... but I cannot agree with most of my colleagues. See, I don't think an adult of your intelligence ought to be commended...for simply, at long last, telling the truth."
Let's amend that to say "all adults" ought not to be commended... for simply telling the truth.
6
If you had the money, and it was your child, would you do it?
If you had the money and it was your child and you didn't do it and the scheme was known of how would your child view you?
Rich kids all have friends bought out of trouble, and if you can't do that what is the point of being rich?
I doubt that any of the fines will exceed the legal fees.
I've been in court as a witness when the fix was in, and there was relief all around. No guilt other than what was professed.
1
@Lawrence
If I had the money and it was my child, I would not do it.
I don't know how to explain that when something is wrong to do, it's just plain wrong to do.
Like I could take candy from a baby, but I don't because it's wrong. Just plain wrong.
5
Why don't these universities go back to their waitlists and offer transfer enrollment, and full scholarships, to the students who were unfairly denied admission?
7
They should be fined enough money to send at least ten less fortunate kids to college.
8
If these now remorseful parents don't do any jail time it will the second insult to the system. The first insult was to the deserving children who were denied admission not because they did not work hard but because their parents played by the rules. Playing by the rules should mean something and if these now remorseful well to do parents evade punishment it will just re enforce the fact that there are two systems of justice in America. How does the justice system reconcile the child who received a rejection letter from the school they dreamed of going to because their seat went to a wealthy cheater? Most crooks are remorseful after they get caught so I am not buying the poor wealthy parent act of being so upset about the crime they committed. These criminals should be treated like poorer criminals are treated every day. If they don't do some jail time where is the deterrence for other wealthy parents to have the bragging rights of a child in elite universities. I am also highly suspect that the universities knew nothing about this. If this was going on under their watch they should also be held accountable. We have a leader who thinks rules don't apply to him because of who he is. Not making these people come out of their comfort zone and giving them no jail time is morally wrong.
11
Those of us "of a certain age" would do well to avoid shaking our heads yet again for fear of aggravating our chronic twenty-first century neck strain.
5
The irony: their kids are probably doing just fine at the elite schools their parents cheated their ways into. Maybe they aren’t getting straight-As, but they will graduate. The hardest part of most secondary programs, even Law , is just gaining admission. That sad fact may be why some parents are tempted to cheat .
7
While a total of 33 parents were charged, why is it that Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin are the ones who keep being profiled in news articles, including the NYT, on this scandal? While I don’t agree with their actions, enough already with only scrutinizing these two actresses. Does it sell the story better?
15
Only one reason to profess shame for their actions and transgressions...they got caught. Chances are that if this wide-spread scheme hadn't been uncovered, all of them would go about their business as usual. The privileged with fat wallets didn't give a second thought in terms of bribing school administrators, coaches or paying someone to ensure their kids would pass critical college entrance exams. Sympathies to the children who knew nothing about the nefarious games their parents were playing with a lot of other players to ensure they were admitted to the best schools.
3
I don’t really believe that the kids didn’t know about it.
10
Yeah. “I thought they were just desperate for crew team members.” And/or “Why do I have to go to Houston to take the SAT again?”
2
The test proctor was the one who changed her SAT scores? I can't imagine they made enough bribe money to throw away their career like that.
1
At least she owned up to her wrongdoing. Would that Trump and his minions could do the same.
7
The kids are allowed to stay in university,
...and the parents pay a small fine...
1
You know, if they had just been a little smarter in this they could have gotten away with it.
Now sitting around all day with nothing to do, late into the evening, all that ruminating on this thought that they could have done something different to avoid the failure of their plan.
Like, how did the proctor get caught erasing all the myriad wrong answers on the SAT sheet That should have been a no brainer. Darn! It must have been the pitiful $15,000 fee paid to the proctor, it should have been so much more!
Now what are they gonna do? Everyday is one long moment of mortification, the residue of a great mendacious streak that won't go away. Everything in their lives are now seen by others through this lens, where lies must have been littered everywhere. Friends and family members and folks on the movie sets will always look at them differently in that permanent awkward glare that never goes away.
Oh, what could have been done to prevent this calamity! Such incredible shame and guilt. Perhaps the only worse nightmare is fading away into obscurity and losing fame and becoming no one special, a nobody. God please don't let that happen!!!
2
Ha! The kids are a reflection of the smarts of the parents, and the parents are mortified by the inability for their kids to get into the best schools, so to protect their own fragile egos they seek to fabricated a reality that their kids are smart enough.
Can you imagine the cocktail party where these pitiful parents can't bear the shame of their kids going to some average school? This would drag down on their own fame and fabulousness. This is more about the parent's vanity than it is about the kids growing up balanced and getting a good-enough education as a good-enough school.
5
These heartfelt apologies always come after the culprit is exposed.
4
I have always assumed that these very expensive colleges have always left room for average “legacy” students or for average students whose parents have made big contributions from here and abroad... rich kids from around the world. It happens here and from what I here in many other countries. I would imagine that the oversized or “full” tuitions these parents pay help fund the scholarship programs offered to lower income or minority students and for research... so it kind of works out for everyone in a way. That’s why it never bothered me so much.
As for these parents, paying to get their children admitted wasn’t “evil” , they honestly thought they were being good parents looking out for their kids and ended up embarrassing themselves and humiliating their children. They have been punished enough. Let go of the pitch forks... jeez, we show more remorse for truly evil murderers on death row. Lets not kick them when they’re down.
So the kids get to stay in university, and the parents pay a small fine.
1
While many are screaming for jail time for these fraudsters, I don’t think incarceration is applicable punishment. These parents in general do not work hard for their money. They are not waking up at 5:30 am to commute, do overtime in ER’s, write code 14 hours a day, clean toilets or any of a myriad of ways that hard working people earn a living. They should be offered the choice between hard time or fines commencing at one million dollars or more. The fines should go to underprivileged students or school districts. And of course felony conviction.
6
her action is understandable but this misconduct will be revealed the moment she wrote the check, and the demerit will last for long time on her family, also a good lesson for the others did or have such thoughts of it.
Editor’s note: This comment has been anonymized in accordance with applicable law(s).
2
I really don't get this. These people have fame, money. I know who Felicity Huffman is. I grew up watching Full House. And I was born and raised in Mumbai. So is it now that a degree from an Ivy is the pinnacle - the ultimate - in human accomplishment. Something that gives them bragging rights? Mere money, pedigree, fame ain't enough?
I don't think this is a new phenomenon though. It's just that these guys got caught now. An expose perhaps?
How might this be connected to someone in India you might wonder. So, the thing is, barring a few institutes like the IITs, IIMs, IISc, most colleges in India are..not so good. They've got potential, they have, but the overall quality of education in the true sense of the word has been found wanting. So, middle class and upper middle class Indians do not send their kids to college here. They want to send their kids to the US. The big guys - super-rich, industrialists, etc. - have their kids enrolled in the Ivies. These days, parents are working on sending their kids to the US earlier and earlier. So you'll find kids from here enrolled in high schools there too, right? So our government, instead of improving the state of higher education here is more interested in tracking the number of kids enrolled in universities in the US, Canada, Australia, NZ, etc.
I recognize several Felicities and Lories in my neighborhood, my city, across strata. I guess then this Feliticization and Lorization of higher education is a world-wide phenomenon.
3
I finally had the last of my three daughters graduate from college last December. It was a pay-it-forward goal for me all my life. My kids already had an unfair advantage: they had a full four year ride at the college of their choice (within reasonable bounds of scholarship to help out). Most people don't receive that. But I would have considered it an insult to my kids for me to try to cheat their way into a program and university they hadn't earned. I'm all for the max sentence for these cheating parents. Why? Because genuinely deserving kids were denied those slots.
4
While so many of us struggle with financial debt to "the System," these privileged few continue to evade the "requirements" of basic adherence to a "norm." I, for one, will digress from the "norm" observance. If "they" will not follow the norms of compliance, then neither shall I.
2
What no one is questioning is how these not-so-bright helicopter v kids can get through even a semester at a top rate university (UCLA excluded.) While what the parents did was evil, and I suspect that their children knew that something was up and are culpable, one must question the academic standards of these schools that permit sub par students to continue there.
7
What about the doctor(s) who enabled test cheating through providing medical notes indicating non existent disabilities?
17
I cannot get excited about this "scandal". College admissions has been gamed for years, mainly by the colleges.
Felicity Huffman and her friends responded rationally
to a corrupt system, operating mainly for the benefit of the universities, themselves. The universities have become very rich at the expense of mainly middle class and poor students, many of whom have entered life-time indentured servitude because of student loan debt they will never pay off.
Therefore, to Ms Huffman and her friends, all I can say is: too bad you got caught, better luck next time.
7
TBH I had presumed that wealthy people had been buying their children places in Ivy League etc collages since forever - it’s a surprise to me that this is so surprising (although I can understand the anger).
4
Eight years ago my daughter applied to Stanford. First time SAT score as a junior 1570. No SAT prep classes, just doing her thing. Top of her class. Amazing AP scores as well. Great recommendations. From a well educated middle income family, but parents in the non-profit sector, tons of outreach pieces, gifted writer. Not accepted at Stanford. Perhaps because we didn't have enough money to make that happen?
20
How many useful inventions were never made because the smart and hard-working students did not get into the top schools because their spots were taken by the inferior parasitical children of the rich? How many cures for cancer and other diseases went undiscovered because intellectually-inferior rich kids were admitted instead of the smart, ambitious, disciplined students?
23
All I can think about is the students who received Not Accepted letters during that time. I imagine how their lives may have gone in a different direction if one more spot had been available. It also sickens me to see one of the children in the case brag about how she doesn't really care about school and has no intention of attending many classes.
16
I am impressed by Felicity Huffman’s statement of remorse. It seems sincere and aware.
6
She is an actress. Enough said.
5
Yes, she is an actress and good at feigning counterfeit emotions.
4
@Nora
Oh please. Clearly written by her lawyer. However, I am sure she is sorry. Sorry she got caught and will face consequences.
5
Thirty years ago when I was in high school I studied like crazy to get good grades in all my AP classes and on my AP exams and spent an entire summer studying for my SAT and ACT tests. No help from parents, not even an SAT class or tutor. My dad had lung cancer during my last two years of high school, and passed away in March of my senior year. So, of course it is beyond disheartening to read of what these parents have done and to know how that must have impacted kids, who like me, had very little parental backing and are working hard under the assumption that it is a level playing field. Those kids who got in through cheating and bribery took the place of other kids who worked hard and actually used their own intelligence and discipline to get the grades to get into those schools. That said, I really hope the judge takes into consideration the impact sending these parents to jail will have on all of their children. The ignominy is bad enough, along with the fact that the kids will probably have a hard time getting into any school now. But putting the parents in jail can actually destroy these families in unforseen ways.
4
@sweetriot I think the parents should have thought about this before cheating.
2
Do judges take in the impact to the children of poor parents when sending them to prison?
3
@Steven McCain I am in no way wealthy, so I'm not in any way advocating for the wealthy. However, provided the punishment fits the crime, yes the impact on the family should be taken into consideration. Obviously a parent who has committed murder needs to go to prison regardless of the impact on the family. A parent who bribed someone to cheat on an exam on behalf of his or bee daughter is not as big a threat to society. To impact an entire family by imprisoning the parents for what is relatively a benign crime is not real justice. I don't know what the punishment should be, but a prison sentence would really be a case of adhering to the letter of the law. And if you are so concerned about the poor going to jail, isn't that the problem? Judges who use a one size fits all method
Based on the court filed affidavit, Felicity Huffman's daughter does lack the intelligence to get a decent SAT score. She initially took the exam on her own. The second time when her exam form was doctored, her SAT score increased by 400 points. The telephone conversation transcripts included in the affidavit make clear that their daughter did not have the smarts to get into Georgetown and the parents (William Macy included) knew it. There is nothing shameful in having average test scores. But it must be horribly humiliating to have your parents degrade you to the world.
The affidavit is an interesting read. It reminded me of the 60 Minutes comment made by Matt Stone and Trey Parker that based on their experience in Hollywood, most of the actors they encountered are not all that smart.
17
Huffman insists her daughter had no clue something untoward was going on. But if my score on a standardized test went up by 400 I would be keenly suspicious that at least a mistake had been made in my favor. I would hope I’d have enough integrity, even as a high school junior or senior, to say, “Hey! Wait a minute!”
6
@Michael Evans-Layng, PhD
Exactly. Also taking a second test at an off-campus test site on a weekend would have raised my suspicions. Moving forward, I hope there will be better monitoring of SAT/ACT testing sites.
I'm sorry, but there must be real jail time for all these people or there will not be any disincentive for "entitled" people to do things like this again in the future.
18
It is difficult for me to believe that the offspring did not know - if true, they should never have been in college. On the other hand, it is easier to believe that the parents are protecting the children -doesn't seem like they have been questioned. Should the parents take this. This is a comments for which I have no proof.
2
I hope they all go to prison for a long time, so they can see what is like to not have everything for once.
11
So define privilege.
1
If we are using taxpayers'money to build and try these cases, we should be taxing the endowment colleges to pay for this.
8
Sorry they got caught. They need jail time, absolutely. And all this grief for a school like USC? Huh? Dumb.
22
I’ve wondered about the fever surrounding gaining admission to USC as well and concluded in my own mind that the allure lay in the film and TV industry-oriented departments. As a research university USC is better than it used to be, but it’s simply not in the same academic stratosphere as California’s Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, or UC San Diego.
5
In a previous comment I should also have mentioned Cal Tech, which, on the West Coast, is kind of in a league of its own. The Claremont Colleges, especially Harvey Mudd, also merit a mention...
5
@Michael Evans-Layng, PhD
Yeah, but... According to
Mr. Macy, his eldest daughter is interested in 'politics, political science'.
Oh! They're smart. I just realised: Daughter, (maybe) has natural ability with politics, et al, but needs grooming for the essential showmanship which successful politicians have. So, that is why
Mr & Mrs. Macy wanted Sophia to go to the USC, then.
