Two wealthy fathers were convicted Friday of buying their children’s ways into the University of Southern California’s undergraduate program. Theirs was the first case tried in the 2019 college admissions scandal that involved several schools across the United States.
Gamel Abdelaziz of Las Vegas and John Wilson of Massachusetts were found guilty of fraud and bribery charges in connection with a scheme that falsely portrayed their children as athletic recruits to gain admission to USC. Prosecutors accused Wilson of paying $1 million to buy his twin daughters’ spots at Stanford and Harvard.
They numbered among nearly 60 defendants charged in what federal investigators dubbed “Operation Varsity Blues.” Thirty-three parents have pleaded guilty thus far for paying bribes to various school officials, including L.A.-area residents and Hollywood actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin.
Lawyers for Abdelaziz, a casino executive, and Wilson, formerly a Staples executive, argued they believed they had made legitimate donations to USC. Defense attorneys blamed the scheme squarely on Rick Singer, the high-end college admissions consultant at the center of Operation Varsity Blues.
“He never agreed with Rick Singer to bribe anyone at USC and he never agreed with Rick Singer to defraud USC with some phony profile that he never saw,” Abdelaziz’s attorney, Brian Kelly, told jurors during closing arguments.
But in a recording of a phone call between Abdelaziz and Singer presented by prosecutors, the casino magnate reportedly complimented the consultant on the quality of a fake athletic profile used to convince USC admissions officers his daughter was a varsity basketball recruit.
“I love it,” Abdelaziz reportedly said.
Singer has pleaded guilty to a number of federal charges in connection with the scam, including conspiracy to commit money laundering, but has yet to be sentenced.
Abdelaziz and Wilson will return to court in February for sentencing.
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