Two Wealthy Parents Convicted in First Trial of ‘Varsity Blues’ College Scandal
They used an admissions consultant to get their kids into the University of Southern California.

Brian Snyder/Reuters
Two wealthy parents accused of paying their children’s way to college were convicted Friday in the first cases from the college admissions scandal to go to trial, the Associated Press reported. One parent, Gamal Abdelaziz, was accused of spending $300,00o to get his daughter admitted to the University of Southern California as a basketball recruit. The other, John Wilson, was accused of spending $220,000 to have his son join USC’s water polo team while spending another $1 million for his twin daughters to go to Harvard and Stanford. The parents pointed the finger at an admissions consultant, Rick Singer, who they alleged deceived them and never painted their payments as bribes.
No sentence has been determined for either man, but those who’ve pleaded guilty—including actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin—have faced anywhere between probation and nine months in prison.
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