Parents Involved in Admission Scandal at Major U.S. Ivy League University... Jury Delivers Guilty Verdict

Final Verdict Scheduled for February Next Year

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The individuals involved in the 2019 U.S. elite university admissions bribery scandal have been found guilty of bribery charges.

On the 8th (local time), according to major foreign media, a jury at the Massachusetts District Court in the U.S. delivered guilty verdicts against financier John Wilson and former casino operator Gamal Abdelaziz on charges of bribery and fraud. The jury underwent a four-week trial process before reaching this verdict.

They are among the approximately 50 people indicted in the scandal involving wealthy American children’s elite university admissions fraud. Wilson handed over $220,000 (about 263.12 million KRW) in 2013 to William Rick Singer, the main culprit of the bribery case and an admissions consultant, to admit his son to the prestigious University of Southern California (USC) as a water polo athlete. He is also accused of paying more than $1.5 million in 2018 to admit his twin daughters to Stanford University and Harvard University. Abdelaziz gave $300,000 to Singer in 2018 and admitted his daughter to USC as a basketball athlete.

The final verdict for these individuals is expected to be delivered in February next year. According to foreign media, they could face up to 20 years in prison. Among the parents involved in this admissions bribery scandal, celebrities include Felicity Huffman, who appeared in the popular TV drama "Desperate Housewives," and Lori Loughlin, an actress from the sitcom "Full House." Other famous entertainers and entrepreneurs were also implicated.

The U.S. federal prosecutors indicted a total of 57 people related to this case but did not indict the schools or students involved.

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