The federal investigation into a massive cheating scandal in which prominent actors and business leaders got their children into elite universities included seeking records from several prominent Southern California prep schools, according to two sources familiar with the probe.The sources did not name the schools but said they are some of the most well-known private institutions in the area.,They said federal authorities issued subpoenas for records involving some of the students involved in the fraud case.One source with knowledge of the investigation stressed that officials are not at this point accusing the schools of wrongdoing but rather seeking information about student performance and other details.The scheme, which began in 2011, centered around the owner of a for-profit Newport Beach college admissions company that wealthy parents paid to help their children cheat on college entrance exams and to falsify athletic records of students to enable them to secure admission to elite schools, including UCLA, USC, Stanford, Yale and Georgetown, according to court records.Fifty people, across academia and college sports as well as a cadre of super-wealthy parents, have been charged in what prosecutors say is the largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted.,He said they knowingly conspired to help their children cheat or buy their children admission to elite schools through fraud.Among those charged were Hollywood actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin.Huffman is in custody in Los Angeles, along with 11 others.,Law enforcement sources told The Times she was flying to Los Angeles to surrender.Loughlin, of Full House" fame, and Huffman, whose credits include the hit ABC show Desperate Housewives, are charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.,According to court records, Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, the famous creator of clothing brand Mossimo, agreed to pay bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC crew team even though they did not participate in crew.Huffman is accused of disguising a $15,000 charitable payment in the bribery scheme, according to court records.

Two USC athletic department employees a high-ranking administrator and a legendary head coach were fired Tuesday after being indicted in federal court in Massachusetts for their alleged roles in a racketeering conspiracy that helped students get into elite colleges and universities by falsely designating them as recruited athletes.Senior associate athletic director Donna Heinel and mens and womens water polo coach Jovan Vavic were fired after allegedly receiving bribes totaling more than $1.3 million and $250,000, respectively, to help parents take advantage of the relaxed admissions standards for athletes at USC even though their children were not legitimately being recruited as athletes.Former USC womens soccer coach Ali Khosroshahin, who was fired in 2013, and his former assistant coach, Laura Janke, who left the school in 2014, were also named in the indictment for allegedly fabricating athlete profiles for the prospective students.,Khosroshahin and Janke allegedly received payments totaling nearly $350,000 sent to their private soccer club.Federal prosecutors on Tuesday indicted dozens of people including UCLA mens soccer coach Jorge Salcedo and actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin in connection with an elaborate scheme aimed at getting students into elite colleges.The scheme centered around the owner of a for-profit Newport Beach college admissions company that wealthy parents allegedly paid to help their children cheat on college entrance exams and falsify athletic records of students to enable them to secure admission to elite schools for which they otherwise might not qualify, according to court records.We are aware of the ongoing wide-ranging criminal investigation involving universities nationwide, including USC, the university said in a statement.,Donna Heinel and Jovan Vavic have been terminated and the university will take additional employment actions as appropriate.USC is in the process of identifying any funds received by the university in connection with this alleged scheme.,Additionally, the university is reviewing its admissions processes broadly to ensure that such actions do not occur going forward.The other athletic departments named in the alleged racketeering conspiracy are Yale, Georgetown, Wake Forest, Stanford, Texas and the University of San Diego.,The indictment states that, by accepting bribes to falsely designate students as recruited athletes, the coaches and administrators were in the violation of the duty of honest services owed to their employers, thereby facilitating the childrens admissions to the universities.Heinel was USC athletics chief administrative officer and senior woman administrator.Vavic led the Trojans water polo teams to a combined 16 national championships and is a 15-time national coach of the year.Vavic was arrested without incident in Hawaii.

