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They are among 50 people federal prosecutors allege participated
in schemes that involved cheating on college exams and paying
$25 million in bribes to buy the children of affluent Americans
seats in well-known universities including Yale, Georgetown and
the University of Southern California.
The scam's mastermind, California college admissions consultant
Rick Singer, has pleaded guilty to overseeing a racketeering
scheme in which parents paid to help their children cheat on
admissions tests and bribe coaches to present them as elite
prospects in sports including sailing, crew and water polo even
if they had no athletic experience.
"Desperate Housewives" star Huffman and "Full House" actor
Loughlin, along with a former chief executive and a major law
firm's onetime chairman, are part of the group scheduled to make
their first appearances in Boston court.
Prosecutors allege that Loughlin and her husband, Los Angeles
fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, agreed to pay $500,000 to
have their two daughters named as recruits to USC's crew team,
even though they did not row competitively.
Prosecutors said Huffman, who is married to the actor William H.
Macy, made a $15,000 contribution to Singer's foundation in
exchange for having an associate of Singer's in 2017 secretly
correct her daughter's answers on an SAT college entrance exam
at a test center Singer "controlled."
Huffman later made arrangements to engage in the scheme again on
her younger daughter's behalf before deciding not to,
prosecutors said.
Other accused parents expected to appear in court include Manuel
Henriquez, the former chief executive of specialty finance
company Hercules Capital Inc, and Gordon Caplan, the former
co-chairman of the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
Henriquez resigned his position and Caplan was placed on leave
after they were charged.
The U.S. Education Department has opened an investigation into
eight universities linked to the scandal. Several of the schools
have said they would revoke admissions offers to students who
had gotten in fraudulently but not yet enrolled and would
consider expelling students whose parents participated.
Prosecutors have not yet charged any applicants for illegal
activity and said that in some cases the parents charged took
steps to try to prevent their children from realizing they were
benefiting from fraud.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond; editing by Scott Malone and Susan
Thomas)
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