Nationwide College Cheating Scandal - Actresses, Business Owners Charged, Mar 2019 - #3

New Posts

Status
Not open for further replies.
Today's court appearance:

Robert FLAXMAN - 10/18/19 at 11:00am – Sentencing hearing before Judge Talwani. Investigations of College Admissions and Testing Bribery Scheme

The 63-year-old Los Angeles resident pleaded guilty in May to a single count of fraud and conspiracy.

Flaxman paid $75,000 to have a test proctor feed his daughter answers on her ACT exam in 2016. They say she used the score to get into an undisclosed college that suspended her for a semester after the scheme was revealed.

Prosecutors are recommending eight months in prison and a $40,000 fine. His lawyers suggest supervised release and community service. Flaxman's lawyers argue the scheme was not about "ego gratification," saying his daughter's school is "excellent" but not elite.

Real Estate Developer Faces Judgment in College Bribery Case

Flaxman was accused of paying for both schemes. Flaxman paid $250,000 to get his son recruited as an athlete to the University of San Diego and $75,000 to help his daughter cheat on her ACT.

Flaxman's son was admitted to the university in March 2016. In April, Flaxman was sent an invoice for $250,000 by Key Worldwide Foundation, a nonprofit organization. People who participated in the scheme paid bribes to Key Worldwide Foundation under the guise of charitable contributions. Flaxman sent the money to the nonprofit group and agreed to describe the payments as donations he made to help "underserved kids."

For his daughter, court documents say she took the ACT in April 2016 and received a relatively low score of 20 out of 36. He allegedly paid $75,000 to the foundation to have someone help his daughter answer questions on the ACT at a testing site in Houston. Flaxman's daughter's score improved: a 28 out of 36.

Arizona resort developer apologizes for college bribery scheme; company says big Phoenix project on track

Last month:
Robert Flaxman Buys Neighboring $11 Million Mansion
 
Last edited:
Alec Baldwin doesn't think parents involved in college admissions scandal 'should go to prison'

"I don’t think anyone involved in the college fraud cases should go to prison," the actor wrote. "That includes past cases as well. Community service, fines, yes. But prison time, no. My heart goes out to Felicity, Bill Macy and their family."

Baldwin faced backlash online for his opinion.

One user wrote, "While I agree with the general sentiment, the fact remains that privileged individuals like Lori [Loughlin] and Felicity are treated differently by the law. And until we reach a bit of equity, I'm 100% ok with them serving time."

"So the punishment for using their wealth to gain advantage of the less fortunate, should be using their wealth to avoid actual punishment like the less fortunate would have to face???" wrote another.

"Fines. Seriously??? When do fines punish the wealthy?" offered someone else.

Baldwin didn't stand down, though. He clapped back: "Community service is better. The demonization of wealth in this country is mind blowing. A country built on both freedoms and commerce. Now, all success is scrutinized. Merely to succeed, especially financially, invites scrutiny, judgment, abuse."
 
Updates as of 10/18:

