Felicity Huffman and 13 others indicted in the college admission scandal have agreed to plead guilty, which left only 18 people out of the 51 that have been charged without entered pleas or word on how they would plead.
On Monday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced 12 people who were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud agreed to plead guilty. Those people are:
- Gregory Abbott
- Marcia Abbott
- Jane Buckingham
- Gordon Caplan
- Robert Flaxman
- Felicity Huffman
- Agustin Huneeus Jr.
- Marjorie Klapper
- Peter Jan Sartorio
- Stephen Semprevivo
- Devin Sloane
- Michael Center
- Davina Isackson
Bruce Isackson also agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. In addition, Bruce will plead guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS, according to the DOJ.
Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud are punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of the greater of either $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss.
Conspiracy to commit money laundering is punishable by 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000, or twice the value of the property involved. The fourth crime Bruce was charged with, conspiracy to defraud the United States, carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
"I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions," Huffman told ABC News. "I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community."
Adam Citron, senior counsel at Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP, told Newsweek that, in his opinion, the plea will help the defendants with regard to their sentences. He pointed to the fact that they didn't "drag this matter out" and took responsibility for their actions.
"If they can demonstrate remorse and show accountability in their pre-sentence report interview that will likely go along way with minimizing their possible sentence," Citron said. "Judges want to see that the Defendants recognize that their actions were wrong and that they accept responsibility. Those factors go along way at the time of sentence."
More than 50 people were indicted in relation to the sting operation, nicknamed Operation Varsity Blues, and all but 18 have either entered pleas or agreed to plead guilty.
Pleaded guilty:
William Rick Singer: Racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of justice
Rudolph "Rudy" Meredith: Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and honest services wire fraud, honest services wire fraud
Mark Riddell: Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and honest services wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering
John Vandemoer: Conspiracy to commit racketeering
Pleaded not guilty:
Amy Colburn: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, money laundering conspiracy
Gregory Colburn: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, money laundering conspiracy
Igor Dvorskiy: Conspiracy to commit racketeering
Gordon Ernst: Conspiracy to commit racketeering
William Ferguson: Conspiracy to commit racketeering
Martin Fox: Conspiracy to commit racketeering
Donna Heinel: Conspiracy to commit racketeering
Laura Janke: Conspiracy to commit racketeering
Ali Khosroshahin: Conspiracy to commit racketeering
Jorge Salcedo: Conspiracy to commit racketeering
Steven Masera: Conspiracy to commit racketeering
Mikaela Sanford: Conspiracy to commit racketeering
Jovan Vavic: Conspiracy to commit racketeering
Niki Williams: Conspiracy to commit racketeering
No plea yet:
David Sidoo: Conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud
Gamal Abdelaziz: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud
Diane Blake: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud
Todd Blake: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud
I-Hsin "Joey" Chen: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud
Mossimo Giannulli: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud
Elizabeth Henriquez: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud
Manuel Henriquez: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud
Douglas Hodge: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud
Michelle Janavs: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud
Elisabeth Kimmel: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud
Lori Loughlin: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud
Toby Macfarlane: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud
William McGlashan: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud
Marci Palatella: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud
John Wilson: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud
Homayoun Zadeh: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud
Robert Zangrillo: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud
This article has been updated to include the response from Adam Citron, senior counsel at Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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