A Los Angeles County father was sentenced Wednesday to six weeks in prison and 250 hours of community service in connection with the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal.
Homayoun Zadeh, 60, of Calabasas pleaded guilty in July to one count of filing a false tax return as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors in Boston. He was amoun 50 parents, coaches, and academic professionals arrested in March 2019 in connection with a scheme that involved rigging students’ test scores and paying off coaches to help them get into top colleges and universities.
Zadeh allegedly agreed to pay $100,000 to help his daughter get into the University of Southern California as a lacrosse recruit—though she did not play the sport. He reportedly had been a dentistry professor at the school.
Prosecutors said Zadeh deducted payments made to Rick Singer, ringleader of the nationwide scheme, from his own taxes as a charitable gift even though he knew they were meant to bribe his daughter’s way into USC.
Under his plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to dismiss more serious charges against Zadeh, including conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery and money laundering. He will also pay $8,000 in restitution and a $20,000 fine. He will report to the federal Bureau of Prisons on Dec. 7.
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