BOSTON (AP) — Hollywood actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were charged along with nearly 50 other people Tuesday in a scheme in which wealthy parents bribed college coaches and insiders at testing centers to get their children into some of the most elite schools in the country, federal prosecutors said.
Authorities called it the biggest college admissions scam ever prosecuted by the U.S. Justice Department.
"These parents are a catalog of wealth and privilege," U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said in announcing the $25 million bribery case against 50 people in all.
At least nine athletic coaches and 33 parents were among those charged in the investigation, dubbed Operation Varsity Blues. Dozens, including Huffman, were arrested by midday.
Prosecutors said parents paid an admissions consultant from 2011 through last month to bribe coaches and administrators to label their children as recruited athletes, to alter test scores and to have others take online classes to boost their children's chances of getting into schools.
Parents spent anywhere from $200,000 to $6.5 million to guarantee their children's admission, officials said.
"For every student admitted through fraud, an honest and genuinely talented student was rejected," Lelling said.
The coaches worked at such schools as Stanford, Georgetown, Wake Forest, the University of Southern California and University of California, Los Angeles. A former Yale soccer coach pleaded guilty and helped build the case against others.
Lelling said the investigation is continuing and authorities believe other parents were involved. The schools themselves are not targets of the investigation, he said.
No students were charged. Authorities said in many cases the teenagers were not aware of the fraud.
Authorities said coaches in such sports as soccer, sailing, tennis, water polo and volleyball accepted bribes to put students on lists of recruited athletes, regardless of their ability or experience. That, in turn, boosted the students' chances of admission.
Among the parents charged were Gordon Caplan of Greenwich, Connecticut, a co-chairman of an international law firm based in New York; Jane Buckingham, CEO of a boutique marketing company in Los Angeles; Gregory Abbott of New York, founder and chairman of a packaging company; and Manuel Henriquez, CEO of a finance company based in Palo Alto, California.
The bribes allegedly came through an admissions consulting company in Newport Beach, California. Authorities said parents paid William Singer, the founder of the Edge College & Career Network, approximately $25 million to get their children into college.
Prosecutors said Singer was scheduled to plead guilty to charges including racketeering conspiracy.
John Vandemoer, the former head sailing coach at Stanford, was also expected to plead guilty Tuesday.
Loughlin, who was charged along with her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, appeared in the ABC sitcom "Full House," while Huffman starred in ABC's "Desperate Housewives." Both were charged with fraud and conspiracy.
Court documents said Huffman paid $15,000 that she disguised as a charitable donation so that her daughter could take part in the college entrance-exam cheating scam.
Court papers said a cooperating witness met with Huffman and her husband, actor William H. Macy, at their Los Angeles home and explained to them that he "controlled" a testing center and could have somebody secretly change her daughter's answers. The person told investigators that the couple agreed to the plan.
Macy was not charged; authorities did not say why.
Messages seeking comment from Huffman's representative were not immediately returned. A spokeswoman for Loughlin had no comment.
1:40 p.m.
The NCAA says it will look into claims made against college coaches and administrators in the admissions bribery scandal.
In a statement, the NCAA says the "charges brought forth today are troubling and should be a concern for all of higher education."
Most NCAA rules that regulate recruiting are aimed at preventing schools and coaches from giving improper benefits and enticements to athletes.
In this case, parents were paying coaches to help students gain entry to college by falsifying athletic credentials and claiming that the students were being recruited to plays sports.
The NCAA says it is reviewing the allegations "to determine the extent to which NCAA rules maybe have been violated."
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1:35 p.m.
The University of California, Los Angeles says its soccer coach Jorge Salcedo has been placed on leave pending a review and will have no involvement with the team.
UCLA says in a statement Tuesday it's a "potential victim of a fraudulent scheme" but that it's not aware of any student-athletes who are under suspicion.
Court documents say Salcedo, who was the head coach for the men's team, helped get two applicants who did not play competitive soccer into UCLA in exchange for $100,000 in 2016 and 2018.
Authorities say nine coaches at elite schools were part of the scheme.
Wake Forest University suspended its head volleyball coach following the sweeping federal investigation into admissions bribes.
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1:15 p.m.
William H. Macy talked about his daughter's "stressful" college application process earlier this year.
The actor's comments came two months before his wife, Felicity Huffman, was among more than 30 parents charged in a sweeping college admissions bribery scam.
Macy said in the January interview with Parade magazine that his family was "in the thick of college application time, which is so stressful."