1
Prison is terrible, and should be used by society only when there is no other choice (and used responsibly). So notwithstanding the frisson of schadenfreude, we should acknowledge that prison is not the place for criminals like these. But treble damages ...
15
Criminals like these? But if she sold weed on the street it’s OK if she went to prison? Exactly who should be in prison in your view?
1
How much cheating occurs in medical school admissions? Scary to contemplate.
16
If these parents only receive slaps on the wrist it will be one more assault on an already tattered justice system where there is one justice for the rich and another for everybody else. Don’t think Trumpsters and the progressive left aren’t united in this. This is the sort of thing demagogues can easily grab ahold of because there is enough evidence to inflict a blow on our democracy if yet another set of privileged people with expensive lawyers avoid accountability. Remember no Wall Street financier went to jail. Remember the Singer plea bargain. The court ‘s ruling will be momentous.
14
As reprehensible the conduct, it underscores an underlying and disturbing sense of elitism, entitlement, and dog-eat-dog indifference that permeates American society. We can take umbrage and console ourselves with the smug satisfaction that we're all above that; but most of us will never know because we will never possess the kind of wealth that would allow us to bypass the merit principle the way these people did.
A Forbes survey in 2009 concluded that most Americans don't resent the rich. The reason Americans don't hate the rich, added Newsweek, is that they all hope one day to join their ranks. There is an implied public indulgence of the exploitive and avaricious conduct of rich people that seemingly turns on the notion that the ends justify the means. We don't fault those who amass fortunes through immoral, even illicit means nearly as much as we hate those who fall on their face trying.
The same Newsweek article in 2009 ironically and perhaps prophetically cited Marla Maples' awe of Donald Trump to illustrate our tendency to assign qualities to the rich that are entirely underserved. Having elected someone of Trump's character to the highest office of the land, it becomes more and more difficult to feign righteous indignation when the nouveau riche use their wealth to game the system.
As Pogo said, we have seen the enemy and he is us.
21
Excellent comment. Thanks!
1
Not one word from the presidents of these so-called institutions of higher learning. They, too, should draw -- if not jail time --, heavy fines for linking academics with athletics for acceptance to their schools. A travesty all the way round. If I could afford to do so, I would send my child to a college in England where study is taken more seriously and he or she would not get up in varsity shenanigans.These children will forever hate their parents for illicit interventions made on their behalf.
5
I appreciate Ms. Huffman’s apology which is complete and without reservation. As a former prosecutor, I believe that sincere repentance is critically important. I hope our society will learn a lesson from this and let kids achieve what they can through their own merit. Then let’s stop worshipping the Ivy League and start realizing plenty of capable, smart people get their start at community college and/or graduate from our fine state universities.
30
I have worked in many companies in united states in high technical positions. I have had colleagues from MIT, Stanford, Berkeley... Something that always surprised me, none of those engineers ever had a technical positions; they just used their degrees and easily landed on sales and marketing positions (Harvard graduates are usually realtors!). The smartest ones could get a position in one of engineering departments. Those highly (and wrongly) advertised universities do not have any role in shaping of this country. Could you imagine an America without H1-B workers!?
8
When a society puts a premium on outward and transitory success: memorization of subjects (which is quickly forgotten after graduation), laurels of a prestigious diploma (which only helps one get the first job or advance to graduate school), rather than a certain substance of character: how a person treats others (from romantic partners to family to the person cleaning toilets on campus), for lack of a better word, virtue, then society is a madhouse. We are all sinners, we are all swept up in the madness which is modern society and all its vainglory and irrational obsessions, and we cannot point fingers, but admire the bravery of admittance of fault, and the conviction to do better while serving as cautionary tale, the lessons of which will be soon forgotten by all, except those directly involved in such deeds.
4
Having read elsewhere in today’s paper how we liberals are to deal with those we find have fallen short of our glorious selves - it’s fair to say we should ostracize and make pariahs of these criminals.
3
“He who is without sin can cast the first stone“
Definitely not me.
2
Has USC expelled OJ Giannulli yet? Stanford took its time recognize false claims in an application, but the students who were accepted under false pretenses need to go and the credits they "earned" should be vacated.
8
How in god’s name can any parent condone and facilitate cheating ? It’s abhorrent .
I love all the “ I’m ashamed “ stuff now that they got caught . What kind of example are they showing to their children ? It’s unbelievable.
21
This entire situation is portrayed as a black and white issue. However — I attended (and competed for) a university with a chronically underfunded sports program. One of my teammates definitely did not belong on the team but his family had quietly underwritten a significant portion of our operating budget... allowing better equipment and broader travel. Did he displace another athlete? I have no idea. But on the whole, his family’s money helped our program FAR more than 1 more walk-on. As an aside, he’s NOW a prominent writer and coach in the sport. While cheating on tests is wrong on all levels, other situations are not always so clear cut.
8
Why don't these parents get their child admitted the old fashioned way.
Make a substantial donation to the college.
I used to teach at an elite NYC private school.
The college counsellor told me what the going rate of a donation was required to gain admission for different colleges.
Harvard was something Georgetown less etc.
There was a range.
People get different medical care and criminal justice based on ability to pay so why not college admissions.
6
Is this really "news" to anyone? If you're wealthy, you can buy access that most Americans can not. Whether in the judicial system, in politics, in housing, job opportunities, theater, vacations, the cars you drive, the clothes you wear, and on and on and on. We are not a classless society. If you're born into the upper class, you're going to remain there. If you're born into the middle class or into poverty, you're probably going to remain there.
It seems like the interest in this particular story is fed by envy, by how someone with entitlement finally got caught. It's actually kind of creepy.
These parents did the same thing for their kids that most of us do for our kids; with the exception that they broke the law, and they need to be held accountable. But is their crime, at it's core, so different than what we all do when we try to create some advantage for our children? Our families? It seems that it's more a difference in degree than in kind.
The real story is that the American education system is inherently unfair. Our Declaration of Independence states that "All men are created equal." One hopes if it were written today Thomas Jefferson would have written, "All women and men are created equal." But even so, all school districts are anything but equal. I believe that's the real story, not the fact that a celebrity has been exposed and humiliated for buying access to an Ivy league college for their daughter or their son.
7
@Paul
"These parents did the same thing for their kids that most of us do for our kids; with the exception that they broke the law.."
Quit while you are ahead big man ... This is why liberals are no better than Republicans.
3
My parents traded 6,000 full books of S&H Green Stamps so I could attend the College of Janitorial Sciences, emphasis on floor-buffing, at Trump University. When their duplicity was exposed, I left school voluntarily, applied for and got a job as a janitor at a non-Trump-affiliated Manhattan high rise. I was running the floor buffers within two weeks. The irony was not lost on me, and my career continues, though Green Stamps and Trump U do not.
9
Those well to do parents will certainly learn a thing or two about sliding their lackluster kids into top colleges. The main take away here is to simply make a big contribution to a new building. It’s legal and they will probably name a room in your honour, Don’t try and bribe a rowing coach. We all know that’s just wrong.
5
Apparently Huffman's crisis-advisor/PR people are first-rate. But might that statement also represent how she's still buying someone else's work and claiming as her own?
15
The truly repentant confess and make amends BEFORE they get caught. The others are just expressing regret for their actions because of the negative consequences they have suffered.
13
@Alison No one repents or makes amends before they get caught, only after.
5
@manhattan: People turn themselves in for crimes all the time because of guilt. Not everyone is a sociopath.
1
Imagine finding out that your parents didn’t think you had what it took to be where they thought you should be and paid for you to get there...I feel for those children.
6
I can only imagine that the statements issued by the guilty were actually written by their lawyers. More lies and attempts to mislead the "little people".
15
Of course they're not doing time. Don't be silly. It's Stern Warning and Suspended Sentence time. And I have to wonder whether the same deal was offered to the other defendants; possibly it wasn't.
6
C'mon, people, lighten up. Rich White Lives Matter! : - )
12
And 20 year possible sentence.
Let me get this straight, you can beat and rape a women and get less time.
Our justice system is so out of whack
11
"What’s the moral difference between Ms. Huffman’s getting her daughter into college with an SAT score she didn’t earn and Harvard’s institutionally elevating the lower test scores of whites, blacks and Latinos above the higher scores of Asian-Americans? In both cases the result is that some who earned high scores are excluded in favor of some who did not."
8
I know these kids will continue to have many privileges that others in our society don't have, but to me empty economic privilege amidst excessive pressure to succeed--when your parents didn't think you could do it on your own--sounds pretty awful. Comfort may make some things a bit happier in life, but wealth still does not buy happiness.
I also feel like commentators who are lamenting the poor unfortunate souls who lost their spot at Yale or USC due to one of these farce admissions need to get over themselves: if an applicant is literally one person away from getting into school A, without a doubt they got into school B or C, and their life will be just fine. Great instituions of higher learning abound in the U.S. Stop being so melodramatic and pinning everything on one school like these wealthy parents did. Yes, the scales are tipped in favor of the wealthy, but don't overdo this case as an example.
11
For any citizen or resident in THIS country, violation of federal laws (and covering up the crimes by way of a willful, mutually-shared veil of secrecy by the apparent culprits themselves) has always been a deep offense against the society at large. That said, the road to prison is always very much paved with countless apologies by such offenders. But don't worry! Once all is adjudicated and those same (and really quite wealthy) lawbreakers have very likely served their time behind bars, they will return and simply saunter off into their material paradise to resume their luxury.
2
Especially those who didn’t get into USC.
Those parents, especially the wealthy ones like Huffman, should offer to pay tuition, room, and board for an underprivileged kid. Without being prompted.
You stole a placement. Offer one up.
38
Don’t care about this story enough to follow the details. Federal prosecutors should not have wasted their time. I’d put this on the docket with payments to a cop to fix a ticket and payments to a prison guard to smuggle in marijuana. You talk about breaches of the public trust. But they are petty offenses worthy of a slap on the wrist. You’re kind of a blowhard about college admission, you know, and you should lighten up.
1
Michjas. I’m with you a waste of taxpayer money. We all know the college admissions system at the most desirable schools is rigged in so many ways. Just the Feds flexing their muscles. Cant wait to get jury duty and vote not guilty. Everyone can play silly games. I know that will offend some readers but when the people who run the system turn it into a joke am I supposed to take it serious.
As the parent of a USC alumnus, I have zero tolerance for admissions cheating, when my child earned his way in through hard work. No legacy, not an athlete. But in a very unpopular view, I do respect Huffman's clear and honest admission of guilt; there is no mixed message or excuses in her detailed statement. I cannot imagine what her behavior has done to her relationship with her child, and she is simply fessing up and trying to move on. Is Lori Loughlin (and others) actually going to plead not guilty? This further complicates the message she's already sent to her daughters regarding her criminal behavior. At least Huffman isn't dancing around, trying to find a legal loophole or a slick attorney to fight the charges, which appear to be supported by quite a bit of evidence.
5
If these parents wanted to buy their children into top drawer schools, why didn't they approach them with offers to endow a scholarship with the provision that their child be the first recipient?
They might have been refused, but at least it would have shown a little class.
6
Nice , but upstarts do not qualify. That’s reserved for those whose family history goes back a century or two. And have given million over the years.
Smart poor kids get scholarships to offset their lack of brains.
1
Did William H. Macy throw his wife under the bus or did the couple make a calculated decision that his career was more valuable...hmm
14
If this scheme has been going on for years why are these the only people charged? Surely there are more.
9
Lots of desire here to burn a television actress at the stake. I can't get too exercised about her and the others (even the ones with crimes going into the six figures) when we know that corporate and lobbyists' rewriting of tax codes, mass deregulation and all the other forms of crony capitalism have been lining the pockets of the .001 percent since at least 1981 (and the introduction of Reaganomics into the political bloodstream.) The "gaming of the system" (thank you, Elizabeth Warren) has had a more immediate impact on our lives than the pathetic maneuvering of some parents whose kids were too dumb or unmotivated to get into good enough colleges.
14
Agree. The real crooks are the bankers (Lloyd Blankfein Goldman Sachs), etc., who crashed an economy, caused great misery, and never went to jail!
7
No, you aren't getting it.
In a world where people deny and lie, I have to hand it to a group of people who just 'fessed up.
These people knew how they were behaving was wrong when they did it. And, yes, they got caught. But there's hope for humanity as long as individuals belly up to the bar and say, loud and, well, "proud" doesn't work here, but you know what I mean...Someone comes up and says, "I was wrong. I made a mistake. I'm sorry."
Since my parents did less for me than most people I know about getting me in and helping me out during college, and I never had children myself, I can't understand the pressure about the college admissions. I can't imagine being in that position. However, if I did do what I was accused of doing, whatever it was, I'd like to think I'd behave this way. You know, tell the truth. Better late than never, true, but imagine for a second the powerful appeal of "lawyering up." How many people just tell the truth. Guilty. I'm guilty.
This is how I hope I'd behave. Don't you?
So let's give them credit.
3
Only ashamed because you got caught.
11
Liberal elites. Just like Jussie Smollett, they will get a pass.
13
Throw the book at them! Each and every one.
3
“I am ashamed,” Ms. Huffman said.
With all due respect, I think shame only entered into this equation AFTER she got caught. Folks are rarely, if ever, contrite or shameful before the fact because they are assuming they will get away with whatever fraud and deceitful act they are committing.
16
Every time I read about this, I find myself more proud of my son who worked his tail off for years to get into an Ivy (on financial aid).
But having seen how the bottom line works at an elite prep school and an Ivy, I will tell you this: these monied people who can pay 50 or 60 thousand a year are admitted for a reason: they pay the bills and subsidize the 1/2 to 2/3 of students that are on financial aid; often on a full ride.
Not that that means it's ok to cheat and bribe, but this formula of keeping colleges going financially, while allowing for those who need financial aid to attend, is absolutely dependent on those who can and will pay the high ticket price of college today.
