College administration bribery scandal

Vagabond

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But, again, the school district cases are governed by state, not Federal law. Unless someone is proposing federalizing local school districts, all that bringing up the school district cases does is to allow someone to vent about a separate issue that ought to be brought up in Politically Incorrect.
 

Jenny

From the Bloc
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Interesting about the school boundaries. The only reason I was able to buy the house I live in now is because the previous owners wanted their kids to go to a certain school, so that had to move into that district.

Also makes me think of countless examples of people I know who maintained addresses in other states for tax reasons, people I used to work with who had their tax forms sent to their parents' addresses so they wouldn't have to pay the extra taxes where they actually lived, one person who registered to vote where she went to school instead of her home because she thought her vote would count for more in that jurisdiction.

Off topic, but more to say nothing surprises me. People do what they think they have to do, and if that means bending the rules or convincing yourself that something's OK because it's for a greater purpose (ie your kids) then even breaking the law is OK.
 

alexikeguchi

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I found this article in the NYT magazine section to be very enlightening about how the admissions process is extremely vulnerable to the kind of manipulations that occurred in this cheating scandal. The pressure to balance the budget while optimizing the measures that go into the latest iteration of the US News and World Report ranking algorithm creates terrible incentives.
 

smurfy

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But, again, the school district cases are governed by state, not Federal law. Unless someone is proposing federalizing local school districts, all that bringing up the school district cases does is to allow someone to vent about a separate issue that ought to be brought up in Politically Incorrect.

I only shared it as I live in CT and have heard a few people make comments about what this lady did and what the rich celebrities did and different sentencing. The recent posts were about sentencing. I did not mean to offend.
 

Susan1

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Interesting about the school boundaries. The only reason I was able to buy the house I live in now is because the previous owners wanted their kids to go to a certain school, so that had to move into that district.
Not that this has anything to do with that, but my dad's half-brother's son (what does that make him to me, half cousin? who knows!) moved to a different school district so that his kid could be a big fish football player in a small pond instead of a small fish football player in a big pond. The "kid" did end up playing in college and then went pro for 2 years, so I guess that got him noticed. He owns a small town sports training center now (and is a realtor).
 
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Prancer

Chitarrista
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I only shared it as I live in CT and have heard a few people make comments about what this lady did and what the rich celebrities did and different sentencing. The recent posts were about sentencing. I did not mean to offend.

I don't think it's offensive, more that it is a matter of apples and oranges--state vs. federal, tax fraud vs. non-tax fraud.

People like to equate the two types of cases because they both deal with fraud and education, but they are really different in terms of applicable law.

What about the school's culpability? What can they do to tighten up their admissions?

See alexeiguichi's link a couple of posts above yours. The schools clutched their pearls and claimed to be shocked, shocked! at this fraudulent behavior, but the reality is a little different.
 

MacMadame

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I tend to think it's all a big racket. My elementary and middle school were crap but I still got a scholarship to a great private HS. Then, I didn't go to an Ivy and I have a great life. Why should I sacrifice my retirement and do illegal things just to get my kids into prestigious schools? I don't see the reward as being worth the price.
 

MsZem

I see the sea
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I also think that Huffman will eventually be able to return to acting, if she chooses. Unless she starts owning up to what she did, Loughlin is done.
 

Vagabond

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Felicity Huffman got 14 days, plus 30K fine, 250 hours of community service and a year of probation: https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/felicity-huffman-sentencing-college-scandal/index.html

I figured the judge would do something like that - split the difference between the prosecutor and defense requests.
It isn't splitting the difference. As mentioned in previous posts, the prosecution wanted her to get a month in jail and a $20,000, plus a year of probation. So, she's paying more in fines and spending time doing community service in lieu of cooling her heels in jail. Arguably, this is a harsher sentence than what the prosecution requested.
 

Debbie S

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It isn't splitting the difference. As mentioned in previous posts, the prosecution wanted her to get a month in jail
And the defense requested zero jail time. The judge gave 14 days, hence splitting the difference. I'm focusing on the prison sentence, since that has been the focus of discussion here. The fine is a drop in the bucket for Huffman and Macy.
 

Vagabond

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And the defense requested zero jail time. The judge gave 14 days, hence splitting the difference. I'm focusing on the prison sentence, since that has been the focus of discussion here. The fine is a drop in the bucket for Huffman and Macy.
IINM, there is time off from federal jail service for good behavior. In addition to time in jail, however, Felicity Huffman, is going to have to spend 250 hours doing community service, for which there is no time off. Assuming she can do eight-hour shifts of community service five days a week, that's more than six weeks of full-time community service.

