It’s been nearly a month now since prosecutors charged 50 people for conspiring to use their money and influence to game the college admission system in the US. Out of the 50 people charged, 33 of them were actually parents while the others were people involved with the colleges in one way or another.
The cases of the 33 parents have progressed differently ever since. According to recent reports, 13 of them, including actress Felicity Huffman, have already pleaded guilty to the charges against them. On the other hand, 19 have decided to fight off the charges including actress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli. The two have been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The others remaining are still working to finalize their pleas. Some parents had also been charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering.
In case you are wondering how the charges have been progressing so far, we have a simple breakdown here below. Let’s get started with the “not guilty” pleas.
The 19 who have pleaded not guilty to all charges leveled against them are:
- Gregory Colburn
- Amy Colburn
- David Sidoo
- Robert Zangrillo
- Elisabeth Kimmel
- Homayoun Zadeh
- John Wilson
- I-Hsin "Joey" Chen
- Gamal Abdelaziz
- Diane Blake
- Todd Blake
- William McGlashan
- Mossimo Giannulli
- Lori Loughlin
- Marci Palatella
- Douglas Hodge
- Michelle Janavs
- Manuel Henriquez
- Elizabeth Henriquez
12 other parents were also charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.
These parents pleaded guilty in pursuant to a plea agreement with federal prosecutors and they include:
- Gregory Abbott
- Marcia Abbott
- Jane Buckingham
- Gordon Caplan
- Robert Flaxman
- Felicity Huffman
- Agustin Huneeus Jr.
- Marjorie Klapper
- Peter Jan Sartorio
- Stephen Semprevivo
- Devin Sloane
- Davina Isackson
There is still one person though who is yet to enter any plea and that is Toby MacFarlane. He has been charged by complaint with conspiracy to commit mail fraud. However, prosecutors said that MacFarlane had requested for time as he continues with plea negotiations. It’s very likely that he too will plead guilty. MacFarlane was given up to April 25th to decide. The college cheating scandal was revealed by federal authorities where it emerged that wealthy parents were paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to have their children admitted into top US colleges.
