Dozens charged in college admissions racket
The Department of Justice calls it the biggest college admissions scam ever prosecuted.
Students at the University of Southern California who may be linked to the massive college bribery scheme will be limited in what they do next while their cases are under review, school officials said Monday.
The school said in a statement posted to Twitter that holds have been placed on the accounts of students who may be associated with the alleged admissions scheme, meaning that they can't register for classes or obtain their transcripts pending review of their cases.
"Following the review, we will take the proper action related to their status, up to revoking admission or expulsion," the school said.
The school did not disclose the number of students potentially affected by the review.
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USC has previously said that it has determined which applications in the current admissions cycle for Fall 2019 are connected to the bribery scheme, and they will be denied admission.
The University of Southern California says a review of students possibly connected to a college admissions bribery scandal could lead to expulsions. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
"A case-by-case review of current students who may be connected to the alleged scheme is also underway," the school said. "We will make informed decisions about those cases as the reviews are completed."
More than 30 parents have been charged in the scheme in which prosecutors said college admissions consultant William "Rick" Singer took roughly $25 million in bribes from dozens of individuals to assure their children's entry into top colleges by getting them recruited for sports they didn't play and by arranging for standardized tests to be rigged.
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Before his arrest, Singer actively worked on coaching students about their college applications and worked with parents who were stressed about the admissions process.
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More than half the parents charged were trying to bribe their children's way into USC, including actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, who allegedly paid $500,000 to have their two daughters labeled as crew team recruits. Loughlin and Giannulli were each arrested and released on a $1 million bond. They've been ordered to appear in federal court in Boston on March 29 for a preliminary hearing.
Loughlin's daughter, 19-year-old Olivia Jade Giannulli, could possibly face expulsion from the school. The USC freshman is a YouTube star who goes by "Olivia Jade" on the video sharing platform as well as Instagram and Twitter, where she boasts more than 1 million Instagram followers and nearly 200,000 Twitter followers.
A spokesperson for USC confirmed to Fox News last week that Loughlin and Giannulli’s other daughter, Isabella, 20, is currently enrolled at the university.
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Several other schools said they are still considering what to do about students who may be tainted by the scandal.
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At Yale, the president declined to comment on specific cases but said it's a "longstanding policy to rescind the admission of students who falsified their Yale College applications." Stanford similarly noted that students could be "disenrolled" or have offers of admission rescinded.
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Georgetown University said it was examining its records and "will be taking appropriate action," while Wake Forest University said a student mentioned in the indictment remains enrolled.
School officials there said they have no reason to believe the student was aware of the alleged crimes. The university said Tuesday it was redirecting $50,000 from a California foundation connected to the scheme to help first-generation college students.
The University of Southern California said in a statement it has placed holds on the accounts of those students, which prevents them from registering for classes or acquiring transcripts while their cases are under review. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Federal prosecutors said last Tuesday that some students never knew about the bribes and fraudulent entrance exams that got them into some of the nation's top universities. But some students did and were even involved in submitting false information about athletic feats in their applications, according to officials.
"The parents, the other defendants, are clearly the prime movers of this fraud. It remains to be seen whether we charge any students," U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling in Boston said last week.
Fox News' Madeline Farber, Jessica Sager, Katherine Lam, Jennifer Earl, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
