UPDATE 1-Advantage Lithium CEO charged in U.S. college admissions scandal

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

MARCH 13, 2019 / 1:56 PM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO

Cassandra Garrison
3 MIN READ

(Adds statement from Sidoo’s attorney)

By Cassandra Garrison

BUENOS AIRES, March 13 (Reuters) - The chief executive of Advantage Lithium Corp, which is developing lithium projects in Argentina, has been arrested by U.S. authorities as part of a sweeping college admissions fraud scheme, according to court documents.

Authorities have charged some 50 people, including actors and business executives, in the largest college admissions fraud scheme in U.S. history, which steered students into elite universities by cheating the admissions process.

David Sidoo, 59, was arrested on March 8 and was charged with conspiracy to commit fraud for allegedly paying $200,000 to the scheme mastermind, William “Rick” Singer, to arrange for people to take the SAT admissions test for his two sons, according to U.S. court documents reviewed by Reuters.

Sidoo has run Vancouver-based Advantage Lithium since 2016.



Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/advantage-lith-electric-ceo/update-1-advantage-lithium-ceo-charged-in-u-s-college-admissions-scandal-idUSL1N2101AP?rpc=401&

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David Sidoo

[madaboutharry]

1. Some of these "kids" knew what was going on.

They were juniors and seniors in high school, not 3 year olds. Let me ask you this: How would you not know that someone was taking your SAT test for you?

Some of these students need to be expelled.

[BigmanPigman]

2. They knew!

They may not be rocket scientists but the kids knew.

"Singer would allegedly instruct parents to seek extended time for the children to take entrance exams or obtain medical documentation that their child had a learning disability, according to the indictment. The parents were then told to get the location of the test changed to one of two testing centers, one in Houston and another in West Hollywood, California, where test administrators Niki Williams, 44, of Houston and Igor Dvorskiy, 52, of Sherman Oaks, California, helped carry out the scam, the indictment alleges."

"Riddell, 36, allegedly either took ACT and SAT tests for students whose parents had paid bribes to Singer, according to the indictment."

"Singer typically paid Riddell $10,000 for each student's test," according to the indictment."

https://abcnews.go.com/US/hollywood-actors-ceos-charged-nationwide-college-admissions-cheating/story?id=61627873

[Ligyron]

7. What I don't quite get is: OK, the kid is now in and accepted at a top school.

If they can't even pass the freakin' SAT/ACT on their own, how the hell are they going to pass the courses they'll be required to take in order to graduate?

IDK, maybe they're still selling tests like when I was in college. Back then they had to be mimeographed so of course many extras would simply be run off and disappear. One hundred dollars was the going rate in '74 at U of Fla.

[BigmanPigman]

8. Good question...beats me.

It seems like it would catch up with you eventually.

When I was in art school my roommate paid me $10 to draw a full size "self portrait" for his class. I made it look worse than I could have done if it were for my assignment but the teacher was still suspicious I was told. He never wanted to be an artist and only did it for one year. At my first art school my roommate (a different one) had a boyfriend who went to NYU pre-med and wanted to suddenly become an artist to be more appealing to my roommate so he applied to my art school and he got in! His parents were well off so I am sure being able to pay a little extra up front and in full was helpful. Once he was in the Foundation year he couldn't cut it since he had no artistic talent and he dropped out.

[OnlinePoker]

3. In Canada, we don't have SATs

They might not been aware of what their father had done.

[crazycatlady]

4. I took the SATs in 1997

And then I had to show the test proctor a government-issued photo ID (I was 17 and didn't have a driver's license yet-- luckily my driver's permit worked fine).

[OnlinePoker]

5. But they aren't a formal thing Canadian students have to prep for

The only time you would even think about them is if you're planning on going to a U.S. school.

[catrose]

6. I've said all my life that my chief talent is taking tests--too bad there's no demand for that

I didn't know that there was. Unfortunately, I couldn't/wouldn't do it. The only job I was offered during a year of unemployment was writing college essays for students, and I turned that down.

Besides morality, if I can write essays or take tests to get someone into Harvard, that someone is going to be me.