4
Good for Stanford for expelling the female student (who entered under these circumstances) AND vacating her credits. This is what all the schools should do.
24
Imagine the values they are teaching their children!
8
@Sophocles
They don’t know the definition of values ,morality or character. All they know is the art of the con.
Before they were caught they didn’t know how to spell the word sorry, or even mouth the word.
I can’t remember the name of the parent who wAnted his court appearance changed so he could go on vacation. The judge said no to his request. This father represented all of these elites nothing is important to them because they have spent there life getting over and people catering to there every need. Take a college slot from someone else what’s the big deal? We and our children are so special, we need to change this insanity sooner than later.
6
Well, Felicity, you weren’t ashamed to do this before you got caught...
10
The penalty imposed on the Stanford student seems harsh to me, if she was otherwise qualified to be a Sanford student and didn't cheat on her SAT or other entrance tests. - She might have been admitted to Stanford even without the actions of her parents; and having been kicked out of Stanford, she is likely to have a very difficult time getting into another good school, no matter how qualified she is.
I would like to know if Stanford plans to return the $500,000 received by its sailing program, and the tuition paid by the now expelled student, who in addition to having her admission cancelled retroactively, has lost any course credits she has earned.
3
@FJF
Stanford never needed her money. Why go to a school when you know you don’t have the academic background to be successful. All the tutors in the world can’t make up for high school years of study. There are many colleges where you can be successful. Her parents are the blame not Stanford
2
What I’d like to know is will those that spent larger amounts(say $500,00 :) get worse sentences than those that spent less. I read that all participants are getting jail time. We’ll see if that’s true!
2
I do not believe that anyone can take a test and not have an idea as to how well they did. If you are struggling throughout the test but your marks reflect a high score you would know that something was up.
8
This is just one example of the well-developed caste system that has existed here for centuries. Wealthy people buy superior status for themselves and their children.
8
You know, meritocracy, like Dubya at Yale. "If you're so smart, why ain't you rich?" The Bush gang, and I do mean gang, is wealthy so, ipso facto, they must be very smart. Easy, huh?
6
The coverage on this case has consistently highlighted 2 female actresses, Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, involved in the scandal. While I have not deeply researched all 50 of the people on the list who were involved, I know there were a lot of men who participated but the media prefers to focus only on the female actresses. I feel like the media has done a disservice by consistently highlighting these 2 prominent female actresses instead of reporting on the multitude of wealthy men and families who participated. It is reporting like this that furthers our country's gender stereotypes.
33
That's why they call them $tanford and U$C!
5
These types of people who concoct such outrageous schemes have absolutely no shame, none whatsoever. Their sense of 'special' entitlement has no boundaries. How embarrassing for all but deep down they don't really care. Not one iota.
9
Let's not feel sorry for the kids who were pushed aside. They went to college somewhere. If they would have done well at the college they didn't get into because of fraud, they did well where they went and vice versa. In fact, they may have done better. "Prestigious" schools do open more doors, but those doors can be revolving. In my 47 years of practicing law, men and women from "lesser" schools generally had better careers in private practice, mainly because they had better common sense, a better work ethic and a better personality when it came to interacting with clients, opposing counsel and judges.
17
@John
White folks are always complaining about affirmative action taking a slot from a deserving white student. However when it is white on white deception everyone should just get over it’. If your a lawyer I know from that enlightening statement I would not get the representation I deserved because as a minority I should just get over it.
This country is something else and not in a good or fair west.
2
I'm having a schadenfreude overload.
I hope it lasts...
13
@William:scadenfreude overload?
why? I have made mistakes in my
life,as have many others.that does
not excuse crimes,but these people
did not commit murder,rape or child
molestation. they are guilty of being
privileged,rich, white millionaires who
convinced themselves that they were
acting for the benefit of their children.
I never feel joy at the misery of others
because I am as flawed as they are
and there but for the grace of God
go I...or you or anyone else.
1
If anyone believes that these scammers took away an admission slot of someone less fortunate they're mistaken. At these colleges, just another white wealthy student would have been accepted. Everything is corrupt and weighted to the "privileged". It doesn't matter if they're qualified or capable. That's what wrong with colleges, corporations and government.
16
This is silly. why these children need college education? What for? Just follow their parents footprints. Agents of their parents will guide them how to make money. That's all. Don't need any college education.
7
The disparity between the rich and the poor in this country is not the real issue or problem demonstrated by the parents who manipulated the college entrance process. It goes much deeper. It is really the discrepancy between opportunity for college acceptance between the rich and the poor that has been violated. Students, with better records academically and personally, were not given the chance to have their dreams come true and secure an upwardly directed future. This is the real issue that Felicity Huffman and company need to address in their redemption efforts.
Clearly these parents have set a very poor example of behavior to their own children. Now, by pleading guilty and accepting responsibility for their actions publicly, I think they have started to show their children that mistakes can be made and forgiveness received. Moving forward, I hope these very talented, intelligent, successful parents can redeem themselves even more by closing the gap of opportunity in this country through contributing and shaping change for those students struggling on their own with little, if any, resources for collegiate entrance and success.
3
I don’t believe the kids were unaware if the scheme but proving it can be quite difficult.
16
THIS is affirmative action.
9
@Brian Jo
Affirmative action only works for white folks it was created for white women and only exist for white folks.
Affirmative action for minorities has and always is a myth to be used in rhetoric by GOP white men who based on there college grades were able to attend good schools because of legacy and affirmative action.
Look at this current administration and like Hollywood many of these GOP legislators had someone take there admission tests because they are truly academically inferior to the common man.
What a mess this all is.
1
All of these parents should be held accountable for their actions, and I sense what has made them profoundly sorry isn't what they did, but that they were caught.
However, we also have to recognize that they are people who tried to unlawfully game a system that is inherently broken. What Singer offered them was a cheaper, albeit illegal way to game the system.
If the parents had sucked it up and donated directly to the school the required $5 million or $10 million to play the game "legally," none of them would be in court today.
Elite schools are no longer just institutions of "higher learning" as they were initially imagined with a diploma representative of academic excellence. An elite school diploma has become a must have status symbol meant to show "you've made it."
Despite all the claims of efforts by these schools to "diversify" their enrollment, they remain primarily the stomping grounds of the rich and privileged, where legacy, donation, and other methods of gaining admission are still looked on favorably.
Don't take my word for it – research what percentage of students from the 1% are admitted to these schools. I guess this is the reality in a day and age where the world's 26 richest people own the same wealth as the poorest half of humanity.
16
As much as I hate to say it, these people need some amount of jail time or house arrest.
24
But theres a bigger issue at hand. This is lot more common than many think, and when they decided to defraud to send their kids to school, well how are they passing classes in college? How did some "graduate"? Because if you cant test to qualify, then you DON'T qualify..Chances are you can't do the work. So I'm interested in seeing just how far this goes...because we know it goes far.
1
I'm shocked there is cheating done by Hedge Fund (i.e. inside trader) executives!
Round up the usual suspects...
14
Yeah I saw Felicity Huffman's apology posted as a clear and complete one. WRONG. The one thing she didn't call attention to is that she used great wealth as a way to cheat, to buy her child's admission - to take that admission away from a child of less wealthy parents - and now she's going to use wealth to atone for her misuse of wealth?
Tax the rich. For their own sake. Let them be taxed as they were in the past, and have far less temptation to misuse their wealth behaving recklessly, irresponsibly, unethically, and with harm to others. Just imagine, kids: if your parents weren't so filthy rich, they wouldn't be admitting to a crime today, and you wouldn't be ashamed of them. You also wouldn't be seeing how ashamed they were of you, too, because you weren't good enough for them just as you are.
27
@TL Moran
Oh please the parents could care less about their academically challenged children . They wanted to brag as they brag about everything in there lives. The college there kids attend reflect on how wonderful they are as parents. It’s all a sham they wanted to game the system the same way the actresses do with there agents, to get a better role the hedge fund managers scamed the system and put us into an early depression in 2008. None of those financial wizards went to prison but thousands of people lost there jobs. None of this college stories were a victim less crime ,families were hurt and based on watching the news these kids had no interest in learning so why brother . Just be rich and leave the rest of us alone.
3
It is very laughable that we read here and elsewhere about this celebrity ignorance and arrogance; yet our President has said and done much worse, but goes
unpunished.
The irony and stupidity is monstrous.
19
In Canada there was an admissions scandal in Newfoundland involving a curling scholarship where the parents had their teen pose with a broom on ice. This is not just an issue in the States.
4
Looking all back - I am glad my mother was poor to do any of this stuff to get me into Caltech - way back in 70's.
Of course, it helped that Caltech hardly had any sports program of this level. Our sports program highlight was to "doctor" a scoreboard at the Rose Bowl. And I definitely was no athlete.
While pleading and reduced charges etc are par for the course to minimize punishment.
I hope the judge imposes a minimum jail time on all.
It is clear from these outrageous amounts of money they paid for admissions - money in of itself - is hardly a punishment for these folks.
Only a jail will put a deterrance to others who may be thinking - "they got caught, but we are smarter" parents who still want to cheat.
And I want jail time to be at least 6 months - for them to understand gravity of their crimes against our society.
16
“Ashamed” she got caught.
Well rehearsed scripted speech.
These “kids” are raised with these same “values” and behaviors of their parents.
Let’s see how soon the Mea Culpa TV interviews kick off...
16
No sympathy. They stole opportunities for a good education from students who deserved to attend these schools. They knew what they were doing, and had the hubris to assume they would get away with it. And if you think they are the only ones, your kidding yourself.
14
Michael
All these folks deserve a consequence because they broke the law. The hysteria in some of these comments is ridiculous. Each of these schools routinely denies scores of valedictorians so deserving kids are denied every day. Why ? legacies, athletes, affirmative action to name a few Of course that doesn’t make this right just another in a long list of wrongs.
2
Half a mil to get into Stanford? Expensive and immoral, but at least explicable. But $600,000 for USC?
10
As obnoxious as these people are, if I had to choose, and it appears that I might have to, I'd rather see someone brought in who does even worse damage to our country.
3
For only $5 thousand, I will apply a special adhesive sticker to the back of your car (either window or bumper - your choice) with the name of a prestigious university. You can then use this as a display of status. This is a tremendous value. Msg me, but act quickly while supplies last.
43
The punishment must include significant jail time.
Their children could have gone to "lesser" institutions and received very fine educations. But this was not acceptable to these privileged villains.
These parents clearly knew what they were doing was wrong, planned it out, found co-conspirator(s) and did it anyways. That is clear intent.
If all they get is a fine, so what. They have lots of money. It means they just spent more money.
The punishments have to be so onerous and threatening that others will not repeat of years to come.
17
Plead guilty and apologize ONLY when FBI can knocking...
What if they hadn't?
Does anyone believe she feels remorse: No.
Lies, lies and lies.
But the damage to the merit system, this faith we had that entrance to our universities and colleges unlike so many around the world was truly based on one's merit- intellectual or sports wise.
One was happy to note that ones who got in through paying millions to the University board, it was upfront and candid. Although, we all know how one talked about them on the campus-- that poor, rich boy or girl.
It was all a mirage.
There's goes that special American institute, where anyone-can-get-to-the-top based on their worth.
Lies, lies and lies.
8
Who in the world is Felicity Huffman other than a corrupt parent, third tier actress, and shining example of the cognitive diminution caused by elective surgery?
16
Well now that they are caught the famous movie star, hedge fund managers and others are sorry. I am sure her expensive lawyer told her that in the court of public opinion one needs to pretend that they are sorry,
Why didn’t she say she was sorry weeks ago, when the story broke she is now ashamed ?none of them did because they are not sorry they are sorry because they were caught,
These rich people have everything in their favor if your child didn’t perform well in high school why pay for a earned privilege to attend an elite school it’s obvious they don’t care about education. Let your kids live off of you. Once again white superiority comes into play. Her children aren’t stupid I am sure they saw their report cards and know there parents paid for them to get into a great school. They know they didn’t have the grades. Once again they are trying to fool the public. The public is not stupid
This whole story is sickening and once again abusive to other people’s children, maybe these parents could work in the Trump administration where people of color are laughed at and put in cages. All of these rich people were laughing st the common man, women and families whose kids studied and were wait listed.
Unless your rich don’t even think about getting an education because you should be cleaning the houses of these white elites. We will remember their names because they are just the tip of the iceberg.
11
There is no way of knowing exactly how many students did not get in due to this "game". It may not be any. The "yield" (those who are admitted and actually matriculate at a particular school), is usually not that great at many schools - even elite ones. Even at Harvard, the "yield" is 82.8% and it has the highest. Yale is 69.3%, Dartmouth 58.1%, Cornell 56.2, USC 37.1%.
This means that most colleges accept substantial more students than they actually have room for - they do this assuming that a certain percentage will not come and they're pretty good at prediction. So, these students may just have been accepted and not taken anyone's "place".
2
There are two kinds of criminals: those we are mad at, and those we are afraid of. Only the latter type belong in jail.
5
In nearly six decades, I have never been a victim of what you would consider ‘crime.’ I’ve never been mugged, assaulted, burglarized,etc. Instead, I’ve been ripped off numerous times by seemingly respectable people in nice suits who live in the best neighborhoods. Those are the people I fear. If they break the law they belong in jail but it rarely happens. They get away with it so they keep doing it. It has to stop.
25
I am kind of getting immune to rich buying not only college admissions but everything else they can get.
If Mr Trump attended Ivy League school, we know how he got there. If the President is not a cheat then I don’t see how these people are a cheat. They did terrible things which is normal for these people. Our President won’t even allow his transcripts to be seen and these people are looking at 20 years in Prison.
I have no sympathy for these people but my fellow citizens this is what our country is. Just don’t get caught.
5
Native and African Americans have always felt the affects of this kind of cheating American culture. The effects are much more divestsing then embarrassment or someone losing their chance to attend a school that further guaranties success and wealth. This story reflects a very real and prevalent American story.
