Latest defendant arrested and charged in UCLA college admissions scandal
On the evening of September 16, Spanish authorities arrested a Chinese woman in connection with her role in using bribery and other forms of fraud to facilitate her son’s admission to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) as a purported soccer recruit.
Xiaoning Sui, 48, of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, was arrested in Spain and charged in a Boston federal court with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Sui is currently detained in Spain, and authorities will seek her extradition to Boston to face charges.
According to the indictment, Sui agreed with William “Rick” Singer to pay $400,000 to facilitate her son’s admission to UCLA as a purported soccer recruit. It is alleged that during a phone call in August 2018, Singer explained that Sui’s son could be “guaranteed” admission to UCLA, in exchange for $400,000. Between August and October 2018, Sui allegedly provided Singer with her son’s transcript and photographs of her son playing tennis.
Co-conspirator Laura Janke then fabricated a soccer profile for Sui’s son, which described him as a top player for two private soccer clubs in Canada. On October 24, 2018, Singer instructed Sui to wire Singer $100,000 which would be “paid to the coach at UCLA” in exchange for a letter of intent from the UCLA soccer coach. Two days later, Sui allegedly wired $100,000 to a bank account in Massachusetts in the name of Singer’s sham charitable organization, the Key Worldwide Foundation (KWF). On November 5, 2018, UCLA admitted Sui’s son as a recruited soccer player, and awarded him a 25% scholarship.
In February 2018, Sui allegedly wired an additional $300,000 to the KWF account as final payment for her son’s fraudulent admission to UCLA.
Janke previously pleaded guilty and is cooperating with the government’s investigation.
Other high-profile parents charged in the case include Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin. Huffman pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 14 days in jail, beginning Oct. 25, one year of probation, a US $30,000 fine and community service, while Loughlin rejected a plea deal last spring and pleaded not guilty. ~ The Vancouver Sun
Case information, including the status of each defendant, charging documents and plea agreements are available here.
The charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
On September 8, UCLA was named No. 1 U.S. public institution by U.S. News & World Report for a third consecutive year in their “Best Colleges” rankings.
(Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts)
~ Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
