A wealthy father who was convicted in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison on Wednesday, the longest sentence in the case yet.
John Wilson, head of a Massachusetts private equity firm, was convicted in October 2021 of bribery, fraud and conspiracy for paying more than $1.2 million to get his three children into top colleges. Wilson was also forced to pay a $200,000 fine and $88,546 in restitution, according to Bloomberg.
Wilson received more prison time for his role in the scandal than Gamal Abdelaziz, former Wynn Resorts Ltd. executive, who was sentenced to a year and one day in federal prison on Feb. 9. Prior to Abdelaziz's sentencing, the longest punishment in the case was just nine months to former Pimco CEO Douglas Hodge.
Wilson and Abdelaziz were the only two parents in the case to take their charges to trial, where a jury found them both guilty in October.
Wilson paid $200,000 to get his son into the University of Southern California as a fake water polo recruit. He also paid $1 million to try and get his twin daughters into Harvard and Stanford.
Prosecutors had tried to get Wilson sentenced to 21 months in federal prison, but Wilson then asked for 6 months and apologized for his participation in the admissions scheme. U.S. Attorney Ian Stearns said in court papers that he didn't believe Wilson's apology.
"Wilson’s failure to accept responsibility remains strident, and his brazen disregard for the truth continues," Stearns wrote, per Fox News.
There have been more than 50 people charged in the "Varsity Blues" case, and more than 30 parents have already plead guilty, including "Full House" actress Lori Loughlin, her husband Mossimo Giannulli, and "Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman. Huffman was sentenced to just 14 days in prison, while Loughlin got two months and Giannulli received five months.
The scheme was orchestrated by college counselor William “Rick” Singer, who has since been cooperating with the FBI.
During Wilson's trial, prosecutors showed a secretly recorded phone call between Wilson and Singer, where the two talked about getting his second daughter into Stanford as a fake sailing recruit. Singer reportedly said that the coach wouldn't be able to make the exception because "he actually has to recruit some real sailors," to which Wilson laughed.
Wilson's lawyer, Michael Kendall, said they plan to appeal the sentence.
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