As I said, the sentence imposed is arguably harsher than what the prosecution requested. The fact that you argue that it is lighter does not invalidate the contrary argument.
 

MsZem

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IINM, there is time off from federal jail service for good behavior. In addition to time in jail, however, Felicity Huffman, is going to have to spend 250 hours doing community service, for which there is no time off. Assuming she can do eight-hour shifts of community service five days a week, that's more than six weeks of full-time community service.
I believe federal inmates must serve most of their sentence (something like 85%) in order to qualify for early release. I'm not sure whether that applies to short sentences like Huffman's.
 

Debbie S

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As I said, the sentence imposed is arguably harsher than what the prosecution requested. The fact that you argue that it is lighter does not invalidate the contrary argument.
I'm not arguing anything. You seem to be the one who wants to pick a (rather pointless) argument. You said my post was incorrect, I was pointing out the facts. I'm not interested in debating her sentence.
 

MacMadame

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It isn't splitting the difference. As mentioned in previous posts, the prosecution wanted her to get a month in jail and a $20,000, plus a year of probation. So, she's paying more in fines and spending time doing community service in lieu of cooling her heels in jail. Arguably, this is a harsher sentence than what the prosecution requested.
But she asked for community service. So I don't think she sees it that way.
 

nylynnr

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Whether Huffman feels she deserves her two-week sentence or not, compare the amount of time she received to the five-year sentence Tanya McDowell got for registering her child in the Norwalk, CT school district instead of Bridgeport. Elite privilege at its finest.
 

MsZem

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Whether Huffman feels she deserves her two-week sentence or not, compare the amount of time she received to the five-year sentence Tanya McDowell got for registering her child in the Norwalk, CT school district instead of Bridgeport. Elite privilege at its finest.
McDowell was on trial for both the school issue and drug charges, and took a plea bargain. Five years seems excessive even for that, but the cases are hardly the same.

 

nylynnr

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Not quite. McDowell took a plea deal and was sentenced to five years for the charges connected to sending her son to school in the Norwalk school district. She was sentenced separately for the drug charges, in which she got a 12-year suspended sentence, plus five years probation. The sentences ran concurrently.

Probably, the drug charges emboldened the court to give her a stiffer sentence.
 

MsZem

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Not quite. McDowell took a plea deal and was sentenced to five years for the charges connected to sending her son to school in the Norwalk school district. She was sentenced separately for the drug charges, in which she got a 12-year suspended sentence, plus five years probation. The sentences ran concurrently.

Probably, the drug charges emboldened the court to give her a stiffer sentence.
Here's the longer Snopes writeup. I don't see how you can argue that the two cases are the same, unless Huffman has been engaging in illegal acts that we have yet to hear about.


Kelley Williams-Bolar would be a better example, though her jail term was eventually shortened to ten days.

Anyway, the problem isn't that Huffman's sentence was too lenient, it's that McDowell's was too harsh.
 

Coco

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No one is ever going to take action about harsh sentences to poor or minority defendants, until they start happening to affluent white people.

Another interesting aspect of this is that what Felicity did is so obviously wrong. She had nothing do but respond in the way that she's responded. Everyone understands that cheating on a test is wrong. That her daughter didn't end up going to a school that used SATs is irrelevant, because she probably pushed somebody down a percentile point.

OTOH, when you've been donating left and right and reaping the benefits of that for your entire adult life, it is at least understandable why you might not have realized that donating yet again to get your kid into school is wrong. People probably donate all the time to get their kids into private school, and as far as I know that is not illegal.
 
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taf2002

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I read that Loughlin wanted to plead guilty but her husband opposed it. Now they both will probably get harsh sentences. I also read that Huffman's daughter said about her mother "I don't know who you are anymore". Sad
 

Artistic Skaters

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But she asked for community service. So I don't think she sees it that way.
Count me as one of the unimpressed when it comes to the community service sentencing. Eva Longoria in her letter of support wrote about how Huffman already volunteers her time to help the "little brown girls" (or something like that :rolleyes: - I'm sure she meant well but the presentation of the white savior Huffman as helping the unfortunate was unfortunate). The community service requirement is just business as usual.

Hopefully the jail time even though nothing more than a symbolic gesture combined with the felon label will send a message, even though it's nothing more than a symbolic sentence. She took complete responsibility for her actions, so she will have the opportunity for an Act II in her career at some point.
 

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