A federal appeals court overturned all fraud convictions Wednesday of two parents who were found guilty of paying bribes to get their kids into elite universities as part of a sprawling college admissions scandal.
The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals tossed all convictions against Gamal Abdelaziz and all but one conviction of another parent, John Wilson. The Boston-based appeals court upheld Wilson’s conviction on a charge of filing a false tax return.
Authorities alleged that Wilson, a former Staples Inc. executive, paid $220,000 to have his son designated as a USC water polo recruit and an additional $1 million to buy his twin daughters’ ways into Harvard and Stanford. The government was allowed to introduce a “significant amount of powerful evidence related to other parents’ wrongdoing in which these defendants played no part, creating an unacceptable risk that the jury convicted Abdelaziz and Wilson based on others’ conduct rather than their own,” the judges wrote.
Attorneys for Abdelaziz said in an emailed statement that their client “has maintained his absolute innocence from day one and is enormously grateful that the Appeals Court has reversed his unfair conviction.” “His children were all qualified for admission to these schools on their own athletic and academic merits, and none of his money went to enrich any coach but, rather, was directed to the schools themselves,” Francisco said. “We are examining the opinion to determine the appropriate next steps.”
Norge Siste Nytt, Norge Overskrifter
Similar News:Du kan også lese nyheter som ligner på denne som vi har samlet inn fra andre nyhetskilder.
US appeals court overturns first 'Varsity Blues' scandal convictionsA U.S. federal appeals court on Wednesday threw out the fraud convictions of two wealthy fathers accused of participating in a vast college admissions fraud by conspiring to pay bribes so their children could attend top universities.
Les mer »
Appeals Court Tosses Convictions of Two Parents in Varsity Blues CaseA federal appeals court vacated the convictions for two parents who were found guilty of fraud as part of the Varsity Blues college-admissions cheating case
Les mer »
Appeals court overturns convictions of two parents in ‘Varsity Blues’ admissions scandalA federal appeals court overturned convictions of two parents found guilty of paying bribes to secure their children’s admissions to college as athletic recruits. The convictions had been tied to a scheme known as 'Operation Varsity Blues.'
Les mer »
'Varsity Blues' Scandal Convictions of Two Wealthy Parents OverturnedA former Wynn Resorts executive and private equity executive were previously charged for paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to get their kids into top universities
Les mer »
Court overturns convictions of first two parents tried in college admissions scandalA federal appeals court Wednesday overturned the convictions of two wealthy businessmen in the 'Operation Varsity Blues' college admissions scandal.
Les mer »
Hunter Biden’s ex-business partner calls on appeals court to let him off the hookA longtime friend and former business partner of Hunter Biden tried to convince an appeals court to help toss his fraud conviction on Tuesday as a separate federal investigation into the taxes and business dealings of President Joe Biden’s son continues.
Les mer »