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Horace Mann Took $1 Million Bribe to Admit Businessman’s Son: Lawsuit

A spokesperson for the elite Manhattan prep school said there had “never been a quid pro quo for gifts at the school.”

The elite New York prep school Horace Mann accepted a $1 million bribe from a businessman to admit his child into the selective academy, a new lawsuit alleges. The businessman, Lake 5 Media owner Qi Tom Chen, allegedly arranged the deal in a private meeting with the head of school, according to a lawsuit filed by former Lake 5 assistant Daniel Hayward. The lawsuit also accuses Chen of tax fraud and of using his company’s money for personal expenses like wine, cars, and even a surrogacy contract. A spokesman for Horace Mann denied the claims about the school, saying the matter “doesn’t involve Horace Mann, and there has never been a quid pro quo for gifts at the school.”