Newport Beach Mother To Plead Guilty To Paying Someone To Take Online Classes For Her Son
NEWPORT BEACH (CBSLA) – A 57-year-old mother from Newport Beach has become the latest parent to agree to plead guilty in the nationwide college admissions scandal, admitting to paying a bribe to someone to take online classes for her son.
The Justice Department reported Monday that Karen Littlefair will plead guilty in Boston federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for paying $9,000 to have a person take online classes for her son to help him graduate from Georgetown University.
Prosecutors will recommend a sentence of four months in prison and one year of supervised release.
Littlefair paid Newport Beach businessman William "Rick" Singer, the mastermind behind the college admissions scandal, $9,000 to have an employee for Singer's college counseling company, "The Key," take four online classes for Littlefair's son at both Georgetown and other schools, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Littlefair's son graduated from Georgetown in May 2018.
On March 12, the FBI charged 51 people — including 34 parents and nine coaches — in a massive bribery scheme in which wealthy families paid millions to Singer to help their children cheat on standardized tests and bribe test administrators and college coaches to help get their kids into top universities like UCLA, USC, Yale, Stanford and Georgetown.
So far, 20 parents have pleaded guilty or agreed to do so, while another 14 parents are fighting the charges. Among those who has already pleaded guilty was "Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman, who served 11 days of a 14-day sentence last month.
Among those fighting the charges are actress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli, who are accused of paying $500,000 to get their two daughters into USC as members of the crew team, even though neither had ever rowed crew.