Huffman was one of 13 people, including actress Lori Loughlin (LAWK'-lin), taken into custody Tuesday in Los Angeles. Authorities have not said why Macy wasn't charged.
Court documents say Huffman paid $15,000 she disguised as a charitable donation so her daughter could partake in the college entrance cheating scam.
Authorities say it is the largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice.
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1 p.m.
Wake Forest University says it has suspended its head volleyball coach amid a sweeping federal investigation into admissions bribes.
The North Carolina school says it placed Bill Ferguson on administrative leave but declined further comment.
Ferguson is accused of accepting $100,000 to recruit a student who had been on Wake Forest's wait list.
Other coaches are accused of taking bribes to admit students at schools including Georgetown University and the University of Southern California.
Prosecutors say the bribes were orchestrated by William "Rick" Singer, a California admissions consultant who is scheduled to plead guilty to charges including racketeering conspiracy.
USC says it is reviewing any admissions decisions and payments tied to the case.
Prosecutors say the investigation is ongoing but that it appears schools were not involved in the scheme.
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12:55 p.m.
The FBI says 13 defendants in a college admissions bribery scam have been taken into custody in the Los Angeles area, including actress Felicity Huffman.
Officials say initial court appearances are planned Tuesday afternoon.
Actress Lori Loughlin (LAWK'-lin) is among those charged but was not taken into custody Tuesday morning. Her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, was arrested at their home.
Court documents say Huffman paid $15,000 that she disguised as a charitable donation so her daughter could partake in the college entrance cheating scam.
Papers say a cooperating witness met with Huffman and her husband, actor William H. Macy, at their Los Angeles home and explained the scam to them. The cooperator told investigators that Huffman and her spouse "agreed to the plan."
Macy has not been charged; authorities haven't said why. Representatives for Huffman haven't returned a message seeking comment.
Representatives for Loughlin had no comment.
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12:15 p.m.
Fifty people have been charged in what federal officials say is the largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted by the Justice Department.
Among those charged are nine coaches of elite schools and 33 parents who prosecutors say paid "enormous sums" to guarantee their children's admission.
Coaches are accused of taking bribes to admit students at schools including Wake Forest University, Georgetown University and the University of Southern California.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling in Boston said Tuesday at a news conference that the colleges are not targets of the continuing investigation. He says authorities believe other parents were involved.
Court documents say an admissions consulting company in California was paid $25 million from 2011 through February 2019 to help facilitate the bribes.
Parents charged include actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman. Representatives for Loughlin had no comment.
Officials say parents spent anywhere from $200,000 to $6.5 million to guarantee their children's admission.
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11:45 a.m.
Actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin are among at least 40 people indicted in a sweeping college admissions bribery scandal.
Loughlin appeared in the ABC sitcom "Full House," and Huffman starred in ABC's "Desperate Housewives." Both were charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud in indictments unsealed Tuesday in federal court in Boston.
Court documents say Huffman paid $15,000 that she disguised as a charitable donation so her daughter could partake in the college entrance cheating scam.
Court papers say a cooperating witness met with Huffman and her husband at their Los Angeles home and explained the scam to them. The cooperator told investigators that Huffman and her spouse "agreed to the plan."
Huffman is married to actor William H. Macy.
Messages seeking comment have been left with representatives for Huffman and Loughlin.
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11:20 a.m.
College coaches and others have been charged in a sweeping admissions bribery case unsealed in federal court.
The racketeering conspiracy charges unveiled Tuesday were brought against the coaches at schools including Wake Forest University, Georgetown and the University of Southern California.
Authorities say the coaches accepted bribes in exchange for admitting students as athletes, regardless of their ability.
Prosecutors say parents paid an admissions consultant $25 million from 2011 through February 2019 to bribe coaches and administrators to label their children as recruited athletes to boost their chances of getting into schools.
Prosecutors allege that fake athletic profiles were also made to make students look like strong high school athletes when they actually weren't.
Authorities say the consulting company also bribed administrators of college entrance exams to allow a Florida man to take the tests on behalf of students or replace their answers with his.
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10:45 a.m.
Federal authorities have charged college coaches and others in a sweeping admissions bribery case in federal court.
The racketeering conspiracy charges were unsealed Tuesday against the coaches at schools including Wake Forest University, Georgetown and the University of Southern California.
Authorities say the coaches accepted bribes in exchange for admitting students as athletes, regardless of their ability.
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press