In the past year, the Justice Department and the FBI investigated an alleged college admissions scandal involving celebrities paying a large sum of money to different colleges and universities to have their children enrolled. It was announced last week that celebrities including Lori Loughlin from Full House and Felicity Huffman from Desperate Housewives, did in fact bribe, lie, and cheat to get their children into prestigious schools, giving them an advantage above all other applicants.
The $200,000 to $6.5 million bribes were not the only factors that impacted their children’s acceptances. It was reported that third parties were hired to cheat on and take college admissions exams including the SAT and ACT, attend classes for the students, and take the students’ places in sporting events.
The elaborate schemes even went as far as creating fake athletic profiles for their children, which included editing their faces onto stock images to fill slots allotted by schools for student athletes. The athletic coaches accepted these bribes fully knowing the students never participated or had any intentions of being members of the teams.
The day after the breaking news was announced, Lori Loughlin was arrested in Los Angeles for felony charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. The following day, Loughlin was released from custody after posting a $1 million bond. Loughlin will not be returning to The Hallmark Channel or for the final season of the Netflix original series, Fuller House.
We’ve all gone through the long and difficult admissions process and it’s truly disappointing to see celebrities use their fame and wealth to enroll their children into schools. By doing this, applicant spots were undeservingly filled rather than by hardworking and dedicated students who earned the acceptance.