Another parent was charged in the college admissions scandal as the Justice Department expands a probe into the biggest scam of its kind ever prosecuted in the U.S.
Xiaoning Sui, whom prosecutors identified as a 48-year-old woman from British Columbia, was arrested in Spain and charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, according to the U.S. attorney in Massachusetts. Sui, the 35th parent to be charged in the sprawling case, is under arrest in Spain, prosecutors said, adding that they will seek her extradition to Boston to face charges.
Sui agreed to pay Rick Singer, the confessed mastermind of the scheme, $400,000 to get her son into the University of California at Los Angeles as a soccer recruit, prosecutors claim. A conspirator made up a soccer profile for the applicant, describing him as a top player for two private clubs in Canada, they allege. He was admitted to UCLA and awarded a 25% scholarship, according to the government.
The college admissions scam, which rocked academia -- and no small number of nervous parents across America who wondered if they’d also crossed the line -- now involves a total of 52 defendants, including test-center personnel, college athletic coaches and Singer’s staff, in addition to the parents.
Some of the parents’ payments went to boost their kids’ test scores, while other payoffs were for a handful of corrupt coaches at elite universities, the government says, from Stanford and the University of Southern California to Georgetown and Yale. The coaches put the applicants on recruiting lists, assuring them of admission whatever their test scores -- or athletic prowess. None of the colleges or students were charged.
This story provided by Bloomberg News.