2
I didn’t read through the 300 comments to see whether this was pointed out or not, but one does not “row crew”. One rows. One is a rower. You don’t row boat, either. You row.
One is on a “Crew team”
Other examples of crew speak—>
“oh, you do crew, too?” “You’re on the Crew team? Oh cool. Wait, do you row or do you cox? Oh cool, you’re a coxswain! (Pronounced cox-in) “That makes sense. I was thinking that unless you’re a lightweight (on the lightweight team)that you seemed rather petite for a rower.”
8
Macy, obviously, was not charged because he told the authorities, "Hey, I'm cooperating here."
10
@Paul Glusma
He didn’t show up with his wife in Boston. Assume divorce announcement is pending.
6
These parents need some jail time otherwise the entire situation will become a worse travesty then it already is - home arrest - no. Community service -no. Million dollar fines - no. Only jail time will teach wealthy people the consequences of their actions. Anything less will be a joke.
23
Must be nice to be white, rich, and famous. You get to plead down, issue the standard, "misguided love for my daughter" clap-trap, get the slap on the wrist, and resume your life. As for her daughter not knowing, her daughter knows what she is and is not capable of doing, believe me! When you take your tests, you know if you can answer correctly or not; when those inflated scores came back, did she ask to do over the test? She knew, and will also get away with it as well...
19
@stuckincali Since the daughter also went to the special West Hollywood testing center, where the bribed proctor worked, one wonders whether the daughter ever questioned why she was going to a testing center that was different from the one where her classmates were taking their exam. When my child took her exams she took them at a local center amongst many of her classmates. It is also hard to believe the daughter accepted a high score without question. I am not convinced all of these young people are as innocent as their parents would like us to think.
8
This kind of bribery can only work when schools use a "holistic" admissions process: Bureaucrats who get a power kick out of being "Ivy League admissions officers" and fancy themselves "artistes" who are "sculpting" a class, when in fact they are overpaid cogs who would never make it in the business world, busying themselves by choosing candidates based on their own personal biases and whims and figuring out creative ways to discriminate against Asians while skirting the law (people who live in rural areas! (except for Asians), athletes! (who are mostly white), leaders! (Asians are disadvantaged when "popular" kids tend to be white), extroverts! (there is the perception that Asians tend to be more introverted). These self-important "officers" are so incompetent/negligent in their roles that they are obviously easily bedazzled by wealthy/famous parents and duped by corrupt athletic coaches.
Ivy League schools would save millions of dollars in these useless bureaucrats' salaries and actually produce a much more objective, fair and transparent, and much less corruptible, admissions process if they just based admissions on grades and test scores.
7
@Alison Maybe these Ivy League schools would benefit from accepting students who do not have super high grades (grade inflation is rampant) and high test scores (not all kids have tutors or test well). Not all smart kids have high gpas or high test scores yet they are fully capable of managing the academics of the Ivy League schools. Just how hard are those schools anyway? I doubt they are as rigorous as my public university was 40 years ago.
4
Smollett got charges dropped and clearly they pleaded guilty as the deal was no jail time.
The rich win again.
6
Ms. Huffman insists her daughter didn't know that she and her husband paid somebody to cheat on the young lady's SAT test. That's possible, I guess...but it strains credulity, especially coming from Ms. Huffman.
20
I will never look at one more thing Huffman does again - if she ever gets the opportunity
Thinking it’s ok to NOT give kids who legitamately deserve admissions a chance because she cheated! What a selfish, greedy woman!
8
Imagine a world where all the students are graded according to their bribing capacity and not their knowledge and academic qualities.
In a century the civilization would just fall apart.
4
You know you've raised the right-thinking kids when they don't want your help on writing college admission essays, and don't want other potential legs up in that process.
To even think of buying college admissions in the first place, one has to have the money and the corrupt mindset to use it under the table to get merit. You also have to ignore the long term damage that it does to your relationship with your child.
6
The irony here is that those who plead guilty will likely have their employment affected - which will then affect their ability to pay these college tuitions.
Their apologies mean nothing to me. These are kids with wealthy parents who have myriad opportunities because of who their parents are no matter where they attend college. That these parents felt the need to cheat to boost their kids’ SAT scores or fake expertise in a sport to get into a certain college is beyond pathetic. Who knew as my daughter plays field hockey 12 months a year, attends tournaments and pays for videos for potential recruitment and courses to improve her SAT scores that all I had to do was write 15K check to a fake charity to boost her SAT score 400 points!
These spoiled entitled parents and their spoiled entitled offspring took the place of another child who played by the rules as my daughter is.
Their punishment should be to pay for a tutoring fund for kids in need.
22
Let’s not be too quick to feel sorry for the “innocent” kids here. Most either knew or should have known they had no business being where they were, with some even openly mocking the academic purpose of college.
These are the privileged progeny of smart, monied parents — yet they couldn’t apply themselves enough to get into USC? Here’s hoping the underachievers are promptly expelled in favor of hard-working applicants.
15
The kids knew. They knew what activities they did or did not take part in. They are cheaters with poor parental supervision. If it was a poor kid helping break other laws there would be no question that some accountability was appropriate. White, Female and rich should be held to the same standards anyone else.
They should find a community college that accepts everyone. Community Colleges provide education to many, and often have an ability to transfer to other institutions when those students have proven their academic potential. This path is the one many Americans who don't cheat are on. If it is good enough for poor kids who don't cheat, it should, at the very least, be acceptable for those rich kids who are cheaters.
15
Betcha a dollar that only democrats got ensnared, though republicons are equally (or majorly) active in such poor behavior.
2
@Jack black south
Wrong. Several, including Giannulli, are rabid Trump supporters. Please send my dollar to the ACLU. Thanks!
13
Their daughter must be a really poor student if they had to pay 1/2 million dollars to gain admission to USC. She would have probably flunked out after getting their. Or paid tutors take her exams and write her papers.
2
@Michael
"after getting their."
Really? And you feel qualified o make fun of other people's academic qualifications?
5
Sometimes auto correct adds similar words automatically....easy to overlook
3
They are sorry they got caught
15
No “educational psychologist” has been charged yet. Does this mean that the kids were coached how to spin the evaluation their way? Did they give their answers deliberately slowly? Manifest symptoms of ADD? I would like to know why the psychologists have not been charged,
10
@Carla C
There are many upper middle-class families that paper for psychological testing to demonstrate ADHD in their child in order to get more time on tests. Many are earnest but deluded in thinking that their child truly has a debilitating syndrome. It is only a small minority who truly do. I would like to see all high schools publish the percentage of students who are given test accommodations as part of the report that they give to colleges. This way the college can have some sense of what local factors might be influencing how to compare students from one school to each other.
2
How taxing on all their families...
Boo hoo
It's hard work and a bit of luck that fires the American spirit, not under the table $$ at so-called elite universities, not that they'd get that.
They deserve any and all fallout, on them and their children.
4
No way will Ms. Huffman OR Ms. Laughlin (who paid considerably more in bribes) do jail time. Now, if they were poor parents who gave fake addresses to get their children in a better public school district...well, no question the book would be thrown at them. There are parents sitting in jail now for that very thing. Money talks, especially when the palm it's in is white. Poor folks for the most part don't stand a chance.
28
The thing is if you want publicity and you are an entertainer, you are going to get the good and yes the bad. You can’t say only cover my hits. They named the others initially. Yes you could feel bad for her. I can’t. Children who stayed home nights to study get good grades while the privileged ones partied, weren’t accepted. And don’t say they thought they were worthy of the spots they took. And if they did think that way they really were not smart enough to attend these schools. They and their parents are accountable for playing the education system. It’s bad enough Betsy is destroying it.
5
"Ms. Huffman was charged in a criminal complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud...The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, "
Really! Manafort --a big time lying crook gets 7yrs for his years of admitted criminal behavior. The possibility of 20 yrs is more than a bit excessive for these crimes.
5
Because William H. Macy is notably absent in the picture shouldn't the man she is leaving court with be identified?
7
Felicity just took a big hit for her family. They didn't have enough evidence to charge her husband, although most engaged couples (including mine) would not make a major decision (about committing fraud, for example) without consulting one's spouse. But the bigger one is her daughter. She did not know? Her testing center and test dates and times kept changing and she never once asked why? She knew her test scores weren't great and she never wondered about the big increase? Right.
22
@Charles
She got a rowing scholarship when she doesn't row and had no clue? No wonder she had to bribe her way in.
7
Our jails are overcrowded and I, for one, don't want my taxpayer money spent incarcerating the likes of Houghman or Caplan. I'm glad they pled guilty but think jail time is overkill for people who have not committed a violent crime, are remorseful, and are paying in spades reputationally and likely personally for what they have done. I think the levying of a suitably large fine and the public acknowledgment of the wrongness of their actions does more good than turning around and spending the money they take in in fines to jail people. I have less sympathy for Loughlin since I don't see any remorse and the level of her wrongdoing seems higher; her I can see doing a bit of jail.
3
@Vi Huffman is not paying at all with her "reputation," She is an actress, her reputation will not matter in Hollywood; she might even get more work. She can always pay for her jail cell, like Sean Penn, and Scott Wieland had to...
3
@Vi
Orange is the new black.
3
Around the world, United States Post-secondary education is desired by many sincere students and status seekers.
Employers can tell the difference when interviewing.
Now, these criminals and their children know the difference.
This has been a great lesson in sincerity and authenticity.
The experience of stepping up to the bar and accepting guilt (with a sincere apology) is part of the lesson.
To me, it doesn't really matter who knew what, how many years it has been common practice, the intention, or who continues to deny guilt. The lesson is made.
Since they got them on a wire and have the lead scammer as a witness/informant, only a complete idiot would plead not guilty. Oh, wait... one of the parties in Palo Alto did turn down a plea bargain and now the full force of the Federal Gov't is going after that couple. Good luck !!
5
Regarding the students who benefited from these scams - they should have their admissions rescinded, degrees revoked or should be expelled.
Fines will not affect these extremely wealthy parents - they would be couch change to them and overall they will think they've come out ahead.
People need to see that if they are caught their kids will not be able to benefit from their machinations.
13
What parent doesn't want the best for their children. They had the money to play the game, a sad game it was. To me the real culprits are the coaches, the people who administrate the Sat tests, which are the people who really have the ability to do these deeds for the greed of the almighty dollar. It starts with preschool for some of the wealthy people, it's all about the pedigree that they are able to buy for their children. This is nothing new. I am glad that they try to police this type of activity, kudos for those investigators.
3
Where are the colleges landing on this issue? What are they going to do to insure that these sorts of sad scams don't happen again? It is their responsibility to make certain they are not being scammed into letting undeserving kids in.
4
In all of this scandal, we need to remember that the whole college application and acceptance process for "highly selective" (e.g., prestigious) colleges is very broken and out of control.
If you are wealthy, or willing to spend lots of money applying to twenty different schools, find ways to give your child an edge (pay for dozens of sports camps for hockey, soccer or tennis), lots of test-prep programs, etc. and do it legally, it still leads to a rigged system. And a sick one.
The elite colleges need to take several lessons from this, as they have contributed to this scandal.
Maybe the Common Application process, which leads Stanford, Yale, etc to brag about having 40,000 applications, and accepting only 4% of those as students, needs to be reformed.
Maybe set a limit on how many schools to which it can be submitted? 5? 8?
6
Sorry no empathy. My 2 sons were admitted because of their grades. We are just working class parents,so no donations. We just had to work a lot of overtime to pay the $250,000 tuition, that after their academic scholarships which were substantial.
6
@Nora
Good for you! You and your kids did it the right way, and should be very, very proud!
2
It's like a weird public shaming ritual. Nobody will go to jail, these people will make public statements of apology and regret that have been written for them by $1,200-an-hour lawyers, then they will pay stiff fines that will go back to the Justice Department to pay for more prosecutions. A few corrupt college officials will lose their jobs, and then absolutely nothing about college admissions in the United States will change. But I guess we can all enjoy the show.
8
Back story - coaches can be bought and their ethics are negotiable. Sad comment on college athletics which we, as a society, give great credence. Sad.
2
Faux contrition after being caught -- this is a movie I have seen all my life. Now, if this were 1786 in France, the penalty might be quite different for the wealthy and privileged.
4
For all their dough, at least these ethically-challenged, well-endowed parents got some good legal advice. Guilty.
3
Will the students who illegally beneditee from their enrollment be forced to forfit any degree, credits they've earned, ya know because of it being ill gotten gains.
1
These parents seem to think that the public is dumb enough to think that their children were dumb enough to be unaware of the scam. And they seem to be right about that.
"Honey, this is an exclusive school and they have this funny little thing where you have to pretend to be able to row a boat in a boat race. It's a harmless tradition--just go along with it, sweetie."
The kids were overwhelmingly likely to be partners in the scheme, and I don't understand why people seem so eager to believe the parent's unlikely story denying it, after they have demonstrated their levels of honesty and integrity. CHARGE THOSE KIDS WITH FRAUD!
7
@cheryl
I believe the apology was sincere.
However, it was only elicited when prosecutors had their foot on her throat.
It is difficult to believe that she and husband William H. Macy could not have used legal advantages, such as a good private prep school and SAT or ACT cram course to get the child into a good University.
The extreme lengths they went merit punishment, and it is being meted out. Being actors, they are going to suffer more than ordinary folk. Perhaps that is deserved for the schlemiel in "Fargo."
4
There’s probably hundreds of others who only took money a few times who will never be prosecuted. If a parent wanted their children to attend the University of Iowa and their son’s or daughter’s academics were well below an acceptable level, I am certain that an envelope full of money may have cured any deficiencies.
2
I'm appalled that the NY Times sinks to making an actress the face of this disgusting behavior, when the evidence shows 30+ other parents with connections to financial and legal industries paid far more money and leveraged far more connections.
"High profile" is pretty cheap at $15k? There are parents who paid over $500,000 yet they get to remain anonymous?
57
@Capt. Penny
Someone has to be the “face”! What’s better than one people recognize!? Early on they published a list of the parents names. It has been available.
