The college admissions scandal might be much bigger than we know yet.

[pnwmom]

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/education/la-me-college-admissions-bribe-fixer-20190324-story.html

Someone paid $6.5 million to get his or her children into elite schools. But the identity of that parent — and details about which schools were involved — remains a mystery nearly two weeks after authorities in Boston filed the charges against dozens of wealthy individuals.

The lack of information about the money is more notable given that the charges go into intense detail about the alleged actions of other parents, who are accused of bribing and cheating to get their kids into schools such as Yale, USC and UCLA.

SNIP

More than 750 parents used Singer’s services, according to prosecutors. While 33 have been charged, prosecutors have sent subpoenas to high schools in Southern California with names of students whose parents have not been charged, suggesting that authorities are preparing to expand the number of prosecutions, according to sources who have seen the documents.

SNIP

Within the massive charging documents, there also are unidentified people who made payments to Singer and various coaches but have not been charged.

[still_one]

1. I guarentee it isn't me, and I have my home equity loan, which I cannot write the interest off now

because of the "wonderful" new tax law, which I used for my kids college education to prove it

[pnwmom]

2. I've been scratching my head trying to figure out why parents with millions to spare

would be doing this, because their kids would be set with a degree from Any College, USA.

And I finally read an explanation. By getting their kids into these elite colleges, they can pretend that everything their children achieve after that is related to the fancy degree combined with the kids' own efforts . . . not their parents' checkbooks.

[still_one]

5. Pretend is right. Excellent observation pnwmom!!!

[Wounded Bear]

9. I think it is more about networking than education...

It's not what you know that matters, but who you know. Having attended college with the "right people" is very important. The right people don't attend Whatsamatter U. A gentleman's C from an elite school is worth far more than straight A's from some state college in the intermountain West.

[Blue_true]

12. With that much money, they could have endowed 6-14 chairs at the university.

And the children would have gotten preferred entry status. The person sounds like newly rich, old money know stuff like that and have done it since the concept of a college education started.

[BootinUp]

3. Funny. I assume most folks know already. Nt

[pnwmom]

4. What we don't know is how many more rich Los Angeles parents will be arrested. n/t

[JI7]

6. i also wonder why the names are not released while the story was being reported with the 2 female

actors as part of the headline in every story.

[Throck]

7. Wonder how much my parents bribed admissions at my community college?

Longest 6 years of my life.

[Princess Turandot]

8. The $6.5 mil bribe is so much more than the rest that I wonder if there was something else involved.

i.e. In addition to grades/scores, there was some other kind of impediment or requirement that ordinarily would complicate a student's admission to a specific school. Some issue that might require a much larger bribe, paid to someone who was not in one of the testing or coaching types who facilitated the basic scam, whom they're not quite ready to indict. (Not that I know what that might be.)

The article did answer the question of how the DOJ got onto the scam. The Yale soccer coach decided to do a little freelancing, asking the father of a prospective student for $450,000 for his assistance, cutting out the Singer cabal altogether. The guy was under investigation by the feds on a security fraud matter, and promptly alerted them to the bribe request, hoping to improve his own situation. Oops. Having stepped in it, the coach then gave up Singer.

[mopinko]

10. record as a sex offender was my guess.

or some other crime. but that is too much money for just bad grades.

[Blue_true]

11. People are real dumbasses.

The person could have just used the $6.5 million to endow a chair is several colleges at the university, and presto, all his or her children were in, with no risk of jail.