Actresses Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin charged in US college admissions cheating scam

New York: Two Hollywood actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin have been charged in what US media described as the largest college cheating scam in the country.

The investigation called “Varsity Blues” revealed that a number of parents were involved in a fraud to get their children admitted into elite colleges.

The educational institutes included Yale, Standford, Georgetown and the University of Southern California, according to US Department of Justice.

The parents of students including the two Hollywood actresses paid millions of dollars as bribes in their efforts to get their children into elite schools.

According to US attorney Andrew Lelling, the ringleader of scam was identified as William Singer, owner of a college counselling service called Key Worldwide Foundation.

He has been accused of receiving up to $25 million from families between 2011 and 2018 to guarantee their children’s admission to elite schools.

Apart from Huffman and Loughlin, those charged in the case included nine coaches at elite schools, two SAT, and ACT exam administrators, one exam proctor, a college administrator and 33 wealthy parents.

Lelling said the parents included CEO’s of private and public companies, securities and real estate investors, two well known actresses, a famous fashion designer and the co chairman of a global law firm.

The ringleader and the parents fabricated profiles for their kids including fake athletic credentials and honros or fake participation in elite club teams.