Two wealthy fathers who were the first to face trial in the college admissions scandal were convicted on Friday of charges that they corruptly tried …
Two wealthy fathers who were the first to face trial in the college admissions scandal were convicted on Friday of charges that they corruptly tried to buy their children’s way into elite universities as phony athletic recruits. A federal jury in Boston found former casino executive Gamal Aziz and private equity firm founder John Wilson guilty on all charges they faced in a case centered on a vast, nationwide fraud and bribery scheme that involved many other parents. The verdict followed 10.5 hours of jury deliberations and four weeks of trial in a case that exposed inequalities in higher education and the lengths wealthy parents would go to secure spots for their children at top schools. The two are among 57 people charged over a scheme in which wealthy parents conspired with California college admissions consultant William “Rick” Singer to fraudulently secure college placement for their children through fraud and bribery. Singer pleaded guilty in 2019 to facilitating cheating on college entrance exams and funneling money from the parents to corrupt coaches and athletics officials in order to secure the admission of their children as fake athletes. Prosecutors alleged that Aziz—a former Wynn Resorts Ltd executive also known as Gamal Abdelaziz—in 2018 paid $300,000 to secure his daughter’s admission to the University of Southern California (USC) as a basketball recruit.
