More Charges in US College Admission Plot

 

American government lawyers have added money laundering¹ to the list of charges against actor Lori Loughlin and other parents in connection with a college admissions bribery³ case.

On March 12, federal lawyer Andrew Lelling announced that 50 people had been charged in a $25-million plot to buy their children’s admission into American colleges. Lelling said the plot was set up to guarantee admissions for students, in his words, “not on their merits, but through fraud.”

The reported plot includes cheating on college entrance examinations, lying about successes in sports and school, and claiming payments as aid donations to avoid paying taxes. Lelling named William “Rick” Singer as the organizer of the reported plot.

Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are among 33 parents accused. They were arrested on a single charge of conspiracy⁴ to commit fraud.

The actor has denied the charges and is among a group of parents who plan to plead not guilty. On Tuesday, government lawyers added the charge of money laundering against them and 14 other parents.

Loughlin and Giannulli are accused of paying $500,000 in bribes⁵ to an athletic⁶ official at the University of Southern California to guarantee their daughters’ acceptance. They told the school the girls were crew stars. However, neither girl has played the sport.

William McGlashan, a co-founder of an investment company, was also accused of money laundering on Tuesday. His lawyer called the case “deeply flawed.” He added, “We look forward to presenting his side of the story.”

The latest charges come a day after Felicity Huffman -- another well-known actor -- and 12 other parents and a coach agreed to plead guilty.

Huffman was accused of paying $15,000 to have a test administrator⁷ correct the answers on her daughter’s college entrance exam. The payment was listed as an aid donation.

In her first public comments since her arrest, Huffman said, “My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her.”

Government lawyers say they will seek a light prison sentence between four and 10 months for Huffman.

However, the new charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering against Loughlin could have a longer sentence of up to 20 years in prison. It also has a fine of $500,000, or two times the value of the property involved.

Several of the universities, including Yale and the University of Southern California, have taken actions -- including canceling admission offers for those accused in the plot.

I’m Caty Weaver⁸.

Words in This Story

money laundering - n. the process of hiding the origins of money by passing it through a series of money transfers and transactions

bribery - n. the act or crime of accepting a bribe²

merit - n. a good quality or feature that deserves to be praised

fraud - n. the crime of using dishonest methods to take something valuable from another person

flawed - adj. having a mistake or weakness

absolutely - adv. completely or totally

profoundly - adv. greatly, strongly

1 laundering   

n.洗涤（衣等），洗烫（衣等）；洗（钱）v.洗（衣服等），洗烫（衣服等）( launder的现在分词 )；洗（黑钱）（把非法收入改头换面，变为貌似合法的收入）

参考例句：

• Separate the white clothes from the dark clothes before laundering. 洗衣前应当把浅色衣服和深色衣服分开。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was charged with laundering money. 他被指控洗钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 bribe   

n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通

参考例句：

• He tried to bribe the policeman not to arrest him.他企图贿赂警察不逮捕他。
• He resolutely refused their bribe.他坚决不接受他们的贿赂。

3 bribery   

n.贿络行为，行贿，受贿

参考例句：

• FBI found out that the senator committed bribery.美国联邦调查局查明这个参议员有受贿行为。
• He was charged with bribery.他被指控受贿。

4 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

5 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

6 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

7 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

8 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。