Douglas HODGE - 10/21/19 at 10:00 am - Sentencing hearing before Judge Gorton.
Jane BUCKINGHAM - 10/23/19 at 2:30 pm – Sentencing hearing before Judge Talwani
William Rick SINGER - 10/23/2019 at 2:00 pm – Telephone Conference with J. Zobel
Jeffrey BIZZACK - 10/30/19 at 12:00 pm – Sentencing hearing before Judge Woodlock.
Michael CENTER - 10/30/19 at 2:00 pm – Sentencing hearing before Judge Stearns.
Mark RIDDELL - 11/1/2019 at 11:00 am - Sentencing hearing before Judge Gorton.
Igor DVORSKIY - plea hearing re-scheduled for Nov. 13 at 10am.
Toby MACFARLANE - 11/13/19 at 3:00 pm – Sentencing hearing before Judge Gorton.
Jorge SALCEDO - 1/17/20 at 10:00 am – Status conference scheduled before Magistrate Judge Kelley.
Gordon ERNST - 1/17/20 at 10:00 am – Status conference scheduled before Magistrate Judge Kelley.
William FERGUSON - 1/17/20 at 10:00 am – Status conference scheduled before Magistrate Judge Kelley.
Martin FOX - 1/17/20 at 10:00 am – Status conference scheduled before Magistrate Judge Kelley.
Donna HEINEL - 1/17/20 at 10:00 am – Status conference scheduled before Magistrate Judge Kelley.
Mikaela SANFORD - 1/17/20 at 10:00 am – Status conference scheduled before Magistrate Judge Kelley.
Jovan VAVIC - 1/17/20 at 10:00 am – Status conference scheduled before Magistrate Judge Kelley.
Niki WILLIAMS - 1/17/20 at 10:00 am – Status conference scheduled before Magistrate Judge Kelley.
David SIDOO - 1/17/20 at 11:00 am - Status conference.
Amy COLBURN - 1/17/20 at 11:00 am - Status conference. .
Gregory COLBURN - 1/17/20 at 11:00 am - Status conference.
Gamal ABDELAZIZ - 1/17/20 at 11:00 am - Status conference.
Diane BLAKE - 1/17/20 at 11:00 am - Status conference. .
Todd BLAKE - 1/17/20 at 11:00 am - Status conference.
I-Hsin “Joey” CHEN - 1/17/20 at 11:00 am - Status conference.
Mossimo GIANNULLI - 1/17/20 at 11:00 am - Status conference. .
Elizabeth HENRIQUEZ - 1/17/20 at 11:00 am - Status conference.
Manuel HENRIQUEZ - 1/17/20 at 11:00 am - Status conference.
Michelle JANAVS - 1/17/20 at 11:00 am - Status conference.
Elisabeth KIMMEL - 1/17/20 at 11:00 am - Status conference..
Lori LOUGHLIN - 1/17/20 at 11:00 am - Status conference.
William McGLASHAN - 1/17/20 at 11:00 am - Status conference.
Marci PALATELLA - 1/17/20 at 11:00 am - Status conference.
John WILSON - 1/17/20 at 11:00 am - Status conference.
Homayoun ZADEH - 1/17/20 at 11:00 am - Status conference.
Robert ZANGRILLO - 1/17/20 at 11:00 am - Status conference.
Laura JANKE - 01/18/2020 at 2:30 pm – Sentencing hearing rescheduled before Judge Talwani.
Steven MASERA - 01/22/2020 at 2:30 pm – Sentencing hearing rescheduled before Judge Talwani.
Ali KHOSROSHAHIN - 01/23/2020 at 2:30 pm – Sentencing hearing rescheduled before Judge Talwani.
Davina ISACKSON - 05/21/2020 at 2:30 pm – Sentencing hearing rescheduled before Judge Saris.
Bruce ISACKSON - 05/21/2020 at 2:30 pm – Sentencing hearing rescheduled before Judge Saris.

Xiaoning Sui - 9/17/19 – Defendant arrested in Spain and pending extradition to Boston. 9/24/19 - Defendant charged by superseding indictment.

Rudolph “Rudy” MEREDITH - Pled Guilty and agreed to cooperate with the government's investigation. There is no sentencing hearing scheduled at this time.

Investigations of College Admissions and Testing Bribery Scheme

Affidavit in Support of Criminal Complaint (204 detailed pages)

*Status Conference - Defendant is not required to attend.

______

Faced with accusations mirroring Lori Loughlin’s, ex-Pimco boss to admit to college admissions scam without plea deal

I updated the list above. Pimco CEO Douglas Hodge orginally pled not guilty with a status conference scheduled in January 2020 with the other "not guilty" parents. Yesterday, he filed a notice that he plans on pleading GUILTY on Monday, October 21 without first reaching a deal with prosecutors.

The wealthy businessman is accused of paying $525,000 to get two of his kids into the University of Southern California as fake soccer and football team recruits in a case that closely mirrors that of actress Lori Loughlin.

