All of this shit is a nationwide BFD!
AUSTIN (KXAN) — FBI investigators and federal prosecutors busted the largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice, officials with the U.S. Attorney's Office announced in a press conference Tuesday. Fifty people were charged in connection with the scam, including a University of Texas at Austin coach, who has been arrested.
The two ways officials say ringleader William Singer of California fraudulently got students into elite schools were either by bribing coaches to accept students through the athletic track or by bribing ACT and SAT administrators to allow someone else to take the test for students or change their answers later. Officials say Singer's non-profit Key Worldwide Foundation was a front for his scams. He's accused of accepting up to $25 million.
UT Tennis Coach Michael Center was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. He allegedly accepted a $100,000 bribe to get a student into UT through the tennis program. He had his initial appearance at the federal courthouse in Austin Tuesday afternoon, where bail was set at $50,000. He will have to pay $5,000 in cash within the next 72 hours to get out of jail. He will later have to go to court in Massachusetts, where the main investigation is happening. UT confirms he's been placed on leave.
Two Houston-area people are accused of accepting bribes — Lisa 'Niki' Williams, an ACT administrator, and Martin Fox, who was the president of a private tennis academy and camp. Both are charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering.
A fourth Texan, John Wilson, faces charges similar to Center, as do Hollywood actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin.
Students who were involved in the scheme attended or tried to attend UT, Georgetown, Stanford, UCLA, the University of San Diego, USC, Wake Forest and Yale.