# Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin indicted in Ivy League bribery scheme **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 12, 2019, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001 "2019-03-12T15:06:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/141 "2019-03-13T20:53:19Z")
Not if the clown college was bribed with Monopoly money. Then it would be funny. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/142 "2019-03-13T21:53:03Z")
> **[Harvard alum 'profoundly sorry' for taking tests for students in college...](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/college-cheating-scandal-harvard-alum-mark-riddell-apologizes-taking-board-n982731)** > > "I am profoundly sorry for the damage I have done and grief I have caused those as a result of my needless actions," suspect Mark Riddell said. Meet the Harvard graduate who played for the school tennis team who took the ACT test for students for $10,000 a pop. He routinely scored 35 out of a possible 36. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/143 "2019-03-13T22:13:55Z")
Maybe a straight donation of $500K wouldn’t guarantee admission to Yale, but I’ll bet even Georgetown and Stanford would take a good, hard look before rejecting any member of a family that donated that much. Hell, I’ll bet some of those schools would not only admit your kid, but name a building after you. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/144 "2019-03-13T22:21:52Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Maybe a straight donation of $500K wouldn’t guarantee admission to Yale, but I’ll bet even Georgetown and Stanford would take a good, hard look before rejecting any member of a family that donated that much. > > Hell, I’ll bet some of those schools would not only admit your kid, but name a building after you. Not an unqualified kid. $500 k is maybe “put your finger on the scale for my already qualified kid” money. I mean, those kids already pay $275k for 4 years. $500k isn’t shocking money. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/145 "2019-03-13T22:25:05Z")
Half a million bucks for Yale or Stanford isn’t really very much in terms of a donation. The total cost of attendance at Yale next year is just over $75,000, so if the parents are paying the full bill, Yale’s getting more than $300,000 from them over the course of four years. Plus Yale’s endowment is about $24 billion and Stanford’s is about $20 billion. Half a million bucks is a rounding error. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/146 "2019-03-13T22:47:08Z")
USC said that they are doing a thorough review and will be deciding on a case by case basis what to do with anyone let in by this or any other scam. Anyone admitted for next year in these cases will have their admittance revoked. > **[Will Lori Loughlin's Daughters Be Kicked Out Of USC? Here's What the...](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/lori-loughlin-apos-daughters-kicked-210653117.html)** > > The 'Fuller House' star was taken into FBI custody on Wednesday regarding a massive alleged college admissions scam. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/147 "2019-03-13T23:09:19Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > People are saying this is a scandal of liberal elites but Loughlin is conservative and Christian, as mentioned above she would go on TV shows like the 700 club. She’s probably asked God for forgiveness, which He’s granted. (Cue up that commercial: “But that’s not how that works!”) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/148 "2019-03-13T23:18:45Z")
They can’t go after the kids for much. Some of them committed no crime. I assume none of them gave any money to anyone. The feds have restrictions in charging minors, and even if charged and eventually tried they will be sympathetic to a jury because they were doing the bidding of their criminal parents. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/149 "2019-03-13T23:38:15Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > This comparison of schools is interesting but what those people did was just as wrong as if they bribed people to get their kids into clown or barber college. Of course. I’m just explaining why it might seem worth doing to people with more money than pride or ethics. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/150 "2019-03-14T00:14:36Z")
As we watch this case play out, we’re likely to hear more about other parents who tried to improve their kids’ educational chances—and paid particularly heavy prices. For example, in a 2011 case: > [@](#): > > _ **Ohio Mom Kelley Williams-Bolar Jailed for Sending Kids to Better School District** _ > … Kelley Williams-Bolar was convicted of lying about her residency to get her daughters into a better school district. > > …The district hired a private investigator, who shot video showing Williams-Bolar driving her children into the district. > > The school officials asked her to pay $30,000 in back tuition. > Williams-Bolar refused and was indicted and convicted of falsifying her residency records. > **[Ohio Mom Kelley Williams-Bolar Jailed for Sending Kids to Better School District](https://abcnews.go.com/US/ohio-mom-jailed-sending-kids-school-district/story?id=12763654)** > > An Ohio mother's attempt to provide her daughters with a better education has landed her behind bars. Kelley Williams-Bolar was convicted of lying about her residency to get her daughters into a better school district. Another case, also from 2011: > [@](#): > > Kindergartener A.J. Paches was kicked out of Brookside Elementary School earlier this year because his homeless mother used a friend’s address to register him in the wealthy district of Norwalk, Connecticut. After expelling A.J., Norwalk authorities charged his mother with first-degree larceny for enrolling her son under a false address, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. > **[20 Years in Prison for Sending Your Kids to the Wrong School? Inequality in...](https://www.alternet.org/2011/10/20_years_in_prison_for_sending_your_kids_to_the_wrong_school_inequality_in_school_systems_leads_parents_to_big_risks)** > > There's a vast difference in quality among public school districts in the US--and parents who try to enroll their kids in better schools may face severe punishment. A 2014 case: > [@](#): > > …A Philadelphia father took a plea deal in January after authorities charged him with using his dad’s suburban address to enroll his daughter in a higher-performing, wealthier elementary school across the city line. Hamlet Garcia and his wife, Olesia, had been facing prison time for fraud; they now have to pay more than $10,000 to cover the cost of their child’s education. [http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/12/05/despite-fines-prison-time-parents-hopping-school-boundaries/](http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/12/05/despite-fines-prison-time-parents-hopping-school-boundaries/) Most of these cases seem to involve people of color who have limited means. It will be interesting to see how heavily the law comes down on this new batch of accused wrongdoers, in comparison. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/151 "2019-03-14T00:20:40Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > Of course. I’m just explaining why it might seem worth doing to people with more money than pride or ethics. I wasn’t referring to your posts specifically, just wanted to make the point. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/152 "2019-03-14T00:26:43Z")