Hodge might be hoping for mercy now that U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani has so far handed down prison terms of five months or less to several parents already sentenced in the scandal.

It’s also possible Hodge was having trouble reaching a deal because he’s one of the parents who allegedly double-dipped in the scam for a second child.

He’ll appear at 10 a.m. Monday for a new plea hearing before Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton.

“There’s no plea agreement,” a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney in Boston told The News.
 
Last edited:
CNN Special Report - Sunday, October 20 8:00PM (Eastern)

Scheme and Scandal: Inside the College Admissions Crisis

CNN’s Fareed Zakaria Examines Elite College Admissions From the Inside Premieres Sunday, Oct. 20
 
Chris Villani
@ChrisVillani44
In court for the sentencing of Robert Flaxman, a real estate CEO who pled guilty to paying $75K to have his daughter's ACT corrected. Prosecutors are seeking 8 months in prison, but test fraud 'Varsity Blues' cases have so far resulted in far less jail time.

Chris Villani
@ChrisVillani44
A separate charge in the criminal complaint accused Flaxman of paying $250K to have his child fraudulently recruited to U. of San Diego as an athlete, but the gov't has not gone forward on that charge. Flaxman has only pled to the test fraud.

Chris Villani
@ChrisVillani44
AUSA Justin O'Connell says Flaxman should spend 8 months in prison because he involved his daughter in the scheme & took a tax deduction for his $75K bribe. "He saw a fake ACT score as the only way to guarantee his daughter’s admission to college."

Chris Villani
@ChrisVillani44
Bill Weinreb (former acting US Attorney for the district) is representing Flaxman and says the CEO was trying to get his daughter into any college because she was in recovery & he wanted her to be safe. "He was desperate, this was an act of fear."

Chris Villani
@ChrisVillani44
Sobbing, Flaxman offers apologies to the court, his family, friends and business associates. "I apologize to the parents and students who worked hard and don't cheat, no matter what, I'm sorry."
 
Last edited:
Manuel Henriquez, founder of specialty finance company Hercules Capital Inc., has agreed to plead guilty on Monday afternoon, and would be the 17th parent to do so, out of 35 charged. Also scheduled for a guilty plea Monday before the same judge is Douglas Hodge, the former chief executive of bond manager Pacific Investment Management Co.

Until his arrest in March, Mr. Henriquez was chairman and CEO of Hercules. His wife, Elizabeth Henriquez, was also charged with conspiracy to commit fraud and launder money. She has pleaded not guilty, and her attorneys didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Friday.

Former Hercules Capital CEO to Plead Guilty in College-Admissions Case

According to prosecutors, the older daughter received a score of 1900 out of a possible 2400 on the October 2015 test, up 320 points from the best mark she had received previously. Mark Riddell, the test-taking whiz whom Mr. Singer paid to fix students’ wrong answers, allegedly sat next to the girl and fed her answers. He told authorities he later “gloated” with the girl and her mother about getting away with cheating on the test.

The Henriquez’ older daughter enrolled at Georgetown. The school expelled two students earlier this year because of the actions alleged in the case, but didn’t identify them.
 
Last edited:
JerseyGirl said:
Alec Baldwin doesn't think parents involved in college admissions scandal 'should go to prison'

"I don’t think anyone involved in the college fraud cases should go to prison," the actor wrote. "That includes past cases as well. Community service, fines, yes. But prison time, no. My heart goes out to Felicity, Bill Macy and their family."

Baldwin faced backlash online for his opinion.

One user wrote, "While I agree with the general sentiment, the fact remains that privileged individuals like Lori [Loughlin] and Felicity are treated differently by the law. And until we reach a bit of equity, I'm 100% ok with them serving time."

"So the punishment for using their wealth to gain advantage of the less fortunate, should be using their wealth to avoid actual punishment like the less fortunate would have to face???" wrote another.

