Serious Question about College Admissions Scandal

[KNP16]

They set up shell non profit companies to work thru and made these contributions tax deductible.

Like dale donates $500,000 to Jerry’s 501c3 and writes it off and jerry makes sure his kid is playing lacrosse at Maryland. That’s called tax evasion and fraud

I understand the legalities of it. What I don't understand is why there's such an outcry for this nonsense. Most people don't even understand why what they did was illegal. They just want to harp on the wealthy using their money to fix the game and etc. As some have said in this thread, that's just life.

[Take Dead Aim]

There is no question about the moral or ethical barriers crossed in this scandal. It's just another example of people softening the world for their kids. On one end you have parents paying tons of money to get unworthy kids into institutions that they'd otherwise not be admitted. In the middle, you have a man setting up a network to facilitate the moving of money from the parents willing, to the people that could actually get things done at the institution level. On the other end, you have coaches, registrars, and administrators accepting money, large amounts of money, to circumvent the normal admissions procedures and rules to admit unworthy applicants.

So the question is...and I ask this out of ignorance....what laws were broken?

As far as I know, none of this involves scholarship money, so I wonder who the victim was in these crimes besides the folks that lost a spot to these silver-spooned peckerwoods.

Does the difference between Public or Private institution matter at all?

No doubt it's a bad deal, but WHAT do they prosecute them for?

I have had the same questions. most of the charges were labeled as "conspiracy to commit mail fraud". All I can think this charge amounts to is them mailing in faulty document to the school. Which to me means they got nothing much to charge them on. People pay to get their kids into school all the time by donating to the school. From what I have heard so far it's a waste of time but maybe there is more to the story.

While I certainly dont agree with what was going on I dont think this is just this generation. Stuff like this has happened since universities started. Maybe this is just in our face so to speak. It's sad that it has to happen.

[Dusty Britches]

Last time I checked bribery, fraud, racketeering, and mail fraud were illegal.

[Smart]

Hell I don't see the big deal.



Sorry mam your kids don't qualify academically...but for a one time $100,000 donation to the general fund we can give Buffy an exemption for entrance. Its up to her to make the grades after that. If Buffy makes the grades, good for her and congrats on a fine degree....if she doesn't then the school got a nice donation for her attempt

[Charles]

The mastermind had a doctor that would label their kid having a disability when they did not. That faux disability allowed them to take the test under special circumstances under the American Disability Act. This allowed the administer of test to alter the results. Follow the money and you found a bribe. At least this is one of the theory I've heard.

Falsifying an application would be another. Next time you fill out an application read the fine print. Somewhere it states it's a crime to falsify any information you submit.

[Tryton]

Wire fraud, mail fraud and conspiracy to commit the above is what they have been charged with. Federal fraud statute is pretty broad and has big teeth.

This. They use the broad structure of this law to charge them with something.

"any fraudulent scheme to intentionally deprive another of property or honest services via mail or wire communication."

[wytex]

Really, don't see anything wrong here?

It was all illegal. Hope they all get the book thrown at them. If you have to buy your kid into college then maybe they shouldn't be there.
Those kids will have the same morals as their parents and that's kind of scary to me.

[jlp04c]

Colleges have devalued the hell out of themselves already. Anyone who thinks that getting "accepted" into a college is a big deal is ridiculous... there are 1000's of colleges that you are in if you have a pulse and student loans lined up. I too am struggling to see what actual law was broken... if the statement was as basic as: "Lori paid 500k for her daughter to go to USC, to play tennis" <<<that would be normal, 100% normal college procedure

[M16]

What’s the big deal? The government does the same thing through affirmative action.

[BigWes]

Hell I don't see the big deal.



Sorry mam your kids don't qualify academically...but for a one time $100,000 donation to the general fund we can give Buffy an exemption for entrance. Its up to her to make the grades after that. If Buffy makes the grades, good for her and congrats on a fine degree....if she doesn't then the school got a nice donation for her attempt

This does happen on a regular basis, and from what I understand, it is perfectly legal. A part of the issue here is that the money was going to school employees to grease the skids for the kids to gain entry, and not to the universities general fund. Black Ice mentioned it like stealing from your employer. The universities aren't getting that donation money, instead an employee is getting it. Then add on top of it all the test cheating, "donations" to the falsified 501c3 orgs, tax deductions, etc and it becomes a bigger problem.

The government wants its' money and so do universities. Run outside the base path and you get called out.

[Rush2Judge]

Just a thought... How did the tennis coach (and others) claim that income on his taxes? Tax fraud has taken a lot of bad people down over course of history.

[batmaninja]

Sheila Jackson Lee got into and graduated from Yale.

I guess they had her down as a nose tackle for their 3-4 defense.

This has been going on for a long time.

[Traildust]

How is this any different than recruiting all these star athletes who can barely complete a sentence?

[BrianL]

Hell I don't see the big deal.



Sorry mam your kids don't qualify academically...but for a one time $100,000 donation to the general fund we can give Buffy an exemption for entrance. Its up to her to make the grades after that. If Buffy makes the grades, good for her and congrats on a fine degree....if she doesn't then the school got a nice donation for her attempt

That would have been legal and is done often. Although you probably need to add another 0.

[Atfulldraw]

Hell I don't see the big deal.



Sorry mam your kids don't qualify academically...but for a one time $100,000 donation to the general fund we can give Buffy an exemption for entrance. Its up to her to make the grades after that. If Buffy makes the grades, good for her and congrats on a fine degree....if she doesn't then the school got a nice donation for her attempt

Exactly.

If I give enough to name a library after me, I’m pretty sure my daughter will get to study in that there library (right after her admission breezes through)

I mean, not that my kid needs it....she’s a genius level nerd, but you get the idea