More charges in college bribery schemes

By now most people have heard about the college admissions scandal where wealthy parents were buying their kids’ way into school. While several parents have already been convicted, the federal government is still bringing more charges in the case. For those who haven’t pleaded guilty, the government just announced additional charges of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery.

What is it all about?

To recap the situation, various parents, including celebrities, were caught in scams to get their kids into top notch schools and universities. The parents would do so by fraud, bribery and lying. In the case of Lori Loughlin, an actress known from the sitcom Full House, that meant using an agency to get her children “recruited” as crew athletes – even though they were not.

Different parents utilized different, illegal means, but to summarize, the list of charges includes fraud, conspiracy, bribery and money laundering. About 30 parents have been accused in the crackdown, and about half of those have pleaded guilty. Those who are fighting the charges will now have the additional federal program bribery charge added to the case.

In a criminal case, every detail is important.

Each family is facing different charges, but of the ten parents already sentenced, nine will serve jail time. Those details, plus the addition of new charges, show that the government is making an example in this well publicized case.

While this story focuses on the rich and famous, there are many takeaways that might apply to anyone. First, it shows that justice is not blinded by money. Second, criminal charges often spiral from one charge into many. Furthermore, the multitude of charges highlights how a small detail can change a crime. Because many schools use federal funds, for example, the parents are now dealing with additional charges.