Operation Varsity Blues

[falafel]

Lame celebrities so far.

Yeah, this would be a much better story with better celebrities. And it would make for a better movie, especially if they play themselves.

[Applejack]

It's stories like this where we really miss tripletdaddy.

[wapiti]

Lame celebrities so far.

The mayor of Hope Valley. How can it get any better?

[Uncle Ted]

Lame celebrities so far.

Lame, indeed...

IMG_1606.JPG

[myboynoah]

Rescinded admissions, a class-action suit: Fallout from college scandal spreads

FBI agents were tipped off to the scheme by a man they were investigating for securities fraud. Once he was caught, the man offered agents a tantalizing lead — the women’s soccer coach at Yale, Rudolph Meredith, had suggested a bribe could get his child into the school, according to people familiar with the matter.

With that, the FBI arranged a surreptitiously recorded meeting in a Boston hotel room in which the two men discussed the terms, including a $450,000 bribe if the coach designated the man’s daughter as a recruit for the soccer team, which would greatly enhance her chances of admission to Yale, according to court papers and people familiar with the matter. The tipster’s identity was earlier disclosed by the Boston Globe.

The undercover dad allegedly gave the coach a $2,000 cash down payment, according to charging papers.

Okay, so hold on. The FBI was investigating securities fraud and then found and pursued information on this whole college admissions scandal, totally unrelated to the original securities fraud investigation, and is now arresting and indicting people on the college admissions affair?!?!?!? Holding that pretty lady on $1 million bond??!!?!?!?

WTF?!?!!?

The FBI is out of control.

[myboynoah]

THIS. IS. AWESOME.

They Had It Coming

There are several instances of college counselors gumming up the works with their small-timers’ insistence on ethical behavior. That someone as lowly, as contemptibly puny, as a guidance counselor should interfere with a rich person’s desires is the cause of electric rage. For this reason, after having read the 200-page affidavit many times and trying to be as objective as possible, I had to conclude that the uncontested winners of Worst People (So Far) to Be Indicted are Lori Loughlin, an actress, and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, a designer. When a college counselor at their daughter’s high school realized something was suspicious about her admission to USC and asked the girl about it, the parents roared onto campus in such a rage that they almost blew up the whole scam.

The couple paid $500,000 to get both of their daughters into USC on the preposterous claim that they rowed crew. Their daughter Olivia has become a particularly ridiculed character in the saga, because there are pre-indictment videos in which she describes both her lack of desire to attend college and how rarely she attended high school during her senior year. But I have sympathy for her. She knew higher education wasn’t where she belonged, but her parents insisted that she go. Up until the scandal, the girl had a thriving cosmetics line, was a popular YouTuber, and was clearly making the best of what Hillary Clinton would call her God-given potential. Now she’s a punch line, and Sephora has pulled her products off the shelves.

The court filings don’t state when the parents began working with Singer, but they appear to have felt a sense of urgency on April 22, 2016, when they took part in a standard component of prep-school college counseling: the family meeting with a college counselor during spring of junior year. “We just met with [Olivia’s] college counselor this am,” Giannulli wrote in an email to Singer. “I’d like to maybe sit with you after your session with the girls as I have some concerns and want to fully understand the game plan … as it relates to [her] and getting her into a school other than ASU!”

Mentioning Arizona State University to the private-school parents of a freshman is the equivalent of throwing a flash-bang grenade; it won’t kill anyone, but it will sure as hell get their attention. But mention it to the parents of a second-semester junior, and you’re no longer issuing warnings. ASU is the unconditional surrender.

“If you want [U]SC,” Singer replies, “I have the game plan ready to go into motion.”

But the college counselor at the girls’ high school had always doubted that the first girl rowed crew; when the second one got into the same school for the same reason, she realized that something suspicious was going on. She confronted the girl.

The counselor was acting honorably. Loughlin and Giannulli—if the affidavit is to be believed—were in the midst of a criminal operation. Yet instead of hanging his head in shame, Giannulli apparently roared onto the high-school campus apoplectic. Singer got a panicked email from his USC contact: “I just want to make sure that, you know, I don’t want the … parents getting angry and creating any type of disturbance at the school … I just don’t want anybody going into … [the daughter’s high school] you know, yelling at counselors. That’ll shut everything—that’ll shut everything down.”

It’s hell on Earth for college counselors when people like this show up angry that their kid didn’t get an acceptance from Williams. But to endure it because you’ve gotten in the way of a giant scam? Hideous.

One way or another, the counselor was impelled—I would imagine by some freaked out higher-up—to send the parents an email:

I wanted to provide you with an update on the status of [your younger daughter’s] admission offer to USC. First and foremost, they have no intention of rescinding [her] admission and were surprised to hear that was even a concern for you and your family. You can verify that with [the USC senior assistant director of admissions] … if you would like. I also shared with [the USC senior assistant director of admission] that you had visited this morning and affirmed for me that [your younger daughter] is truly a coxswain.

Ouch, ASU.

[Pelado]

THIS. IS. AWESOME.

They Had It Coming



Ouch, ASU.

That article is awesome.

[BigFatMeanie]

I read the whole thing. I really enjoyed Caitlin Flangan's writing style. There are some pretty hilarious gems in there. The dude's wife that wasn't on board with the plan (Miss Scruples) was pretty funny. Also, the Dealmaker of the Year crack with respect to Felicity Huffman only getting charged $15K had me rolling.

[hostile]

I liked this line:

Keep in mind I am a lawyer, so I’m sort of rules oriented... I’m not worried about the moral issue here. I’m worried about the, if she’s caught doing that, you know, she’s finished.

[Pelado]

I read the whole thing. I really enjoyed Caitlin Flangan's writing style. There are some pretty hilarious gems in there. The dude's wife that wasn't on board with the plan (Miss Scruples) was pretty funny. Also, the Dealmaker of the Year crack with respect to Felicity Huffman only getting charged $15K had me rolling.

Agreed.

[Soccermom]

Felicity Huffman is pleading guilty. Wonder how much time she will do.

[Uncle Ted]

Felicity Huffman is pleading guilty. Wonder how much time she will do.

I am guessing about as much time as this guy... How much did she have to "donate" to the judge?

[Soccermom]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/09/u...in-update.html

Welp. It looks like Aunt Becky will be doing time. More charges.

[falafel]

I am guessing about as much time as this guy... How much did she have to "donate" to the judge?

Well since she's pleading guilty and Smollett had all charges dropped, I don't they'll have the same outcome.

[Soccermom]

Well since she's pleading guilty and Smollett had all charges dropped, I don't they'll have the same outcome.

Especially if the U.S. Attorney meant what he said about rich people not getting a separate form of justice. I bet she serves around 6 months time.