Stanford University tosses out student involved in admissions bribery scandal
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Stanford University has quietly "rescinded admission" for a student who allegedly lied about sailing credentials in her application to the elite school.
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Stanford University has quietly "rescinded admission" for a student who allegedly lied about sailing credentials in her application to the elite school, and then was exposed during the college admissions bribery scandal that broke last month.
The unidentified female student was reportedly accepted in part due to the sailing experience she claimed to have, although she never participated on the Stanford sailing team and was not recruited through the normal athletic process. After she was admitted, a $500,000 donation was made to the university's sailing program, according to federal court documents.
The Stanford Daily reported that the donation was facilitated by head sailing coach John Vandemoer, who was fired after pleading guilty to the charges against him for accepting bribes in exchange for recommending students' admission. In exchange for pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering, the coach is set to serve an 18-month prison sentence.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Stanford University said in a statement it was investigating three students connected to the school in the scandal, two of whom did not end up attending Stanford, though the sailing coach accepted a total of $270,000 in bribes from their family members. In a short update posted on April 2, the school announced it expelled the third student associated with the scandal, who was attending Stanford at the time.
"We determined that some of the material in the student’s application is false and, in accordance with our policies, have rescinded admission," the statement read. "Any credits earned have also been vacated. The student is no longer on Stanford’s campus."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}LORI LOUGHLIN SIGNS AUTOGRAPHS AHEAD OF COURT HEARING IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL
The admissions scandal led to dozens of high-profile celebrities, entrepreneurs, and coaches being indicted when the news broke following an FBI investigation titled Operation Varsity Blues. William Rick Singer was found to be running a multi-million dollar organization facilitating bribes from wealthy parents to primarily Ivy League athletic officials in exchange for getting their children admitted.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Actresses such as Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin have been in and out of court in the weeks since, and could face prison time. They are facing federal charges for which the maximum sentence is five years.
On Monday, it was revealed that Huffman was among 14 people who have agreed to plead guilty to charges connected to the scandal.
She and her husband, actor William H. Macy, were accused of making a $15,000 donation to Singer's organization to have someone correct their daughter's answers on the SAT.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a statement, Huffman said that she felt "deep regret and shame" over what she had done, and wanted to "apologize to the students who work every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices to support their children and do so honestly.”