3
That is the nature of fame in our country.
4
A week or three in jail would send an appropriate message along with a huge fine and public service.
The jail time is needed as punishment for the damage that the money can’t fix - other students were deprived of a spot at USC that would evidently have meant more to them than the entitled spawn of these self-serving and unethical elites.
The lasting punishment will be the lifelong stigma the children will bear. I don’t for a minute believe that they were in the dark about the fact that their parents considered them too stupid to make it on their own.
6
Fame is a two-edged sword. And mirror.
5
And in other news: 40% of children are born to a single mom, the trajectory of their lives stunted by this prospect.
At the top there is despair over the prospect of not measuring up. At the bottom there is despair over having no chance.
Our society is failing its children.
5
The American Dream, as usual, turned out to be the American Nightmare.
1
@rudolf
umm, yeah, sure bud.
1
And the daughter did not know that somebody took the test on her behalf????
23
@Karen B
She was too busy on Instagram
7
I don't see any difference between what these parents were sentenced for doing and wealthier legacy donors who legitimately secure admissions for their children through larger gifts, such as research laboratories or hospitals. Isn't this how Kushner got into Harvard, and why should graft be reserved for the super-wealthy? Shouldn't the mass-affluent be able to wet their beaks as well?
5
Legacy donations go to the school itself, while bribes end up in one person's pocket. That's the major difference.
6
@Benjo
That sounds like difference without distinction from an ethical standpoint.
One hopes all of them spend at least several months behind bars.
5
I'm thinking of all the parents who proudly donate to colleges in the understanding that their kids will get a leg up on admissions. Jr. gets to pretend he's a fourth-generation Yalie on merit. The school gets to pretend that it's a meritocracy. And on it goes
15
Our college admissions system invites people to game it. Throw in reasonable fears of the gig economy and our lack of a social safety net, and you get cheating as the norm.
I met a mom who joined the girl scout committee so she could schedule award ceremonies in the fall. This way, her daughters could list awards earned for 8th grade activities as 9th grade on college applications. "What a great idea!" another mom said. And then there are the ones who "help" their kids with their science fair projects and essays, and kids who sign up for umpteen activities, only to show up on picture day.
The difference between the cheating noted above and paying someone to take your SAT is purely a matter of degree.
Also, I'm having trouble understanding why acceptance based on giving money to the college is fine, but acceptance based on giving money to the crew coach is a bribe. They both sound like bribes to me.
Yet suggest a transparent admissions system, like the one used by the exam schools in New York, or the uni admissions systems used in most of the rest of the world (also exam-only) and people howl "UNFAIR!" or "TOO MUCH PRESSURE!"
The fact is that corruption is so thoroughly baked into US college admissions, Americans can't see it. We persist in believing in the myth of "holistic" admissions, because even though it's a lie, it would be so wonderful if it was true.
15
@Valerie
Pro-Tip: Nobody, at any college anywhere, cares about a 9th grade Girl Scout award.
4
While I don't condone what Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin did I'm sad because I enjoy good acting and Ms Huffman is very talented.
4
Jail time, really?
The President ran an entire school that was a proven fraud and all he got was a fine.
27
@Andy all he got was elected and lives in a "dump" of a house.
3
@Andy
He was not fined, and nothing was proven. It was a settlement.
5
I do not know which, if any, of the student applicants at issue here knew of the fraud, and I am not speaking about anyone in particular. But I hope prosecutors are not cutting deals in which they accept a parental guilty plea in exchange for letting the student slide even in the face of evidence that the student knew his or her college application contained false information.
That would be yet another example of how mistakes by privileged white teenagers are brushed off as “youthful indiscretions,” while mistakes by teenagers of color are forged into chains and hung around their necks for the rest of their lives.
I don’t believe ANY teenager’s lives should be destroyed for non-violent crimes, including any children here who might have known. But let’s either ease punishments on ALL teenagers across racial lines, or ease none of them. The white politicians in this country will never feel the need or pressure for mercy on teenagers if only white teenagers are treated with kid gloves.
7
@Kevin: I hope the exact opposite. Even if a kid knew or figured out what the parent did, a child should be forgiven for following a parent's lead. No one was shot or murdered
2
@Ella
Sorry Ella but these "kids" should be viewed as adults if they are of age to enter university. Indeed much younger kids are put on trial as adults all the time, (of course those kids are poorer and usually have a darker skin complexion).
3
The best take on the scandal I've read:
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/04/what-college-admissions-scandal-reveals/586468/
Flanagan nails a certain type of super-wealthy, socially liberal Los Angeles monster parent. Rings true.
6
It’s hard to believe kids new nothing. Lets at least save our kids)
3
When I first heard about this admissions scandal and the name celebrities involved, I about overdosed on schadenfreude. I gleefully looked forward to Lori Laughlin and Felicity Huffman in prison orange, their careers an irrecoverable shamble, suitable only for pitching beauty products in late-night infomercials.
Now, I'm almost second guessing it. She's been in a bubble of wealth and influence peddling in Hollywood so long she doesn't even know how else to handle personal challenges besides paying someone to make problems going away.
I don't know that I feel *that* charitable, though. I don't think prison makes a ton of sense. I'd rather see her face a financial penalty that permanently alters her life in the same way an ordinary person would be financially crippled if they committed felonies with such serious jail time.
3
Do you feel better now ?
2
Only if the daughter is expelled from university would there be a deterrent to prevent the same crime from being committed in the future. Wealthy people are never held accountable, and the whole society becomes more corrupt and deteriorates. Even if the daughter is hurt, the whole society benefit by her expulsion. Corrupt societies are a disservice to all it's citizens.
6
How could Huffman's daughter not have known someone took her SAT's for her? I understand a mother's desire to protect her child yet enough already. Did Huffman's daughter think her scores just magically rose 400 points? For those of us familiar with the SAT, the best result is 1600 so at the very least the 400 point uptick was 25%. Really? A cheat, a liar, and apparently thinks we are stupid to boot. Feh.
13
Agreed. If she is not smart enough to have figured that out she surely does not belong there. It just galls me that so many young people are being punished for minor things so severely and those Hollywood thugs get away with it.
8
Most decent colleges will demand payments also called donations for admission, it's usually the schools themselves demanding and the parents complying for the sake of their children who they love.
A guilty plea might result in little or no jail time, with Ms. Huffman likely hoping this matter will go away eventually.
Meanwhile, Ms. Loughlin showed up for court, signing autographs for onlookers and trying to engage the prosecutors in friendly chit-chat. Was that arrogance, stupidity, or what?
If not jail time, there should be hefty fines imposed on both, directed to fund scholarships for high achieving students who need financial assistance.
5
The only appropriate punishment is a) some jail time, b) a full IRS audit of each person involved in this scheme - go back 10 years (really scare these people and fine them if necessary) and c) each parent must create a scholarship fund equal to the amount of money they squandered so their entitled brat got into a school they were NEVER qualified to attend. For Loughlin this could mean a $500,000 scholarship fund. She would provide five $20,000 each year to different applicants. This means a five year program. Lori, her husband and daughter must accept, read and review the applications. They must meet the finalists - see what a deserving student looks like. Once the five are awarded she must contact those who were denied. For Huffman? Well if it really was just $15,000 - then she and Macy and her daughter must award one $5,000 scholarship a year for three years. Same terms and conditions and Loughlin and every other parent.
2
I’d never heard of either of them before this scandal. Now they have my attention. They got caught, of course they’re sorry. Some even took a tax deduction with their bribe. I’m betting they do no time in jail while the rest of us would be paying a much higher price.
4
These young women will have a tough time because of the action of the filthy rich, arrogant parents.
Money comes and goes but once the reputation is damaged it will be hard to gain it back.
So many talented young bright scholars were denied the admission because the slots were filled with students with money.
7
That is one lame statement.
"This transgression"?
If it comes out that Huffman's daughter DID know about the scheme, which, despite Huffman's claims otherwise, seems likely, what will she say?
7
Huffman says she's betrayed her daughter. However, she doesn't mention that her actions betrayed other students - perhaps more academically worthy than her daughter - who missed out on an education or one of their choosing because of her cheating. And what about an apology? And reparations of some sort?
10
@Sara G. Children who are more academically worthy are constantly being cheated out of an education. They call it Affirmative Action. Harvard/Asian students is just one example.
4
@cleo How about when children who are more academically worthy are constantly being cheated out of an education when they attend schools where the teachers are inexperienced new graduates with emergency credentials? Or they attend schools without textbooks or supplies? Or they attend schools with crumbling walls and no air conditioning in 100 degree heat? Or they attend schools with no guidance counselors to assist them? What do you call that?
3
So for how long is she going to prison?
And how big of a fine and how much restitution must she make?
Lock her up!
Same questions for the rest of this corrupt cabal.
4
If these criminals don't get prison time for their white collar crime then we'll know our justice system is unjust.
5
What we do for our kids!
Oh! I feel so bad that these beautiful people were caught.
5
Bravo to Ms. Huffman for her straightforward plea of guilty and acceptance of her responsibility. This is best way forward if she is ever to repair the damage done to her relationship with her daughter.
And I may be persuaded to watch her again on TV or in the movies.
1
Felicity Huffman has a fresh legal issue developing - perjury. She states: “My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her."
I have a 16 year old child who is a junior in high school. There is absolutely no scenario under which he would not know if I paid someone to doctor his SAT. First, he took the SAT at the public university where there were dozens of his classmates also taking the test. Second, there were about 25-30 kids in each room, with a proctor. Finally, he has a very good idea (based on doing a few practice tests from the College Board website and from Khan Academy) regarding the score range he can feasibly expect.
I guess some people feel that they can get away with anything.
27
@jen
try reading the criminal complaint before spouting off. You clearly do not understand the facts about how the scores were manipulated.
1
@jen That whole "working knowledge of the facts" deal, huh?
1
This should serve as a stark warning as to what will happen if the coastal elite class win back the balance of power, more so if they manage to do away with the electoral college and forever shore up that balance of power in their favor. Reckon on one rule for them and another for the rest of us. That’s how a “social democracy” really ends up working.
4
@Hjb. Just out of curiosity, what qualifies one as “ elite”? Is it money? Education? I live on the coast of Maine, am I elite? Serious question, I’d like to hear the parameters for being considered “ elite”.
3
@Maggie
If you have to ask...
1
@Maggie wealthy, educated, somewhat influential. Someone who will have enough money that they they can afford to extol the virtues of programs that the rest of us should live by without the fear of having to partake themselves. I’m surrounded by them here in Brooklyn.
3
I hope she gets more than just a fine that she can easily pay. How about 10 consecutive weekends in jail? Still a slap on the wrist but at least it would be something. Especially after Jussie. America needs its faith in "equal justice for all" restored.
6
I don’t expect these rich folks to spend a day in jail though, since they’ve led otherwise blameless lives (as a judge famously said recently).
4
American Association of University Professors states that over 70% of all higher education faculty are now part-time, adjunct or non-tenure track. Check the statistics at the schools that are part of this scandal for yourself. The larger fraud here may be what the American public believes to be the value that can be obtained from underpaid, part time faculty.
16
All those parents got caught simply because they weren’t rich enough to bribe the school, so they went to the coaches & middlemen. They could’ve given a $10m bribe to the school and none of this would’ve ensued.
$10m gets your kid admitted, but $500k gets you the FBI.
‘Murica!
13
These incorrectly capitalized words are out of control.
Another gift from you know whom!
Yikes!
3
Good to see the TImes is taking a cue from James Comey and commenting on Ms. Huffmans husband, even though he was never charged.
2
Gratefully my father wouldn’t even come to my HS graduation nor lend me a cent for college, let alone even care which one that was, that’s how much he loved me in comparison to these selfish celebrity parents who did everything for their children because obviously they cared so little for their self-respect nor trust that they could do anything for themselves. I suspect these kids will never forgive their parents for this.
The case of the Washington DC business man who appears to have used a bogus non profit and then later a bogus real estate deal to funnel half a million dollars to the Harvard Fencing coach to gain admission for his two sons is just as egregious as these Varsity Blues cases. That story just broke this week.
6
How must her daughter feel? Ms. Huffman basically admitted she had no confidence in her daughter's ability.
Perhaps her daughter would have done well enough to get in somewhere that suited her.
That's got to be extremely damaging and I suspect her daughter is going to be in therapy for years to come.
3
It seems very silly to send any of these folks to prison. Sure they broke the law but what will sending them to prison get for society? Let them pay a fine and do some community service maybe even assist some needy students get into these universities legally. Their experience and lesson on what not to do is probably more important. That is the message which should be passed on. They are no threat to society directly and sending them to prison will not do anyone any good. At the same time they should not get off doing nothing or for free.
1
@Theni No threat? Do you really think the bribery would have stopped there? Now imagine they get into law school that way, bribe their way to a degree -- and you have to hire someone incompetent.
No thanks. Send them to the slammer.
4
huffman broke the law and she has a role as a prosecutor?
4
The most cringe worthy part of Felicity Huffman’s saga is that mommy blog she had. To monetize an activity as pedestrian as parenting speaks to an ego in crisis. Selling garbage like coffee cups? Why?
I don’t care too much about the “scandal” as that’s how our country works...I get it and I accept it.
These kids however could have gone to awesome tiny liberal arts colleges line Carleton or GrinnelI and had access to brilliant professors and resources.
I just don’t know why celebrities keep wanting more, more more. Not more experiences or more learning or more fascinating people in their lives, but more junk...like cars and houses and plastic surgery.
So, a lot, isn’t enough?
22
I actually don't want these parents to face any jail time. For the coaches and administrators who violated the law and any sense of loyalty to their institutions, let the chips fall where they may.
But this is what we in education call a "teachable moment." We've learned that merit has been used where convenient and ignored when there's money on or under the table.
We've learned that where affirmative action was an easy and often used target, the real unfairness was not race but money.
And we've learned that our society has become so unequal in terms of opportunity that opportunity has simply become a commodity. You are what you can buy.
