News Update

Two parents convicted in Varsity Blues college admissions scandal trial

Two parents were convicted Friday on bribery and fraud charges in connection with a scheme in which they paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to have their children fraudulently admitted as athletic recruits to U.S. universities.

A federal jury in Boston found former casino executive Gamal Aziz and private equity firm founder John Wilson guilty, according to The New York Times. Abdelaziz was accused of paying $300,000 to get his daughter admitted to the University of Southern California in 2018 as a basketball recruit and Wilson was accused of paying $220,000 for his to be admitted to the same university as a water polo recruit in 2014.

The two men were the first to stand trial in the scandal, which extended to dozens of other parents, coaches and administrators who worked to get students admitted to a number of universities. Rather than going to trial, many of those other parents have pleaded guilty.