By Nate Raymond
BOSTON (Reuters) – A federal jury in Boston is set to hear closing arguments on Wednesday in the trial of two wealthy fathers accused of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to secure the admission of their children to elite universities as phony athletic recruits
Former casino executive Gamal Aziz and private equity firm founder John Wilson are the first defendants to face trial over charges stemming from the “Operation Varsity Blues” investigation of the U.S. college admissions scandal.
They are among 57 people charged over a scheme in which wealthy parents conspired with California college admissions consultant William “Rick” Singer to fraudulently secure college placement for their children.
Singer pleaded guilty in 2019 to facilitating cheating on college entrance exams and funneling money from the parents to corrupt coaches and athletics officials in order to secure the admission of their children as fake athletes.
The scandal ensnared executives and celebrities including actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, who were among 47 defendants who agreed to plead guilty. Former President Donald Trump pardoned one parent.
Aziz, also known as Gamal Abdelaziz, is the ex-president of Wynn Resorts Ltd’s Macau subsidiary. Wilson is a former Gap Inc and Staples Inc executive who founded Hyannis Port Capital.
Prosecutors alleged Aziz, 62, agreed in 2018 to pay $300,000 to secure his daughter’s admission to the University of Southern California (USC) as a basketball recruit.
Prosecutors said Wilson, 64, in 2014 paid $220,000 to have his son falsely designated a USC water polo recruit.
They said he later sought to pay another $1.5 million to fraudulently secure spots for his two daughters at Stanford and Harvard universities, an arrangement Singer discussed with Wilson on recorded calls while cooperating with investigators.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
