NEW YORK:"Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman and fellow Hollywood actress Lori Loughlin were among 50 people indicted on Tuesday in a multi-million dollar scam to help children of the American elite cheat their way into top universities.
The accused, who also include chief executives, financiers, a winemaker and fashion designer, allegedly cheated in admissions tests or arranged for bribes to get their children into prestigious schools including Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and the University of Southern California, federal prosecutors said.
Huffman, 56, and Loughlin, the 54-year-old star of"Full House," were among 33 parents accused of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud in joining the scheme.Four people accused of running the scam, and 13 officials associated with university sports and the testing system were also charged.The payments ranged from US$200,000 to US$6.5 million, according to Andrew Lelling, the US attorney in Boston, Massachusetts where the case was filed.
"Some simply never showed up," he said."Some pretended an injury and some played and then quit," he said."The parents and other defendants are clearly the prime movers in this fraud.""We have not seen the schools as co-conspirators," Lelling said.