Stanford kicks out student linked to largest-ever college admissions scandal
A Stanford University student linked to the wide-ranging admissions scandal involving elite schools across the nation has been kicked out of the school.
Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne and Provost Persis Drell said in a statement quietly amended last week that three applicants were linked to former head sailing coach John Vandemoer, who pleaded guilty and was fired last month for accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for falsifying recommendations for admission.
Two of the prospective students did not gain admittance to the prestigious university.
"We have completed our review of the third student," the updated statement said. "We determined that some of the material in the student’s application is false and, in accordance with our policies, have rescinded admission."
Any collegiate credits earned toward a degree have been "vacated," the statement said, and the student is no longer on Stanford’s campus.
The student's family was not named in the federal charges, received no formal recommendation from the head sailing coach and was not involved with the program, the statement said. However, some of the money paid to the coach was linked to the student, the statement said.
The federal investigation resulted in charges against 50 people involving admissions to schools across the nation. Rick Singer, the alleged mastermind of the scheme, has pleaded guilty to charges including racketeering conspiracy.
Yale's longtime former soccer coach and the former head tennis coach at the University of Texas are among coaches who have pleaded guilty or agreed to plead guilty in the scheme.
Former "Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman was among 13 parents who agreed to plead guilty to bribery and other forms of fraud to get their kids into elite colleges and universities, federal authorities announced Monday. Huffman, 56, of Los Angeles agreed to pay Singer at least $15,000 to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme aimed at obtaining admission for her oldest daughter at Georgetown University, prosecutors said.
Huffman issued a statement apologizing for her behavior.
Actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are among about two dozen other parents who were not on the list of those who negotiated plea agreements with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston, which oversees the investigation.
Prosecutors say Loughlin and Giannulli "agreed to pay bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC crew team – despite the fact that they did not participate in crew – thereby facilitating their admission to USC.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stanford kicks out student linked to largest-ever college admissions scandal
