Felicity Huffman, 12 other parents to plead guilty in college scheme

BOSTON — Actress Felicity Huffman and a dozen other prominent parents have agreed to plead guilty in the sweeping college admissions cheating scam that has ensnared wealthy families and athletic coaches at some of the nation's most selective universities, federal authorities said Monday.

A local businessman, who owns homes in Lynnfield and Hyannis Port, is not on the list. Neither is fellow actress Lori Loughlin, who played Aunt Becky on the sitcom "Full House," and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli. Loughlin and Giannulli are charged with paying $500,000 in bribes to get their two daughters admitted to the University of Southern California as crew recruits, even though neither participated in the sport.

A packaged-food entrepreneur from California became the first of the 33 parents charged in the college bribery scandal to agree to plead guilty last week.

Peter Jan Sartorio, 53, was accused of paying $15,000 in cash to have someone correct his daughter's answers on the ACT college entrance exam. The exact charges to which he planned to plead were not immediately clear.

The proceedings came three weeks after 50 people in all were charged with taking part in a scheme in which parents bribed coaches and helped rig test scores to get their children into some of the nation's most selective universities, including Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and the University of Southern California.

All of the defendants who improperly took tax deductions for the bribe payments have agreed to cooperate with the IRS to pay back taxes, according to the U.S. Attorney.

The case -- the biggest college admissions scheme ever prosecuted by the U.S. Justice Department -- has roiled the world of higher education and amplified complaints the system is stacked in favor of the rich.

Huffman, the 56-year-old former "Desperate Housewives" star, is charged with paying the admissions consultant at the center of the scheme $15,000 to have a proctor correct the answers on her daughter's SAT.

The defendants are charged with conspiracy and fraud, which carries up to 20 years in prison. But first-time offenders typically get only a fraction of that, and experts said some parents may avoid prison if they quickly agree to plead guilty.

Three other people have already pleaded guilty, including the admissions consultant, Rick Singer, and the former women's soccer coach at Yale, Rudy Meredith.

The case set off a furor over the feverish competition to get into college and the lengths to which status-seeking parents will go. Many complained that the playing field has long been uneven, with wealthy students enjoying the advantages of private schools, tutors, test-preparation coaches, admissions consultants and big donations to colleges from their parents.

Singer met with Huffman and her husband, 69-year-old actor William H. Macy, at their Los Angeles home and explained to them he "controlled" a testing center and could have somebody secretly change their daughter's answers, authorities say. Singer told investigators Huffman and her husband agreed to the plan.

Macy was not charged. Authorities have not said why.

In a statement offering her first public comments since her arrest last month, Huffman apologized, took responsibility for her actions and said she would accept the consequences.

"My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her. This transgression toward her and the public I will carry for the rest of my life. My desire to help my daughter is no excuse to break the law or engage in dishonesty," she said.

MORE: First wave of college admissions scandal defendants due in federal court

The following list includes parents who were charged in an Information with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud and have agreed to plead guilty as of Monday, according to the U.S. Attorney's office:

• Gregory Abbott, 68, of New York, N.Y., together with his wife, Marcia, agreed to pay Singer $125,000 to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme for their daughter;
• Marcia Abbott, 59, of New York, N.Y.;
• Jane Buckingham, 50, of Beverly Hills, Calif., agreed to pay Singer $50,000 to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme for her son;
• Gordon Caplan, 52, of Greenwich, Conn., agreed to pay Singer $75,000 to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme for his daughter;
• Robert Flaxman, 62, of Laguna Beach, Calif., agreed to pay Singer $75,000 to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme for his daughter;
• Felicity Huffman, 56, of Los Angeles, Calif., agreed to pay Singer at least $15,000 to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme for her oldest daughter;
• Agustin Huneeus Jr., 53, of San Francisco, Calif., agreed to pay Singer $300,000 to participate in both the college entrance exam cheating scheme and the college recruitment scheme for his daughter;
• Marjorie Klapper, 50, of Menlo Park, Calif., agreed to pay Singer $15,000 to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme for her son;
• Peter Jan Sartorio, 53, of Menlo Park, Calif., agreed to pay Singer $15,000 to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme for his daughter;
• Stephen Semprevivo, 53, of Los Angeles, Calif., agreed to pay Singer $400,000 to participate in the college recruitment scheme for his son; and
• Devin Sloane, 53, of Los Angeles, Calif., agreed to pay Singer $250,000 to participate in the college recruitment scheme for his son.

California real estate developer Bruce Isackson and his wife, Davina Isackson, were charged in a separate Information. They are pleading guilty to participating in both the athletic recruitment and exam rigging schemes, are cooperating with prosecutors for a chance at a lighter sentence.

"We have worked cooperatively with the prosecutors and will continue to do so as we take full responsibility for our bad judgment," they said in a statement.

Michael Center, the former men's tennis coach at the University of Texas at Austin, has also agreed to plead guilty, prosecutors said Monday. Center, who was charged in a third Information, was accused of accepting nearly $100,000 to help a non-tennis playing applicant get admitted as a recruit.

Singer, the consultant, pleaded guilty to charges including racketeering conspiracy on March 12, the same day the allegations against the parents and coaches were made public in the so-called Operations Varsity Blues investigation. Singer secretly recorded his conversations with the parents, helping to build the case against them, after agreeing to work with investigators in the hopes of getting a lesser sentence.

Several coaches have also been charged, including longtime tennis coach Gordon Ernst who's accused of getting $2.7 million in bribes to designate at least 12 applicants as recruits to Georgetown. Ernst, who was also the personal tennis coach for former first lady Michelle Obama and her daughters, and other coaches have pleaded not guilty.

Meredith has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes to help students get admitted and has been cooperating with authorities. Stanford's former sailing coach John Vandemoer also pleaded guilty to accepting $270,000 in contributions to the program for agreeing to recommend two prospective students for admission.

Stanford University expelled a student who lied about her sailing credentials in her application, which was linked to the scandal. The university quietly announced it had rescinded the student's admission in a short statement posted on its website April 2 after determining "some of the material in the student's application is false."

University officials previously said the student was admitted without the recommendation of Vandemoer.

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Alanna Durkin Richer contributed to this report for the Associated Press.

Associated Press