"Fines. Seriously??? When do fines punish the wealthy?" offered someone else.

Baldwin didn't stand down, though. He clapped back: "Community service is better. The demonization of wealth in this country is mind blowing. A country built on both freedoms and commerce. Now, all success is scrutinized. Merely to succeed, especially financially, invites scrutiny, judgment, abuse."
Click to expand...
But of course.... then again coming from AB it’s no surprise. What he doesn’t get is, it has nothing to do with the demonization of wealth. But with using ones wealth to cheat the system. Open your eyes Mr. B. and stop trying to excuse the criminal actions of all your Hollywood buds. But maybe it just can’t be avoided, as they say ‘birds of a feather flock together’. SMH
 
JerseyGirl said:
Alec Baldwin doesn't think parents involved in college admissions scandal 'should go to prison'

"I don’t think anyone involved in the college fraud cases should go to prison," the actor wrote. "That includes past cases as well. Community service, fines, yes. But prison time, no. My heart goes out to Felicity, Bill Macy and their family."

Baldwin faced backlash online for his opinion.

One user wrote, "While I agree with the general sentiment, the fact remains that privileged individuals like Lori [Loughlin] and Felicity are treated differently by the law. And until we reach a bit of equity, I'm 100% ok with them serving time."

"So the punishment for using their wealth to gain advantage of the less fortunate, should be using their wealth to avoid actual punishment like the less fortunate would have to face???" wrote another.

"Fines. Seriously??? When do fines punish the wealthy?" offered someone else.

Baldwin didn't stand down, though. He clapped back: "Community service is better. The demonization of wealth in this country is mind blowing. A country built on both freedoms and commerce. Now, all success is scrutinized. Merely to succeed, especially financially, invites scrutiny, judgment, abuse."
Click to expand...

Sure. There are countless examples of poor people going to prison for minor offenses. But basically stealing something that is worth huge money, no problemo,
 
neesaki said:
But of course.... then again coming from AB it’s no surprise. What he doesn’t get is, it has nothing to do with the demonization of wealth. But with using ones wealth to cheat the system. Open your eyes Mr. B. and stop trying to excuse the criminal actions of all your Hollywood buds. But maybe it just can’t be avoided, as they say ‘birds of a feather flock together’. SMH
Click to expand...

I'm sure he also thinks that going after Roman Polanski is unfair because it was a long time ago or some other such nonsense. Hollywood types are a bunch of hypocrites.
 
JerseyGirl said:
Alec Baldwin doesn't think parents involved in college admissions scandal 'should go to prison'

"I don’t think anyone involved in the college fraud cases should go to prison," the actor wrote. "That includes past cases as well. Community service, fines, yes. But prison time, no. My heart goes out to Felicity, Bill Macy and their family."

Baldwin faced backlash online for his opinion.

One user wrote, "While I agree with the general sentiment, the fact remains that privileged individuals like Lori [Loughlin] and Felicity are treated differently by the law. And until we reach a bit of equity, I'm 100% ok with them serving time."

"So the punishment for using their wealth to gain advantage of the less fortunate, should be using their wealth to avoid actual punishment like the less fortunate would have to face???" wrote another.

"Fines. Seriously??? When do fines punish the wealthy?" offered someone else.

Baldwin didn't stand down, though. He clapped back: "Community service is better. The demonization of wealth in this country is mind blowing. A country built on both freedoms and commerce. Now, all success is scrutinized. Merely to succeed, especially financially, invites scrutiny, judgment, abuse."
Click to expand...

Baldwin called his own daughter “a rude , thoughtless little pig”
And he said he was going to leave the country .
So who is judging & abusing ?

MOO
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Staff online

Members online

... and 178 more.
Total: 1,537 (members: 179, guests: 1,358)

Online statistics

Members online
179
Guests online
1,358
Total visitors
1,537
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
596,511
Messages
18,048,906
Members
230,019
Latest member
Loretti11
Back
Top