Lawyers for a private investor and former casino executive facing federal jail in a college admissions scandal known as Operation Varsity Blues filed lawsuits Monday to overturn their sentences.
Both men have been accused of making payments to admit their children to elite universities as athletic recruits, although prosecutors have accused them of not qualifying for Division 1 sports.
The men, John B. Wilson and Gamal Abdelaziz, face the longest sentences ever imposed on parents in the admissions scandal, in which more than 50 parents and college coaches were prosecuted for plotting with William Singer, an admissions counselor at the college. to arrange “side doors”, mainly through the use of slots in athletic teams.
Mr Wilson and Mr Abdelaziz put forward similar arguments in their complaints – that donations to universities in an attempt to secure admission are common and do not constitute bribery.
Mr Wilson, a former businessman, was convicted in October of bribery and sentenced to 15 months in prison. He was accused of agreeing to pay more than $ 1.5 million to admit his three children to the University of Southern California, Harvard and Stanford.
Lawyers for Mr. Wilson, 62, of Linfield, Massachusetts, say in court documents that the key claim against him was that he paid $ 220,000 to bribe his son to join the USC water polo team in 2014. – is legally wrong.
None of the money was intended for personal enrichment of someone at school, they say in court documents.
“Giving donations to a university is not bribing its employees; the school cannot be both a victim of the beneficiary and a beneficiary of the scheme, “said a request to the U.S. Court of Appeals in Boston from Mr. Wilson’s lawyers, including Noel J. Francisco, former Attorney General of the United States.
Of the total $ 220,000, Mr. Singer donated $ 100,000 to the USC water polo team, for which Mr. Wilson received a thank-you note. Another $ 100,000 went to Mr. Singer’s non-profit foundation, which Mr. Wilson said would benefit the USC, according to the call.
Mr. Wilson’s son, who played water polo in high school, was admitted to the USC on the basis of exaggerated athletic qualities, according to prosecutors.
But Mr Wilson’s lawyers say such practices have been common at the university.
“The court ruled out evidence that the USC regularly dressed donor children as athletic recruits, including for training-only roles or non-athletic support teams,” the complaint said.
At all times, as alleged in the complaint, Mr Singer presented his agreement to Mr Wilson as a common practice. In a recorded conversation, he told Mr Wilson that he was arranging “730 of these side deals in 50 or 60 schools”.
Mr Abdelaziz, 65, of Las Vegas, was convicted of bribery and fraud in his efforts to secure his daughter’s admission to the USC in 2017 to play basketball, despite the fact that she did not enter the university team of his high school. He was sentenced in February to one year and one day in prison.
Key figures in “Operation Varsity Blues”
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More than 50 people have been charged. In 2019, a federal investigation known as Operation Varsity Blues caught dozens of parents, coaches and exam administrators in an extensive college admission scheme that included athletic programs at the University of Southern California, Yale, Stanford and other schools.
The pin. William Singer is the receptionist at the center of the scheme. He directs complex efforts to bribe coaches and test observers, falsify exam results, and fabricate student biographies. He pleaded guilty and cooperated with the government. He has not been convicted.
The coaches. Athletics coaches from some of the most prestigious universities in the country are also involved in this case. Jovan Vavic, a former USC water polo coach, was found guilty of taking bribes of more than $ 200,000 in exchange for nominating high school candidates. Stanford sailing coach John Vandemoir, who was among the first to enter into a plea deal, has written a book detailing how he was deceived by Mr Singer.
In court documents, Mr Abdelaziz’s lawyers claim that he had a long-standing relationship with Mr Singer, who helped his sons with their legitimate college admission process.
Mr Singer told him he could help his daughter join the USC if Mr Abdelaziz made a donation to his athletics department and his daughter went through the process of being accepted into athletics as a basketball player or team manager.
The donation was intended for the USC, not an individual at the school, according to court documents. Lauren Yankee, a former USC coach who created a fake athletic profile for Mr Abdelaziz’s daughter, also pleaded guilty to the scheme.
In addition to payments to the USC, Mr. Wilson agreed in 2018 to pay Mr. Singer $ 1.5 million to accept his twin daughters at Harvard and Stanford as alleged Division 1 recruits, but they they were never recorded.
At the time, Mr Singer’s conversations with Mr Wilson and others were being monitored by federal agents in the large-scale investigation.
In addition to allegations of bribery and fraud, Mr Wilson was also convicted of filing a false tax return as he deducted part of Mr Singer’s payments as business expenses.
USC award-winning water polo coach Jovan Vavic was also convicted this year in connection with the Varsity Blues investigation, which had previously caught actors Lori Laughlin and Felicity Huffman, who both chose to plead guilty instead of risking before a jury. .
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