I would like to see each of these parents sentenced to community service at an inner city school where they have to devote time and real commitment to children that have never had the advantages that they were purchasing for their kids.
I'd also like to see every penny they gave to a school or a corrupt administrator put into a scholarship fund for needy students.
Finally, the schools involved need to take a long hard look at the culture they created that made this whole scandal possible.
8
O sentencing day, let's not forget the case of the homeless American woman went to JAIL for registering her child in a school using the child's grandfather's address: https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/03/227024/tanya-mcdowell-college-admissions-scandal-arrested-privilege
9
I wish that justice could be served with the same enforcement of the rule of law upon many more lawbreakers in and out of government. This type of white collar prosecution shines small amount of light on what wealthy people can and do get away with, despite both its illegal and amoral acts. We need more enforcing of laws with something a lot closer to equal justice.
4
Jussie Smollett's lawyer's fees are going to go through the roof.
3
They paid all that money to get into USC? If you're going to bribe someone and go to jail, at least try for Stanford.
26
I went to an Ivy League school, along those of us in ROTC or on financial aid, I met Saudi princes, billionaires, kids of famous artists and writers. Some, I'm sure had gotten there thru grades; some would donate a building. But none tried to bribe the fencing coach! That is the dumbest thing! Donate a scholarship, a building, an azalea garden; or simply even mention your mom is famous, that would get you in.
But, we keep hearing about this Felicity person. I don't care about her, statistically I expect actors to be a bit birdbrained. What about the other people. I want to know the names of the CEOs (?), the other rich people. Which companies are employing these idiots?
Please times, and media in general, stop headlining, "Felicity et al." If you are going to expose one, expose them all properly.
10
I see some comments about errors in judgment on the part of otherwise good people. I don't buy it. They got caught. Who knows what other legal and ethical transgressions are in these people's histories at which they have not been caught? Personally, I presume the opposite about them, i.e., that their behavior is emblematic of who they are. It's not as if these were heat-of-the-moment actions under duress or due to temporarily diminished capacity. They engaged in a pattern of behavior over many months, with ample time to consider the rectitude and consequences of their actions. At least one of these perpetrators is a top lawyer at a white shoe law firm. Surely he knew that his actions were unethical and unlawful. He is likely to be disbarred. I also do not believe that any of the applicants were ignorant of their parents' efforts on their behalf. I suspect that they have had a lifetime of snowplow parenting and thought nothing of it that their college admissions would be secured through little effort or merit of their own.
26
The diplomas from these elite schools are forever tarnished.
8
@New World
It is the long-standing practices of the colleges that make them complicit.
1
Are the lawyers negotiating whether she'll be required to roll up the cuff of her shirt prior to the administration of the slap on the wrist?
5
"I take full responsibility....because my lawyers have told me I would just be throwing good money after bad." They know their backs are against the wall and are only looking for the point reduction in the sentencing guidelines, by "taking responsibility".
12
Felicity and all the others used their significant wealth to intentionally deceive and cheat. Of course she's sorry -- because she got caught. I don't believe that any of them cared they were breaking the law -- or cheating legitimate students from a place in a college class. Their punishment should include working with underprivileged students who are working to get into colleges or working their way through college.
27
I don't believe the 1%'s here will feel much contrite. Sure, there's some immediate humiliation and they'll lose some friends and maybe work - but again, they are 1%'s and will go forward, still having all the luxury and friends that the 1% can buy. Their kids, still rich and still in the position to never really work - and of course, now that the parents have destroyed their chances of graduating from a solid university - they can still go to ASU, and they'll still have money. Life won't change that much.
5
@Compassion & Resilience, Why the Arizona State dis? Go Devils!
1
I may pity their children but they are not victims, their families wealth continues to shield them from real world impacts.
Had the students done their own work, completed their applications and taken responsibility for their futures they would not have to worry about this. Now, that the scandal has been discovered, their wealthy families are hiring people to protect them from any unpleasant online content. Of course, those that actively participated in the schemes are being shielded from prosecution by the resources their parents have added to the team.
10
This saga infuriates me. I teach at a small college of mostly first generation students. Many are adults, many single females with children. They juggle school, home and multiple jobs. Many take the bus or walk to classes because they can't afford a car. But they persevere because they are valiantly trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. It's very tough going for them.
And then there's the entitled rich and their spawn. The Olivia Jades of the world who are 'influencers' and proclaim in videos--I probably won't go to many classes because I don't care about school. Everyone- the schools, the parents, their children were in on these crimes. Clearly this legal system is a cruel joke - and a slap in the face to my hardworking students.
94
Can we let that woman who was jailed for using a relative's address to get her child into a better school out now? How about all the people who stole food because they were hungry and had nothing? All the homeless? Because these investigations and proceedings cost the public a fortune.
22
Let's just join in. How about this idea. Have every college auction off to the highest bidders five slots per freshman class. To qualify the applicant has to have an SAT score equal to or better than the lowest of anyone in the previous year's class.
This would bring big bucks to the school, reduce bribery and add meaningfully the cynicism that the whole admissions process has enured.
In the first photo accompanying the article, whose hand is Huffman holding? That is not Bill Macy. Those California people are too hip for me.
6
@ellie k.
That's her brother.
4
I grew up in the Leave it Beaver era. Theodore was an average struggling student. So was I. Had this show made it to 15 seasons, the Beaver would have gone to local state college and have been right with it. It worked for me. Hate to sound old fashion, but parents ought raise children for character, not for followers on Instagram.
14
Eddie and Lumpy might not have been so lucky.
8
There is zero chance her daughter didn't know about the cheating. Ms. Huffman continues to insult us by lying. Her daughter would have noticed that she suddenly got extra time to take her standardized test--when she'd never had learning issues before. My college-aged daughters would have immediately known something was wrong.
26
Why do criminals always walk out of the building holding hands with their spouses?
3
To show that someone still loves ---them despite the amorally useless beings they are.
3
Why is this even still news! Move on
1
I can’t wait for the play.
3
One commenter likened athletic admissions to cheating the system. Not true. At least not true unless your view of who a college admits is based solely who has the best academics.
Colleges have two obvious paths to entry open to every applicant: Be very smart. Be very good at some sport. This is known to everyone and everyone has the chance to pursue either path or both.
Colleges also have paths that involve who you were born to (legacies) and your demographics. Students obviously control neither of these.
And while there are surely those college athletes who people consider as dumb as a box of rocks, there are those college athletes that make the dean's list every. single. semester.
You may work for one of them some day.
1
Let's accept what seems to be a sincere apology and see what the justin system has in store for her. We'll all sleep better at night not writing in self-righteous anger.
@HammerHer apology cemented her place in an elite group-her family(not her husband)her colleagues and the "educational community."
What the heck does she mean by the "educational community"?those who are in and get into the "best" schools??????
1
@Hammer Would you be that forgiving if it weren't 'white collar crime?'
Was she really sincere or is it because she got caught? If this investigation hadn't found her out, her kid would be kicking back at whatever school she lied to to get in and she wouldn't have said a word. Shame on those so quick to forgive. She should do time.
3
How has Felicity Huffman turned into face of this scandal? I cannot in any way condone what happened here, but since when is this practice of buying favor for the children of the rich such front page news. The article even says hers was not the biggest bribe.
Who has it in for Felicity and Bill ? Why not put some of the folks who shelled out real money and roast them? This isn't news, this is exploitation. They made a mistake. If she gets 20 years, then it will be news - if only as a judicial overreach.
This is just sensationalism. I am tired of reading this as front page news. There are bigger fish to fry.
5
@mark m Not quite a mistake. It was robbery. Would you be so forgiving if it was a poorer mom ripping off the welfare department? She calculated and planned this robbery. No different than a con job on the street. There are people serving time for shop lifting items well under $1,000. This is not judicial overreach. It's about time we hold white collar criminals to the same justice we do those less fortunate.
5
Rather than carry [this transgression] for the rest of your life, Miss Huffman, just agree to 3-6 months or so of jail time. I'm sure every fair-minded person would agree that pays your debt to society nicely, like that other "rules don't apply to me" rich celebrity, Martha Stewart.
4 months, medium security, out in time for September classes! Whaddya say?
5
@Laurence Bachmann
How about 6 months in a local jail.
1
@Great Lakes State
That would be fine by me but it's the Feds who nailed her, not local authorities.
1
@Laurence Bachmann
Well then the federal prison with the worst conditions.
Huffman, and probably most of the guilty parents, grew up wealthy and privileged. Other people are simply not relevant to them.
Yet, these actions are relevant and impacting to many who worked on applications and paid $ only to be cheated out of a fair process and possible admissions slot.
Fines should well exceed the original $ involved. Fines should be lifestyle impacting for those involved.
This whole horrible lot: the lawyers, ceo's, financial wizards, etc may express remorse but the wrong doing was brazen. Every student that was not admitted to these Universities has been harmed, every student that worked hard to score well on the SAT/ACT exams has had their achievements undercut and diminished. Every student that crafted, edited and improved an essay or supplement submission has been cheated out of their time and efforts. Those that attended entrance interviews instead of photo shopping their credentials have been robbed of their accomplishments.
The guilty may see their actions on small stones while focusing on impact to their own kids. The ripples are quite literally larger than can be measured.
5
Who is she holding hands with - that's not William H. Macy? I also find it interesting that William H. is not being charged alongside her, although he was, according to this article, complicit.
15
@kaki They had him on tape listening to the scheme and then refusing to participate for the 2nd daughter. Since they didn't have him agreeing or any emails, they couldn't charge him.
8
Her brother. SPOUSE wasn’t charged because they didn’t go ahead with the scheme for their second daughter. That’s the child that he was heard discussing.
1
@kaki
One article identified the man she is holding hands with as her brother.
1
Oh, this really makes me feel good! Definitely a night to have some cheapish Champaign.
2
"When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich."
8
The guilty plea is most likely the miniscule price paid for no consequences of any kind. Just another instance of a scale so weighted to the ground with injustice. And what fate awaited Eric Garner for selling cigarettes on a street corner? Or Sandra Bland who failed to use a turn signal? For these horrific crimes against society --death.
25
@Em In these instances, I always think of Eric Garner being choked to death for the crime of selling individual cigarettes on the streets of NYC. So he could survive. Not so he could attend a fancy college - he wanted to eat. I wonder how much money he made selling those cigarettes? I wonder how much money those unscrupulous bankers made during the housing fiasco, none of whom were punished? It's unbearable to consider. Huffman et al need more than a slap on the wrist.
2
When you really think about the illness that is status, this guilty plea is, essentially, meaningless. It doesn't affect the larger echo of what it is here.
What the entire scandal shows is how disgustingly entitled most - not all - of the moneyed class is. To think that they had the money to pay for private tutoring and that, instead, they chose to simply "catch the nearest way" is hard to comprehend.
There are a bunch of kids who were waitlisted at these schools. Most likely, those kids worked faithfully and hard. Would Felicity Huffman et. al. ever have thought twice about what they had done if they weren't caught? Do they really care about cancer, climate change, all of the other causes that they discuss in Davos (in between boozy parties and art exhibits)? Are they anything more than an Instagram charade of lies?
You decide.
31
Did these parents think that pushing their children into a school where they might not have merited admission did their children any good? All of this activity had nothing to do with the kids, but for the parents' self-image and ability to brag about the fine schools their children entered. We all know that the name of the college one attends has almost nothing to do with future happiness, success or sense of fulfillment. These parents have taught their kids the exact opposite.
6
Great, you prosecuted 12 people instead of the schools. The problem is the school system is entirely for the rich and the powerful. The way you change the system is not by blaming the parents that take advantage of a system perpetuated by schools. If you want a meritocracy, the schools have to be a meritocracy.
8
“No words can express how profoundly sorry we are for what we have done,”
Let me help you with some more words: We are profoundly sorry that we have been caught. Otherwise, we probably would have felt pretty profoundly fine about what we've done.
58
Who is fooled by these crocodile tears? They are only sorry they were caught, not that they knowingly defrauded the admissions process.
But I've gotta say, the admissions officers are not squeaky clean here, either. I recognize that there are tens of thousands of applications to review, but to admit someone on the basis of the word of a coach alone without verifying the application seems fraught with problems for the institution.
The bigger questions this case leaves unanswered are: how long have these scams been going on? What did the universities know, and when did they know it? The irony is not lost on the public that these elite institutions so deeply invested in the honor system for their students don't adhere to the practice themselves.
5
While the schadenfreude in these cases is compelling, I continue to be disturbed by the use of "honest services fraud" to criminalize everyday unethical behavior by private individuals. The normal remedy for cheating your way into a school is to be kicked out of that school. The normal remedy for taking a bribe to do a favor at one's place of employment is to be fired. Only in America (and perhaps, various totalitarian states around the world) does this behavior make one guilty of a crime.
2
I feel like we need to revise Warhol and posit that in the near future, all Americans will have been incarcerated for an average of 15 years.
didn't Huffman's daughter think it was strange that she got a score report for an exam she didn't take??? How could she not know?? Perhaps she never saw her college application.
12
@City girl The daughter did take the exam. The mother paid to have the wrong answers changed.
1
I do hope that all people who call for an end to Affirmative Action take a good long look here--black students aren't cheating white students out of college spaces--wealthy white people are!
28
The motivations of these parents lies not with their kids but with their crass, greedy desire for bragging rights and status that ups their standing among their “elite” type “friends”. Their kids be damned.
6
There better be some prison time for her in the plea deal.
If she gets off with a fine and paying any back taxes for claiming her expenses in this as charitable contributions.. it would be a severe failing of the justice system in this country. Particularly when poor minorities are routinely thrown in jail/prison for stealing some item from a store that has a net value of less then %50, or worse.. thrown in jail because they cannot post bail on a misdemeaner.
3
@Chuck but these people didn't commit any crimes, other than "honest services fraud," which is a made-up statute of recent vintage that criminalizes everyday unethical behavior.
