Looking back at ‘Operation Varsity Blues’
Five years ago, 33 wealthy parents — including two Hollywood actresses — were charged in a scheme to get their children into elite colleges. Here's what you need to know about the investigation dubbed "Operation Varsity Blues."
Video Transcript
DAVID ARTAVIA: Five years ago, federal prosecutors in Boston rocked the academic and entertainment worlds by unveiling charges against 50 people in a nationwide college admissions cheating scheme dubbed Operation Varsity Blues. Wealthy parents, including Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, were caught red-handed paying to get their kids accepted at elite schools through less-than-honest means.
Now when this all came out, it was really embarrassing for everyone involved. However, the two highest-profile cases could not have been handled more differently. Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty right away, spent 14 days in jail, paid a fine, and did some community service. Her husband, William H. Macy, didn't really face much backlash at all.
Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, on the other hand, initially pleaded not guilty. And there was a bit more outrage from both the public and their daughter, Olivia Jade. Eventually, they accepted plea deals and spent two months and five months in prison respectively. The man behind the curtain, Rick Singer, ended up cooperating with authorities, but didn't avoid punishment.
He was hit with a $19 million fine and 3 and 1/2 years in jail. And now, five years later, the story is not over. There are still ongoing investigations and trials, and the entire college admissions apparatus has been forced to take an educated look at itself.