A lot of the discussion on “Why these schools and not others?” seems to miss one of the main criteria for picking these schools: These were the ones where there were “side door” people who would facilitate this for a price. Not that other schools didn’t have anyone susceptible to this activity, but it required a connection established with the main actor, and I’m going to assume he just didn’t have time to suborn someone in all of the universities in the country. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/153 "2019-03-14T00:28:16Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > A lot of the discussion on “Why these schools and not others?” seems to miss one of the main criteria for picking these schools: These were the ones where there were “side door” people who would facilitate this for a price. > > Not that other schools didn’t have anyone susceptible to this activity, but it required a connection established with the main actor, and I’m going to assume he just didn’t have time to suborn someone in all of the universities in the country. It’s quite possible they’ve all been suborned by some other college admissions fixer. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/154 "2019-03-14T00:34:29Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > It’s quite possible they’ve all been suborned by some other college admissions fixer. I agree. Now that people know what to look for, I bet more of these guys will slither out from under the rocks. This particular company can’t be unique. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/155 "2019-03-14T01:54:56Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > They can’t go after the kids for much. Some of them committed no crime. I assume none of them gave any money to anyone. The feds have restrictions in charging minors, and even if charged and eventually tried they will be sympathetic to a jury because they were doing the bidding of their criminal parents. Those poor kids are screwed for the rest of their lives. “Your parents thought you were so dumb that they had to bribe your way into college.” If I were one of them I’d say “give me my inheritance early. I’m walking.” ---
**Author:** ![drivekiller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@drivekiller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drivekiller)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/156 "2019-03-14T02:51:45Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Which law are they accused of violating? I’m not being obtuse; prior to this story I had no idea that trying to bribe you son or daughter’s way into college was a crime. A good way to get shown the door, sure, but a crime? Right. If the admissions page had a segment advertising “white glove VIP onboarding” and a fee schedule, it would be totally legit (and the funds would go into the general budget). But in this case, the applicant is paying an admissions counselor or some other school bureaucrat “under the table”. Institutions don’t like it when their employees operate a side business like that. Too much like lobbying in Washington, doncha know. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/157 "2019-03-14T03:15:04Z")
Making a sizeable donation to the Alumni Association has been one way to get a kid accepted into school. AFAIK that’s legal. I know in this case individuals were paid off. Still, it seems like the Government is using a 10 ton boulder to squash an ant. A million dollar bail for Lori Loughlin? Where’s Aunt Becky going to run with that famous face? I guess these people will be made examples of. Put the fear into anyone else that wants to bribe a college official. I dislike seeing power abused just to drive home a point. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/158 "2019-03-14T03:31:00Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Making a sizeable donation to the Alumni Association has been one way to get a kid accepted into school. AFAIK that’s legal. > > I know in this case individuals were paid off. > > Still, it seems like the Government is using a 10 ton boulder to squash an ant. > > A million dollar bail for Lori Loughlin? Where’s Aunt Becky going to run with that famous face? > > I guess these people will be made examples of. Put the fear into anyone else that wants to bribe a college official. > > I dislike seeing power abused just to drive home a point. How is this an abuse of power? So far everybody is out walking around free. What should have been done differently? I don’t think a million dollar bail is really necessary for Lori Loughlin but there’s nothing unusual about that when millionaires are involved in fraud. And remember that she paid a $500,000 bribe to get by the rules so her daughter could party at USC so why would you take her word that she’ll show up in court and take the chance of serving time. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/159 "2019-03-14T03:39:37Z")
A reasonable bond would be a good start. No one got their legs broke, no one got beat up. Allegedly bribes were paid and false paperwork filed. It deserves prosecution, but yesterday’s raid seemed a bit over zealous. These people’s attorneys could have arranged for their clients to turn themselves in. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/160 "2019-03-14T03:41:50Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > A reasonable bond would be a good start. No one got their legs broke, no one got beat up. > > Allegedly bribes were paid and false paperwork filed. It deserves prosecution, but yesterday’s raid seemed a bit over zealous. Do you think you’d be treated less zealously if you were being arrested on the same charges? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001.md?page=9)