The Education Department has launched an investigation into eight universities tied to the nationwide $25 million college admissions scandal that resulted in the arrests of 50 people.
The DOE investigation is looking into whether any of the universities involved in the scandal broke any rules or laws related to federal student financial aid program regulations, according to a report by Politico.
The Education Department notified eight universities of the probe, writing, “The allegations made and evidence cited by the Department of Justice raise questions about whether your institution is fully meeting its obligations.”
The Justice Department said the admissions cheating scheme, announced earlier this month, was the largest it had ever prosecuted. Fifty people were arrested for their alleged participation in the scheme, including “Full House” star Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, who appears on the show “Desperate Housewives.”
A dozen of the defendants appeared in Boston federal court Monday, each pleading not guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges.
Among those in court was Gordon Ernst, a past tennis instructor for former first lady Michelle Obama and her daughters, Sasha and Malia. Ernst, 52, is alleged to have accepted more than of $2.7 million in bribes to help get 12 students into Georgetown University between 2012 and 2018 by saying they were on the university tennis team. Ernst previously served as a tennis coach at the university.
Loughlin and her husband are alleged to have paid $500,000 to bribe their two daughters’ way into the University of Southern California. The daughters were allegedly accepted into the university’s rowing team, despite never having competed in the sport prior to their admission.
Loughlin and Huffman were not among those in court Monday. Their appearances are scheduled for April 3.
The mastermind behind the scandal is William “Rick” Singer, 58, who is accused of running bribes through a nonprofit organization called Key Worldwide Foundation. Investigators said Singer and his organization were the intermediary for bribes to sports coaches at the schools and also helped game standardized tests to get students of wealthy parents into the schools.
On March 12, Singer pleaded guilty to a litany of charges including money laundering, tax evasion, racketeering, and obstruction of justice. He was allegedly paid $25 million between 2011 and 2019 and faces a maximum sentence of 65 years.
Yale University announced Monday that it had begun an internal review and rescinded its first admission offer over the scandal, further adding to what has become a multifaceted drama.
The universities that the Education Department reportedly sent letters to are: Yale, Georgetown, UCLA, Stanford University, Wake Forest University, the University of San Diego, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Southern California.
The DOJ believes that most of the children admitted to the schools were not aware of the scandal engulfing their parents.
[Opinion: College scandal’s big lesson: College educations are worthless]
