College-Admissions Scandal to See First Trial Next Week [WSJ]

 The flava:

The nationwide college-admissions scandal is returning to the spotlight next week, with the first trial in the sprawling case involving two parents accused of bribery-and-fraud conspiracy in an alleged scheme to get their children admitted to the University of Southern California as athletic recruits.

Forty-six defendants, including Hollywood TV stars, business titans, Division 1 coaches and SAT test proctors, already have pleaded or agreed to plead guilty. The federal criminal proceedings, which came to light in 2019 as “Operation Varsity Blues,” have highlighted how gaining entry to selective colleges amounts to a bruising competition in many affluent pockets of the U.S. and have exposed how parts of the admission process have been ripe for exploitation.

In total, the U.S. attorney in Massachusetts charged 57 people in the case. Newport Beach, Calif., college counselor William “Rick” Singer has admitted to leading the scheme, which entailed rigging SAT and ACT scores or bribing coaches at the University of Southern California, Stanford University, Yale University and other schools to fraudulently present teens as recruited athletes. Being tagged by coaches as even non-scholarship players all but guarantees entry at some schools.

Several defendants have maintained their innocence. . . .

The article:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/college-admissions-scandal-to-see-first-trial-next-week-11630575001