52nd parent busted in college cheating scandal
FBN's Stuart Varney on concerns over some parents using their wealth and influence to help their children get into elite colleges.
Another parent was nabbed in connection with a college admissions cheating scandal that has already implicated more than 50 others, including several celebrities, such as actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, officials said.
Xiaoning Sui, a 48-year-old Canadian woman, was nabbed in Spain on Monday night on a charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday in United States District Court.
Sui is the 52nd person to be arrested in connection to the sweeping federal investigation, dubbed “Varsity Blues," officials said Tuesday.
She is accused of paying William “Rick” Singer $400,000 to create a fake profile for her son and doctor images of the teen to falsely indicate he was a successful soccer player.
With the help of Singer’s co-conspirators, including the head coach of the University of California, Los Angeles’s soccer team, Sui’s son was then fraudulently admitted to the university as a soccer recruit.
The teen, who was admitted on Nov. 5, 2018, was also provided a 25 percent scholarship.
Similarly, "Full House" star Loughlin and her fashion-designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are accused of paying Singer approximately $500,000 to create nonexistent positions for their daughters on the University of Southern California’s crew team -- even though neither had ever participated in the sport.
On Friday, Huffman – who pleaded guilty in May for her involvement in the scandal – was sentenced to 14 days in prison, as well as a $30,000 fine, 250 hours of community service and one year of probation.
In a statement released immediately following her sentencing, Huffman said she accepted the judge's decision.
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"I would like to apologize again to my daughter, my husband, my family and the educational community for my actions," she added. "And I especially want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices supporting their children."
Sui is being held in Spain as she awaits extradition to Boston, where she will appear before a judge. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars.