A few people, particularly the celebrities indicted in Operation Varsity Blues, concluded that college is only about the prestige associated with elite schools.
More shockingly, the ringleader in the scandal seemingly faced minimal legal consequences, yet he gamed the system to get children of celebrity parents admitted into elite universities like Stanford, Georgetown, UCLA, Yale, Wake Forest, Northeastern, and Santa Clara University.
It should taint the general public’s opinion of some big-name actors for generations.
College Scandal
The scandal went as far back as 2011, but the FBI and journalists exposed it starting in March 2019.
The parents caught in the Operation Varsity Blues college admissions scandal were various celebrities. Among the most prominent were:
- Fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, who is married to Lori Loughlin
- Lori Loughlin, known for Full House, Fuller House, and When Calls the Heart
- Felicity Huffman, star of Desperate Housewives
The two actresses were charged with honest services fraud and mail fraud for their involvement in William Singer’s plan.
Some coaches and administrators were bribed into accepting so-called “student athletes” who actually had no experience whatsoever in college sports into top universities.
For example, Loughlin paid USC officials $500,000 to designate her daughters as recruits for the crew team, allowing easier admission to that university. However, neither girl ever participated in crew.
Other parents paid amounts ranging from $15,000 to $200,000, and even $6.5 million, for a total of $25 million, to trick university staff into admitting their children and/or allowing them to cheat on exams.
Felicity Huffman bribed a test administrator with a false donation of $15,000 for permission to cheat on her oldest daughter’s entrance exam, for instance. Like Huffman, other parents concealed their bribes “using a charitable organization.”
One daughter connected to the scandal lost an influential beauty brand partnership in which her role was to represent the company through social media.
New Development
California-based huckster William Rick Singer, head honcho of Operation Varsity Blues, is somehow out of prison and received the opportunity to become an academic advisor once again in 2024.
His sentence in 2019 was 65 years in prison and a fine of $1.2 million.
2024 was only three years away from 2019.
How the Scandal Impacts the Public Today
It is one more reason to be wary of celebrities. Not only do they generally look corny and generate so many sensationalized headlines, but they will also do anything to secure or enhance their social standing.
The kooky celebrities must have thought: “Who cares about basic ethics or morality? Is it really that bad to lie about my child being an athlete or use a charity to hide my bribery payments? Is cheating on an exam truly that culpable? I want my child to be in a hoity-toity university, preferably Ivy League, and we will do anything to put them there, no matter what it takes, just so I can improve my own social status. My child’s academic and social life may be negatively affected by my own fraud, but all I think of is myself and whether or not people admire me.”
Most fortunately, Lady Justice kept her blindfold on through this scandal. She did not mollycoddle Lori Loughlin and say, “Oh, you are a rich millionaire. Well, I feel sorry for you, and I will forgive you.”
In fact, Loughlin received a felony charge, spent two months in prison, served many hours of community service, and was even banned from the ritzy Bel-Air Country Club.
Netflix and Hallmark Media both ended their relationships with her, including her role on Fuller House and When Calls the Heart.
Loughlin may have believed she was above the law, but she has received her punishment, just as an average citizen would if they committed crimes like hers.
In truth, it is difficult to feel sorry for certain millionaire celebrities unless one is lamenting their long-lost morality.
Do not think for one minute that those TV stars would have cared if they had taken a college admissions spot that a diligent student worked hard to earn. They may have appeared to feel bad, but likely only felt bad about getting caught.
The wholesome family values of Full House and Fuller House could have been tainted by Loughlin’s foolish choice.
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