In allegations that sent shock waves through academia, federal prosecutors on Tuesday accused top CEOs, two Hollywood actresses and a legendary fashion designer of taking part in an audacious scheme to get their children into elite universities through fraud, bribes and lies.The scheme, which began in 2011, centered around the owner of a for-profit Newport Beach college admissions company that wealthy parents paid to help their children cheat on college entrance exams and to falsify athletic records of students to enable them to secure admission to elite schools, including UCLA, USC, Stanford, Yale and Georgetown, according to court records.Fifty people, across academia and college sports as well as a cadre of super-wealthy parents, have been charged in what prosecutors say is the largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted.,Some parents participated in one aspect of the scheme, while others paid for both, stealing slots from hard-working students with legitimate grades and test scores, authorities said.William Rick Singer, who owns the admissions company called the Edge College Career Network, was charged with money laundering, obstruction of justice, racketeering and conspiracy to defraud the United States.,In at least one instance, a student claimed to have a learning disability to obtain medical documentation required by the College Board and ACT Inc. to grant additional time on the tests, according to court documents.Once the students were given additional time, which generally allowed them to take the test over two days instead of one and in an individual setting, the clients were instructed to change the location of the exam to either a public high school in Houston or a private college preparatory school in West Hollywood that Singer controlled, according to the documents.At those locations, prosecutors allege, Singer bribed test administrators Igor Dvorskiy, of Los Angeles, and Lisa Niki Williams, of Houston, with the parents money to facilitate cheating on the exams.,Singer had a psychologist on his team assign fake learning disabilities to give students an academic advantage, the charges say.Coaches and private admissions counselors allegedly received money for helping to get students admitted as athletes at Yale, Stanford and USC.USC senior associate athletic director Donna Heinel and mens and womens water polo coach Jovan Vavic were alleged to have received bribes totaling more than $1.3 million and $250,000, respectively, to help parents take advantage of the relaxed admissions standards for athletes at USC even though their children were not legitimately being recruited as athletes.,It described spending thousands of dollars on trips for dental students to help needy Cambodians and offering math tutoring to underserved children in Oakland.Prosecutors said the charity was nothing more than a means to launder money to an array of people requiring bribes.Our contributions to major athletic university programs may help to provide placement to students that may not have access under normal channels, the organization stated in tax documents.Federal law enforcement began the investigation, dubbed Operation Varsity Blues, in May 2018, based on a tip from a confidential source who was being interviewed as part of a separate investigation, said FBI Special Agent Joseph Bonavolonta.Make no mistake: This is not a case where parents were acting in the best interests of their children.

William Rick Singer touted his charity as a way to open doors for disadvantaged students who grew up surrounded by gang violence.The Key Worldwide Foundations website says it funds dental care for needy Cambodians, after-school programs for children in 20 cities across the United States and life coaching to underprivileged girls in Los Angeles.But federal tax records reviewed by The Times showed the great majority of the charitys grants actually went to elite universities, including USC, Yale and New York University.,Fifty people have been charged in the probe.In 2016, the most recent year for which the records are available, Singers foundation gave $252,500 to the University of Texas Athletics, $50,000 to the USC Womens Athletics Board, $25,000 to the USC soccer program and $83,181 to NYU Athletics, the tax documents show.,In 2015, the nonprofit gave $250,000 to athletic programs at USC, including its water polo and womens volleyball programs, $294,000 to the University of Texas Athletics, $250,000 to Yale Summer Time Sports and $175,000 to Chapman University.That year, Friends of Cambodia received $19,200.,We take this matter very seriously and intend to review this relationship in depth to assure ourselves that our principles have not in any way been compromised.In 2014, USC sports programs received $225,000, while NYU Athletics received $203,998, the tax records show.,He cooperated with authorities in the investigation and pleaded guilty to the charges in Boston on Tuesday afternoon, according to court records.Prosecutors allege that well-to-do parents paid Singer to help their children cheat on college entrance exams and to falsify athletic records to enable them to gain admission to at least eight schools, a list that also includes UCLA, Stanford and Georgetown.Not all the schools named in the case received donations, according to the tax records.Federal law enforcement began the investigation, dubbed Operation Varsity Blues, in May, based on a tip from a confidential source who was being interviewed as part of a separate investigation, said FBI Special Agent Joseph Bonavolonta.The government alleges that Singer instructed parents to donate funds to the charity as part of the scheme.