For some, it's all about the bumper stickers and the gossip over cocktails.
3
I hope Felicity Huffman is free in time to watch her daughter graduate from college. . .whenever that happens. . .
1
Huffman's claim that her daughter knew nothing is highly suspicious. Her SAT score improved by 400 points over her PSAT score. That SHOULD have been a red flag for the College Board to investigate. And any applicant who went from below average to 95+ percentile should also realize something was going on.
28
@jimahughes It happens a lot. Kid has a bad nervous day and bombs. A couple of months later, it's a good day and kid might very well get 95 plus percentile.
All are equal, but some are more equal than others.
7
“My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her,” Ms. Huffman said in a statement."
Sorry, but I don't believe the kids in this case had no idea. Like children everywhere else, they were raised by their parents with the same values as their parents. The public evidence of their personas so far suggests they are every bit as self-important and entitled as mommy and daddy, and no doubt just as corrupt.
44
@mpound
Allegedly, one of her kids admitted to knowing, and may have to testify.
5
Has Trump said anything about these cases as yet? I've never heard of a public charge about which he didn't make a statement.
4
@edgar culverhouse
Lol, how do you think Trump got in (and was "graduated" from) any of his schools? Wanna bet he never even wrote his own papers? Why do you think he threatened his schools if they were to release his scores? All of those questions are rhetorical, of course.
4
So one would assume that these children of these parents are kicked out of the colleges that they nefariously are attending and keeping students of merit who actually deserve to be there out.
4
Sentencing should utilize these high profile people into community service roles directly helping support and implement student debt consolidation and forgiveness policies.
4
She will serve less time than it took me to write this thought out. White collar crimes that rich folk commit are rarely met with doing time. They just take away a little bit of money. To them it's a little bit of water slushing out of the bucket. No big deal. Justice is not applicable to all levels of our pseudo caste system
14
The prosecutors' handling of this case, and the Allison Mack case, gives me hope that the celebrity class is now held accountable like everyone else. Lori Loughlin lost a lot...her Hallmark programs were delightful and I looked forward to them. If they're smart, they will follow Huffman's example and plead guilty (which they are), take the penalties and move on with whatever fragments of life they have left.
4
Jussie Smollett, take note.
This is how otherwise decent people act when they have disgraced themselves by committing acts that are out of character. But then, Jussie, more likely your cynical fraud wasn't out of character.
15
I'm willing to bet no one will go to jail over this.
5
For those who pleaded guilty, good for you. They're not prancing around like O.J. saying, "I didn't do it."
2
These parents can lament, explain, and beg for forgiveness until the cows come home. They'll pay a hefty fine, swallow that bitter humiliation pill, and move on.
But the real harm, the real damage, the real tragedy will lie within the child and how he or she will view their parents going forward. Issues of trust and deception and embarrassment will haunt them for who knows how long.
The empty pleas of "I was only thinking of you" or "I did it for you" will ring hollow for many years. This one act may mar these kids for a life time.
These parents' actions weren't made out of love but out of insecurity and arrogance. They didn't think their kid could score high enough, so they manipulated the storyline so they could brag about how smart their kids are.
Claiming these actions were "misguided and profoundly wrong way" is like trying to put a band-aid on a severed limb.
339
The truth!
7
@Marge Keller
If this individual was poor and stole food to feed a child, the individual would have been jailed, unable to post bail. The individual most likely would still be in jail, child removed from family home. This woman needs to serve serious jail time, and probation, and weekly drug testing.
58
@Marge Keller And how about apologizing to the deserving students who lost their spot in college because their parents weren't as wealthy or dishonest? It's not only their kids they hurt.
71
These are smart prosecutors who understood that when going after wealthy, connected people you've got to have them absolutely dead to rights. That's why they are starting to plead.
Once the parents have admitted guilt, any acceptances for their kids should be withdrawn with the understanding that they can reapply on their own true merits.
340
@Pat Completely agree, especially on the part about dismissing the kids and making them reapply on their merits.
26
@Pat
". . . any acceptances for their kids should be withdrawn with the understanding that they can reapply on their own true merits."
As if the pressure wasn't bad enough on these kids BEFORE all of this went down and came to light. No matter what school any of these celebrity kids apply for, this stink will be with them. The question of how they really got in and the grades they get going forward will be suspect in the minds of others.
16
@Marge Keller
Perhaps, but it strains credulity to think that the kids were completely innocent here. Being diagnosed with "disabilities" that they knew they didn't have, getting all kinds of unusual special testing considerations, posing for pictures engaged in sports activities that they did not really do, etc.
56
"Sentences in the college admissions case may be affected in part by how much money each parent is alleged to have paid..."
The sentences should reflect the cost of denying deserving children the spots at these universities.
59
@Suzanne Moniz What does "deserving" mean, exactly? It is the kid with the highest test score? Should we consider whether the kid had money for the best tutors to prep for the test? Or whether kid works 25 hours a week in a fast food joint to help put food on the table and doesn't have much time at all to prep? Is it GPA? If so, how to we account for the vast differences in how easy an "A" is in one school vs another? Is the start quarterback more "deserving"? Are poor kids more or less "deserving"? Are black kids more or less "deserving"? I struggle to envision a system under which the most "deserving" kids are admitted, frankly I struggle to even define what "Most Deserving" even looks like.
5
Everyone deserves an opportunity for redemption. I respect the parents entering guilty pleas and apologizing for what they did more than those who are trying to use their wealth to fight the charges. And it seems totally plausible that some of these kids did not know what their parents were doing because the parents paid to have the test proctor change the answers after the kid left the testing center. This indictment was a pretty harsh way to learn that your parents are fallible but maybe some of these parents can still demonstrate that you can take responsibility for a wrong/crime and not be defined by it. People at all income levels can find themselves exercising bad judgment and some of them will pay a high price. I get that Felicity Huffman is better positioned than many criminal defendants, but I think we should hope for redemption for all.
168
@Tracy Redemption is okay but the real issue is how to channel these abuses to help the students who need financial assistant to go to college. If every one of these guilty parents, and all future guilty parties, had to finance educations for those in need there might actually be some good to come out of these privileged Americans abusing the system. The lesson learned from all of this would much more lasting if young people in need got the chance to go to college and benefit our society. Sending these parents to jail will in no way improve society.
15
Oh sure, the kids and all their friends didn't know something bizarre had happened. It's like me getting selected for a NASA moon mission after my wife sent the agency a photo of myself in astronaut fancy dress plus a NYT mini-crossword completed by someone else.
91
@Tracy
Do you apply that same philosophy on opportunity for redemption to those who grow up in poor abusive families and commit criminal offenses? Or just for those of higher economic levels?
43
Someone, please, please explain. What have I missed? USC is "elite" in any way? Bribes to get in? I must be under a rock. My state school BS-Mathematics degree and non-ivy MBA and JD made my life! No "elite" involved. Just study, study, and study. Perhaps that's just not achievable anymore?
105
That was my question as well. I did not find it surprising that some of these parents were trying to get into Yale. USC threw me for a loop. I’m sure it is a great school, but I would never have considered it elite.
19
@Kate
If you live in the LA area, having a USC degree makes you a member of the club. I have seen it here where a USC graduate will get a leg up. That might not work in other places, but it helps in LA.
10
@DoPDJ
USC moved up in the national rankings (USNWR) in the last few years to the top 25, and its admit rate a year ago was only 13%. I actually know of several very talented HS students admitted to the Ivy League and peer schools, but outright rejected from USC in the past couple years. (I’ve worked at two Ivy League schools, in both undergrad & grad admissions.)
I too was surprised about USC’s selectivity, but indeed most students are now rejected from there.
(Huffman and Loughlin obviously didn’t realize that their children would’ve been given VIP treatment in admissions because of their parents’ celebrity status - not sure that would have been enough to get admitted, but probably, to be honest.)
4
Huffman is wise to take a deal which I would imagine spares her jail time. The publicity of a trial and possibility of guilty verdict was/is much worse than paying a big fine, which will probably be imposed. She can move on now. Loughlin faces more serious charges and a plea may not be so attractive. In a way, both may have served a public good, because corruption in the college admission process has been exposed. Hopefully this will result in more transparency, helping parents and prospective applicants make better decisions about where to apply, once they know their chances are slim to nonexistent at some schools . I'd still like to see the "legacy" acceptances curtailed.
153
Get caught bribing, plead guilty and say you're sorry, pay a fine and move on. All good!
5
@MimiB None of this has anything to do with "legacy" boosts in admission. I will go to my grave and not understand how most people seem to believe that a "legacy" could not possibly be a viable candidate - they simply must be the "dumb alum" who is accepted.
I know a lot of legacy candidates who have been accepted to top schools, my own grandson among them. He was also a "supported" athlete (not recruited) so that also gave him a boost. I assume most readers will also assume he was not qualified for the Ivy to which he was accepted. Well, they're wrong! He had SAT/ACT scores well in the middle of the range of those accepted each year, a very high GPA, took so many AP classes that his Ivy gave him 27 hours of credit for them, and had maintained a 4.0 GPA all 4 years of HS. He also made the Dean's List his first semester at his Ivy (in the College of Engineering, a very hard school), and is on track to do the same this semester.
When there are tens of thousands of applicants with pretty much identical qualifications (all highly qualified), it gives them a bit of an edge. Why shouldn't it? They do bring something to the school in addition to their qualifications. They bring an enthusiasm and love of that school and understanding of the school environment, that many applicants do not have. They need no extra help "fitting in" - they are totally comfortable at their university and quickly start contributing to the school.
12
How much time in the slammer?
11
Crocodile tears.
41
I hope the fines and the prison time are fair and reasonable in relationship to the fines and prison time that poor people of color get in our American justice system.
Being rich and white should not be a get out of jail free card.
46
Is there anything more despicable than to make your own children accessories to a crime? Sorry, but these people are fools of a very high order.
95
@Jeffrey Waingrow "Is there anything more despicable than to make your own children accessories to a crime?"
Yes. Making your own children an accessory in your life. Shaping children to the parents' own will and image robs them of who they are in order to turn them into mini-me versions of the parents. The examples of the rich doing that are legion. It is called Soul-Murder.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
6
@Rev. E. M. Camarena, PhD
I read some of your blog. You're a hoot.
2
@Jeffrey Waingrow: Thanks! I will take that as a compliment!
BTW, I did recommend your comment because overall I agree with you. Using children to satisfy one's own goals and needs is the very definition of child abuse.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
2
This is one area where I wish that they had the good sense NOT to utter public apologies which no one believes.
Plead, pay up, do appropriate public service, start a scholarship fund for other children less fortunate than your own . . . and deal with your children privately.
406
couldn't agree more
9
@Chris
I wonder what their children think of them ?
3
@Sharon Phillips Do you really think this is the first entitled intervention these people made on behalf of their little darlings?
17
No college is worth destroying your child for.
19
It is sad that these otherwise good people made a dumb mistake. They missed the course on ethics.
They need some significant punishment, but keep in mind its not murder. Jail probably is not the best use of the states resources, and there is zero chance they will do it again. A big fine, community service and probation would probably be sufficient. Plus the righteous internet mob is being unleashed on them.
131
@Bruce Weiser Yeah, let's save the jail space for the poor and people of color.
82
How do you know how good these people are?
69
@Bruce Weiser
White, upper class is "dumb" mistake. Black, lower class is rarely given the same pass.
The problem is that the Horatio Alger story is built into the America ethos. There should be a special place in hell for those who undermine the culture of a nation.
I doubt anybody who could ignore what they did for their child would get much help from the curriculum of an ethics course.
Count me in as one of the "righteous internet mob."
On the other hand, I suppose these parents were merely bargain shopping, and did not want to pay the full price of erecting a building on campus or endowing a research institute. The hidden cost of cheap goods...
44
Hoping her children learn a valuable lesson. There is no room for cheaters at a table set with integrity.
1
Lock her up!!! She took advantage of her success. I will never watch anything she is on again.
12
@Philip W
I will never watch her, or that guy (what's his name?) from Chicago.
2
We can't believe that her daughter "absolutely knew nothing" about this , and that she calls this a "transgression". These statements are absurd. She deserves jail time and a very hefty fine. Also, her husband Macy, should also be indicted and her daughter, if not already , should be questioned by the Federal authorities. Perhaps she did not know about this from the onset, but she had to have some inkling that something was wrong when she got into USC with not such great grades/test scores. Shame on all of them !
240
@CRYINGKANGLINGSOFGOD Completely agree. Where we live ALL of the kids applying to colleges know where they stand in their class ranking, how their SAT scores stack up to their peers, and how competitive they need to be to apply to certain schools. They all talk to each other about this stuff and it would be shocking to me if they didn't scratch their heads knowing they got accepted with a mediocre transcript while others with better credentials got wait listed or rejected.
28
@Sabrina. There are many instance I see working with kids being admitted to college where a kid with great grades is not doing well on standardized tests. You can repeatedly take the test and every year a few kids that we see in this position have a lucky test where they guessed right alot and their scores zoom up. They would hear about this happening and have no reason to think that this didn’t happen to them even though their answers were really being changed.
10
@AJ
I’m glad you are willing to pay to build more jails. With that “lock em up” attitude for non-violent criminals, were going to need them.
5
Parents like Felicity Huffman and the others who bribed and cheated their kids' way into USC, are not victims, and deserve as much punishment as the law calls for, up to and including jail time.
And I know their kids were so dumb that they could not get into a so called "good" college (e.g., USC? say what?) without their parents committing bribery or other crimes to gain admission for the little darlings. However, it seems highly likely that most of these kids were aware of what was going on.
A proctor sat next to the kid and provided or changed test answers? The kid had to know.
Another person took the test instead of the kid? The kid had to know.
The kid took a photo on a rowing machine pretending to be a rower? The kid had to know.
The kid was given extra time to take the test due to disability? The kid had to know that he/she did not have a disability.
Were there possibly a few instances where a kid somehow did not know his parents had cheated to gain him/her admission? Maybe, but doesn't seem very likely.
