New indictments filed against USC parents involved in bribery scheme


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Among the parents named in the Justice Department’s March 12 indictment was “Full House” actress Lori Loughlin, who paid $500,000 get her two daughters admitted to USC. (Daily Trojan file photo)

“Fuller House” actress Lori Loughlin and 15 other parents involved in the college admissions bribery scheme now face new charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday. Over two dozen lawyers who represent some of the parents named in the investigation wrote a letter to a U.S. District Court judge in Massachusetts claiming the court used improper “judge shopping” techniques to impact the cases.

Thirteen of the 16 parents were indicted in relation with USC for with conspiring to commit fraud and money laundering conspiracy after allegedly paying bribes to help their children cheat on college entrance exams and falsely pose as athletic recruits to universities like USC, UCLA, Yale and Stanford University.

Parents allegedly sent payments through businessman William “Rick” Singer’s Edge College & Career Network and some transferred money into the United States from outside, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Singer pleaded guilty in federal court March 12.

Bill McGlashan, who tried to pay for his son’s admission into USC as a fake football recruit, is one of the parents named in the second indictment. In his March 29 hearing, McGlashan’s attorneys presented documents saying that McGlashan’s son withdrew his college applications as he is still in high school.

“The Prosecutor’s case against Mr. McGlashan is deeply flawed and ignores important exculpatory facts,” McGlashan’s lawyer John Hueston wrote in a statement Tuesday. “We look forward to presenting his side of the story.”

The parents were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Those charged may be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, and parents may have to pay up to $500,000 in fines depending on the federal district court judge, according to the press release.

Earlier Tuesday, 27 lawyers representing parents named in the investigation who have not pleaded guilty sent a letter to Chief Judge Patti Saris in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts. The court subverted the random judge selection process by assigning all of the indicted parents to a case where a judge was already assigned.

The lawyers also wrote that each defendant should individually be assigned to a judge rather than being grouped with the same judge.

“The prosecutor’s charging plan, if permitted, would do severe and lasting damage to the district’s random assignment system,” the lawyers wrote. “Prosecutors who seek to evade the district’s assignment system by joining more than a dozen new defendants into a previously returned indictment that happened to be assigned to a district judge that the prosecutors prefer should not be rewarded.”

While the lawyers asked Saris to have their clients randomly assigned, the prosecutors assigned the 16 parents facing the second indictment to an already pending case presided by Judge Nathaniel Gorton shortly after the letter was sent.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling responded to Saris, calling the defense lawyers’ concerns “inappropriate and disingenuous.” Lelling wrote that because all of the parents worked with Singer in the alleged scheme, placing them as co-conspirators in the indictments and under one judge is routine practice.

While the lawyers wrote in their letter that they “deeply respect” Gorton, Lelling wrote that they likely are challenging the selection because they want a more favorable judge.

“What counsel fail to say — but of course mean — is that they want a different judge because they perceive Judge Gorton as imposing longer sentences in criminal cases than other judges in this district,” Lelling wrote. “If this matter had been drawn to a judge viewed as more favorable to the defense, counsel would not have sent the letter.”       

The second indictment comes a day after two USC parents and 11 other parents agreed to plead guilty for their alleged involvement in the college bribery scheme. According to the press release, an arraignment date has not been set.