Two wealthy dads convicted in first U.S. college admissions scandal trial

• HYANNIS PORT CAPITAL REAL ESTATE FUND LP

  See everything

The company and office names listed above are automatically generated from the text of the article. We are improving this feature as we continue to test and develop the beta version. We appreciate your feedback, which you can submit using the feedback tab on the right side of the page.

BOSTON, Oct. 8 (Reuters) – Two wealthy fathers who were the first to stand on trial in the U.S. college admissions scandal were convicted Friday on charges of corrupt attempts to buy their children’s way into elite universities as fake sports recruits .

A federal jury in Boston found former casino manager Gamal Aziz and private equity firm founder John Wilson guilty of all charges brought against them in a case that focused on a huge nationwide fraud and bribery program, in which many other parents were involved.

The verdict followed a 10-1 / 2-hour jury deliberation and four-week trial in a case that exposed inequalities in higher education and wealthy parents sought to secure places for their children in top schools.

The two are among 57 people charged with a plot in which wealthy parents conspired with California college admissions advisor William “Rick” Singer to seek college placements for their children through fraud and bribery.

Singer pleaded guilty in 2019 to facilitating college entrance exam fraud and diverting money from parents to corrupt coaches and athletics officials to secure their children’s approval as fake athletes.

Prosecutors alleged that Aziz – a former Wynn Resorts Ltd (WYNN.O) manager, also known as Gamal Abdelaziz – paid $ 300,000 in 2018 to get his daughter approved as a basketball recruit at the University of Southern Secure California (USC).

Prosecutors said Wilson, who founded Hyannis Port Capital, paid $ 220,000 in 2014 to falsely label his son a USC water polo recruit, and later in 2018 an additional $ 1 million to try his Secure twin daughters places at Stanford and Harvard Universities.

“What they did was an affront to hard-working students and parents,” said acting US Attorney Nathaniel Mendell. “But today’s verdict proves that even these defendants, powerful and privileged people, are not above the law.”

Aziz, 64, and Wilson, 62, sat emotionless when the verdict was read out loud.

Wilson was also convicted on six other fraud, bribery and tax charges. If convicted in February, they face years of imprisonment, despite the longest sentence any parent has received in the scandal to date was nine months.

Former Wynn Resorts manager Gamal Abdelaziz, also known as Gamal Aziz and charged with participating in a bribe payment program to fraudulently secure his children’s admission to top schools, comes to the first day of jury selection in the first trial in federal court result of the US college admissions scandal that resulted in dozens of celebrities, executives and coaches being prosecuted in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, September 8, 2021. REUTERS / Brian Snyder / File Photo

Continue reading

Both men are expected to appeal. Her lawyers alleged that they too had been betrayed by Singer, who kept them in the dark about the mechanics of his scheme and made them believe that their money was being used for university donations rather than bribes.

“It’s obviously not the result he was looking for, but that’s our system and that’s why there are appeals courts,” said Brian Kelly, Aziz’s attorney. “So that’s what we’re going to do next.”

‘Doesn’t matter’ WHAT SPORT

The trial depended in large part on recordings the investigators had secretly obtained from the two parents with Singer, who became the main witness of the collaboration in the investigation into Operation Varsity Blues.

The investigation seduced executives and celebrities, including actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, who were among the 47 defendants who agreed to plead guilty. Former President Donald Trump pardoned one parent.

Prosecutors did not call Singer to testify, but relied on his recorded calls with parents.

In a call that prosecutors played for the jury, Singer told Wilson that it “doesn’t matter” what sport they are paired with and that he “would make them a sailor or something”.

Wilson laughed and replied, “Is there a special two for one? When you have twins?”

In both parent’s cases, prosecutors said that Singer and others who work with him created sports profiles that were used in the admissions process that included information about their children.

Laura Janke, a former USC soccer coach who has admitted taking bribes from Singer, testified that he later paid her after she left school to profile Aziz’s daughter that was her height , Faked team position and awards.

More studies are expected, with another in November.

Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston. Editing by Bill Berkrot

Nate Raymond

Nate Raymond reports on federal justice and litigation. He can be reached at nate.raymond@thomsonreuters.com.