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – The fallout from the nationwide college admission scheme continued Wednesday with USC announcing a review of the applications of students involved in the scandal, which includes Olivia Jade Giannulli, the daughter of actress Lori Loughlin.,USC released the following statement:

“Applicants in the current admissions cycle who are connected to the scheme alleged by the government will be denied admission to USC.,Loughlin was in federal court Wednesday in Los Angeles, where she and her husband Mossimo Giannulli are accused of paying $500,000 in order for their two daughters to be designated as recruits to the USC crew team – despite the fact that neither of them ever participated in crew, the indictment claims.,RELATED: Lori Loughlin’s Daughter: ‘I Don’t Really Care About School’ read more

According to documents released as part of criminal proceedings (pdf) against Singer, McGlashan, and a host of other parents, coaches, and test administrators, the private equity exec found it all “totally hilarious.”,On phone calls tapped by the Feds, McGlashan and Singer hatched a plan to make the kid look like an elite football kicker in his application, which would give him a 90% chance of admission, Singer claimed.,Damningly, when Augstin Huneeus, Jr., a parent whose daughter attended the same school as McGlashan’s son caught wind about the financier using Singer’s services, he called him on it.,Parents of means send their kids to private schools to make sure they are well-positioned for admission to certain colleges.,He sees how the rules of wealth at work all the time: there’s the unethical, but increasingly common, like parents who write their children’s college essay, or pay tutors or online companies to do it.

Known more these days as one of the top quarterback draft preppers – as opposed to being Carson Palmer's brother or a former Texas-El Paso quarterback -- Jordan Palmer thrives during this January-to-April interval when he trains top quarterbacks for the NFL Draft in a relative vacuum.,"It is the only time period in a quarterback's entire life, for three months, they're going to have nothing else but personal development," Palmer said.,It is in this moment where Missouri's Drew Lock and his career currently resides training with Palmer.,Since the Senior Bowl, Drew Lock has resided in Southern California working with Palmer and Justin Hoover, his quarterback coach from back home in Kansas City, Missouri.,For now, Lock lives in a Dana Point, California, apartment with Hoover and Buffalo QB Tyree Jackson, a fellow Palmer client.

This edition, from Feb. 18, has been made available in archived form …

USC and UCLA: ‘Glory Daze’ read more

Credit: Jay Andrino

Spearheaded by the Kimmelman Family Foundation, the state-of-the-art Kimmelman Campus is expected to span more than 80 acres and feature up to 52 tennis courts, soccer and multi-purpose fields, and a state-of-the-art academic center with a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) focus.,TGR Foundation is excited to be part of the Carol Kimmelman Athletic and Academic Campus, where we can continue to spread our mission of empowering students to pursue their passions through education.”,Dynamic tennis programming for children of all ages and abilities will be offered by both the SCTA and the USTA Foundation’s NJTL program on tennis courts spanning 29 acres, allowing more students throughout Los Angeles to grow and learn life lessons through the sport.,Already, the Kimmelman Family Foundation, along with the USTA Foundation, USTA, SCTA, and representatives of TGR have met with school district leaders, local community-based non-profit organizations, law enforcement officials, and business groups to collaborate on programs and opportunities at the Kimmelman Campus.,USTAF offers support to more than 200,000 children ages 5-18 who participate in the USTA Foundation’s National Junior Tennis Learning (NJTL) program, which delivers year-round tennis instruction and a widely acclaimed academic curriculum with the goal of positively impacting lives from childhood to adulthood. read more

Without McCoy, who transferred to Texas after he was enrolled in classes for less than three weeks, USC does not have a five-star in the fold for its recruiting class for the first time since 2000, when recruiting services began ranking the top high school players.,Over more recent years, the Trojans have faced more difficulty reeling in five-star talent, largely the prospects from outside California, at times leaving them over-reliant on top players from their own backyard.,The Trojans finished 5-7 last year, their first losing season since 2000, prompting calls from fans for Helton to be fired following his third full season before the embattled coach was retained by Athletic Director Lynn Swann.,But even in the initial seasons under Helton, while the Trojans made consecutive New Year’s Six bowl games, they were unable to pluck five-star recruits from other regions of the country and poach prospects from other blue-blood schools that have had a better recent track record of producing NFL draft picks, especially among offensive linemen.,Gorney and other analysts reasoned that the Trojans have had enough talent in recent seasons to contend for Pac-12 championships, and they won the conference crown in their second season under Helton in 2017.