Many, perhaps most, of the kids were not "caught up" in the crimes but were witting participants. To preserve any sense of decency and ethics the colleges need to investigate not just what crimes the parents and their enablers committed, but what the kids knew and did.
In any case these criminal parents' kids, witting or not, need to be expelled. After all, if a parent steals a car and gives it to his kid, does the kid get to keep the car? I don't think so.
170
@Mal T
FINALLY -- someone clearly states what (forgive me, @Mal T) should be obvious: Of course, the kids (most of them, certainly) knew, for all the reasons @Mal T clearly lays out!!! Those kids' participation shouldn't be whitewashed (any more than Trump's "kids" should be).
14
@Remy
Trump? Again with the one person that ALWAYS has to bring Trump into the equasion.
As such, Remy, you must be wrong.
1
@DAB Trump's kids are woefully unqualified for Penn and got in by similar mechanism. And their intellectual dullness is on vivid display every day.
6
This is why the wealthy should be taxed to the hilt. The revenue generated could educate the poor and middle class and provide health care to the uninsured. The Felicity Huffmans of the world might be less wealthy, but they’d be less apt to do foolish and wasteful things with their money and our society would be much better off.
91
Perhaps something good will emerge from the terrible tragedy that has befallen so many people guilty or innocent... a lot of families are being ripped apart.
If only they won the Presidency.
7
@Joe B
What?
1
“This transgression toward her and the public I will carry for the rest of my life.”
Translation: Darn, I got caught!
23
Those who were caught may well have gotten away with previous transgressions, maybe smaller, which empowered them to repetition.
13
She "only" paid $15K to help her (unwitting?) daughter unknowingly (??) cheat on the SAT? It may be "only," but it's privilege. I suppose this is slightly less heinous than, for example, the situation with Lori Loughlin and her daughters, particularly when it was revealed that one of them didn't even "care about school."
This may be the bleeding heart liberal in me speaking, but I think of kids who work their tails off to get into the schools of their choice, who compete against thousands of other applicants (many of whom are applying to dozens of schools), who barely have the money for the application fee, let alone SAT prep or bribes.
It's way too easy to game the system if the parents have excessive cash to toss around. It's a shame that kids who did everything right get shut out - whether it's through schemes like this or insane college costs.
I'm sure this is "only" scratching the surface.
39
Felicity Huffman was in one of my favorite television shows... "American Crime." Ironic.
2
Can you imagine how her child feels. Her mother thinks her daughter lacks the intelligence to get a decent score on her SAT's.
That will be long lasting.
205
@MG
She probably does lack the intelligence to get in on her own, otherwise, why pay for it.
30
@MG Well I mean her daughter has a youtube channel.... it is not the most flattering in terms of showing her "intelligence" and aptitude or even general interest in being in an environment of higher learning.... sooo..... I think mom might be on to something.
13
@MG Unless the child is very much like the parent.I don't think it will be a big deal. They'll pay a fine and move on. THEY DONT CARE
14
From the outside, from a lay person, it looks like it is the smartest thing they can do.
Martha Stewart took her lumps, and moved her situation out of the way in the most decent and legal way possible. She was mature about it and walked it out of her life, which included a little in prison for that path.
It could be that these parents are doing the same thing. Good on them.
73
@Jeff Bowles
They actually have no choice.
4
@Jeff Bowles
It is easy enough to do when you have millions in the bank!
4
@Jeff Bowles - You don't get points for taking your punishment for breaking the law.
9
There's a good piece currently on the website of The Atlantic, by Caitlin Flanagan, "They Had It Coming." She goes into great detail and recounts many comments secretly captured when Singer was wearing a wire and interacting with parents. Bottom line is there was so much entitlement among them, and a sense that this was how they would get "their fair share" in the game. And just about no concern for the lack of ethics involved. This prosecution is finally a step in the right direction - a course correction to be appreciated by all of us sensing how far off the rails we are in our increasingly corrupt civic life.
112
My guess is that by pleading guilty, they will get no jail time and have to make some sort of restitution. I bet Gordon Caplan will be able to keep his law license.
The bigger fish - Loughlin, Wilson etc, may have to go to trial.
5
It's some small relief to see some of them are pleading guilty and taking responsibility rather than using their wealth to attempt to fight the charges.
2
Having read the affidavit, I don't see how they could plead otherwise. They should apologize and try to make amends.
3
Three cheers for the justice system and shining a light on the Corrupt States of America.
Good to see our tax dollars at work.
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@Socrates
Having read oodles of your comments over the years, I sense that you could debate possibly all political cretins et al. into the ground - and I so wish you would run for POTUS.
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Maybe it was my upbringing in the Canadian prairies, but I have never understood:
What has the ability to play tennis or swim fast have to do with succeeding at a university education?
I would do away with all athletic-based admissions. Even football.
Yes, I preach heresy. I also keep my opinion to myself when watching the Longhorns along with my gf, a UT grad.
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@Austin Liberal FYI -- A lot of young men and women would not be able to afford to attend university without an athletic scholarship.
@Sasha Love
And still many others who wonMt get a sports deal, too; but instead of spending time on sports, these kids could have received more instruction, coaching or practice in other areas that help to boost their academic ability and prepare them for the course of study and school they wish to attend.
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@Austin Liberal - I recall wondering the same thing during my UT days when some of my classes had Longhorn football players who were none too bright...
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In all of the extensive coverage of this scandal, I have yet to see questions raised about the Doctors who provided false statements that some of the applicants were somehow “disabled “ and needed extra time on the ACT/SAT tests. Taking advantage of a provision to help kids who really need the extra time is particularly despicable.
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@KMK Doctors, like others today, are not immune from being morally bankrupt! The Gutter Has Come To Power!!!
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@KMK They probably all used Trump's doctor in New York who was certain Trump was he healthiest presidential candidate imaginable.
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@KMK This practice is rampant at competitive high schools. When parents post instructions on how to navigate the process of getting a child extra time on tests on Facebook (it only costs about 5k) and your 11th grader reports that he must have ADHD because his mind wanders when he takes a 3 hour standardized test, you know that the system is failing.
Colleges #1 through 50: you must fix this problem. It is shameful and is destroying your reputation. You are not getting any applicants that you think you are getting. You are complicit in this absurdity. You are profiting on the hopes and dreams of applicants who have less than one in 40 chance (after taking in to account applicants of special status) of getting in to school at your institution. This leads them to cheat and lie. You made this problem. You need to fix it. It cannot possibly be as hard as you think. I can think of several ways off the top of my head which would mitigate this issue. 1) Eliminate the common ap. 2) Do a staged admissions process in which a cohort of apparently qualified applicants is subsequently asked to write an additional essay which is proctored.
Every time I see a news article about how selective the school has become and makes me want to vomit. Attorneys general everywhere: please recoup the financial gain of colleges who solicit applications from people they will never accept. Prevent schools from trumpeting their admissions rates.
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My actions were “misguided and profoundly wrong,” Ms.Huffman stated after agreeing to plead guilty in federal court to fraud.
“I’m particularly disturbed that I got caught,” the actress noted as she entered her limousine, protected by several security guards.
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Because colleges admit only a small percentage of those who apply, getting into college is a highly-competitive, zero-sum game. For every applicant who is accepted, many are rejected. Each year colleges establish a limit on how many freshmen will be admitted.
If jocks are given admission preference, there are fewer openings for non-jocks.
If legacies are also given preference, there are fewer openings for non-jocks and non-legacies.
If some students also get admitted via bribery or cheating, there are fewer openings for non-jocks, non-legacies and non-cheaters.
If some students of color are admitted over white students with higher test scores and GPAs, there are fewer openings for non-jocks, non-legacies, non-cheaters and high-testing/high-GPA whites.
This is simple math; all of the preferences noted above inevitably reduce the numbers of non-preferred students admitted, including high-testing/high GPA white students.
There are arguments to be made in favor of the preferences noted above (except cheating) but, as Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts put it, "The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race." [Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1, 551 U.S. 701 (2007)]
Unfortunately, the Supreme Court and Congress have not yet found ways to achieve racial balance in our schools and colleges without discriminating against some more qualified white students.
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@Mal T,
being so called "color blind" al la justice Roberts is just another way of continuing to ignore generational oppression and poverty by those already privileged- that is white people.
I will hire a qualified minority any day over a white person- because I know that had to work 10 times as hard to get where they are.
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@Mal T
In my Town’s suburban hiigh school, the underrepresented minorities who had intact families, lived in houses worth more than $1 million, and with both parents having gone to college, fared remarkably well in the admissions process. Girls did ok, especially when they represented themselves as STEM enthusiasts. The kids who seemed to get a bad shake were regular extremely smart non-cheating white males. They will remember this experience for the rest of their lives, and they will vote. Be prepared.
If these schools want to retain credibility, they need to bring in independent law firms to investigate their admissions programs for at least the past decade and remove credentials from ANYONE inappropriately admitted.
And refer suspected cheats to prosecutors.
Otherwise, they need to close their doors and turn over their enormous endowments to more honorable institutions.
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Of course they're putting in such a plea: it's much cheaper than prolonging their self induced misery, and much faster.
And - as soon as punishment is meted out (if any is) - the faster the matter, and their involvement, will evaporate from public view and remembrance. This sordid episode will be quickly forgotten by almost everyone.
But soon, of course, the PR onslaught regarding resurrection for all these nonentities will begin.
4
These folks aren’t as wealthy as all of the investment bankers that got away with hammering the economy years ago so they may have to do a little time for their crimes.
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Who will make reparations to the talented young people who did not get admitted to these universities because of these cheats? A wrong was perpetrated. Long after Felicity and the Hollywood and Silicon Valley elite are still receiving royalties and stock options and living in luxury, real people were cheated out of an education and the lifelong benefits that accrue with it.
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@Ella
Tragic.
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@Ella The rationale that other worthy applicants were cheated is speculation. Indeed, the worthy applicants you propose were surely accepted by worthy or worthier schools and your cheated-for-life scenario fits none of the facts outside prosecutorial theory. More than that they probably escaped a rats’ nest, a matter of pure luck which will benefit them for life.
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@MAX L SPENCER. It’s unlikely that anyone was cheated out of an education. There is not a specific number of students admitted every year to any of these colleges. And in any event mostthese students knocked out Sy most, kids who were there to focus on sports, not school and other kids with a bit of a hook like a famous or wealthy parent. The kid who was struggling to get in from a poor or middle class background in order to get a good education was not in competition with these students
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I was a High School teacher for over thirty years, and as such became very familiar with the University/College admissions process. In my experience it is difficult to reconcile that the parents accused of bribery did so without the awareness of their children. What seems more credible is that the parents are once again micro-managing their children's lives.
Obviously I have no idea what went on in these cases, but generally students are very aware of where they stand in regard to their chances of acceptance.
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They're sorry they got caught.
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@Adam the Isacksons' statement was contrite.
1
@Penn Towers
I bet I could write a contrite statement too if I was facing jail time or pay a professional to write one.
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@Shyril it's a good statement to make.
Ms Huffman would be wise to cooperate with the Feds in addition to her guilty plea - she's going to need all the help she can get. It won't kill her career, or her marriage (didn't cause a split, but perhaps a final straw?). Bad parental judgement, but not fatal.
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@markymark
The long-term ramifications on Ms. Huffman's career or marriage remain to be seen. However, all pale in comparison as to what the cost may be to her mother-child relationship.
8
Imagine destroying your career in one fell swoop, something you've worked your entire life to build, over a careless decision on something as trivial as getting your child into the "right" college. I imagine that Mr. Caplan, as an attorney, feels this kind of pain acutely right now - because not only was he terminated, he's going to be disbarred. So many lives destroyed in this uniquely American scandal.
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@Shane
The decision was not careless. The recorded conversations show the parents deliberating over this, asking questions about how it will work, and discussing money. Then substantial sums of money were transferred into accounts that the parents thought were going for the bribes but were controlled by law enforcement.
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@Shane No admission of guilt from Bill McGlashan, your Marin County neighbor, yet. He seems the most unrepentant. A real (no) class act.
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@Shane "Imagine destroying your career in one fell swoop, something you've worked your entire life to build, over a careless decision on something as trivial as getting your child into the "right" college."
Actually, most regular middle class people can't imagine trying to bribe anybody for anything. People aren't raised to think that way, as naive as that apparently is.
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Talk about "White Privilege" None have more than Hollywood liberals like these folks.
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@True Believer I am sorry, but using Trump as an example, it appears this is what conservatives do.
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@True Believer This involves more than just Hollywood "liberals" and includes attorneys and CEO's many of whom are not liberal. Of course, not all in Hollywood are liberals. I do agree with your assessment of "white privilege."
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@True Believer This involves more than just Hollywood "liberals" and includes attorneys and CEO's many of whom are not liberal. Of course, not all in Hollywood are liberals. Lori Loughlin's husband has been a vocal Trump supporter. I do agree with your assessment of "white privilege."
12
these people need jail time
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@william Absolutely right William. Monetary fines will be ineffective. The money is meaningless to them. Perhaps the public disgrace carries some weight.
2
The system appears to be working. Hat's off to those that take ownership and admit their failings. That's the first step towards opening the next chapter of their lives (and putting this behind them). Justice prevails.
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Actually the system is Not working. These were the ones that got caught. Let's not forget that 75 % of the spots to these elite schools are designated towards legacy, sports, diversity and large donations. The difference is subtle but the same, they are all "cheating" the system.
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@Cromwell Except legacy admissions build strong donor relationships and that money then goes into projects on campuses which benefit all students vs. bribes which disappear into someone's pocket. Yeah, except for those small differences legacy admissions are EXACTLY the same as bribing someone.
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A dear friend of mine is a tenured professor at one of the country's most elite universities. He said he can almost always tell which students are legacy admissions vs. merit admissions. The legacies, as a rule, are intellectually mediocre and often have an off-putting entitlement mentality. He told me the legacy admissions are usually much lazier than the students who competed for the merit slots.
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