Topline
A former University of Southern California water polo coach who received $250,000 in bribes for placing unqualified students as water polo recruits was found guilty of fraud and conspiracy on Friday, the same day a prep school administrator implicated in the federal investigation known as Operation Varsity Blues was sentenced to four months in prison for taking students’ tests for them.
Mark Riddell arrives for a court hearing.
Key Facts
A federal jury in Boston on Friday found Jovan Vavic, the former coach, guilty on all charges, including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, according to the New York Times.
It marked the second trial in the college admissions scandal that has brought charges against more than 50 people, according to Reuters.
Lawyers of Vavic, who was according to the Times the only coach to stand trial in place of accepting a guilty plea, argued the defendant was attempting to legitimately raise money for the school’s water polo program, claiming he never committed fraud.
Mark Riddell, a former Florida prep school administrator who was paid to take students’ standardized tests in their place, was sentenced to four months in prison on Friday for his role in the scandal, according to the Associated Press.
Riddell in court apologized for his “terrible decision,” according to AP.
Vavic, meanwhile, declined to comment on the charges after his hearing, according to ESPN.
Big Number
$25 million. That’s how much parents of college applicants allegedly paid the scandal’s ring leader, William “Rick” Singer, to help get their children into school.
Key Background
Dozens of people implicated in the scandal, including actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, have pleaded guilty. The 2019 bribery scheme was orchestrated by Singer, who used millions of dollars given to him by parents of college applicants to fake test scores and bribe college officials to place unqualified students as college sports team recruits. Singer often paid Riddell $10,000 per each test he took for the students, according to AP. Sentences in the scandal to date range from one day in prison for a former Stanford University sailing coach to 15 months in prison for one parent, former senior Staples executive John Wilson. Loughlin was sentenced to two months in prison, while Huffman was sentenced to 14 days.
What To Watch For
More sentences to follow. Singer, for one, who has pleaded guilty, has yet to be sentenced as he cooperates with the federal government, but could face up to 65 years in prison.
Further Reading
Bogus test taker to be sentenced in college admissions scam (AP)
Former U.S.C. Coach in Varsity Blues Scandal Is Found Guilty (New York Times)
The full list of everyone who’s been sentenced in the college admissions scandal so far (Insider)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/madelinehalpert/2022/04/08/operation-varsity-blues-ex-usc-coach-convicted-of-fraud-test-taker-gets-four-months-in-prison/