‘I had to work the system’
Money no object for parents in college admissions scam
A series of invoices, checks, sixfigure bank transfers and transcripts of alleged phone calls between parents and “Varsity Blues” figure Rick Singer, released Tuesday by federal prosecutors, show cost was not a concern for parents who readily spent money in efforts to get their kids admitted into universities in the college admissions scandal:
■ “Can you book me a flight to LA. If commercial, needs to be about 6:30 Friday and return at 2pm on Sat. If not possible: (redacted) can do LA Friday at 5:30 and return Sat at 1pm. Please book us a table on the roof of Waldorf for dinner, and ask for heater.” — William McGlashan, indicted for an alleged $50,000 payment to scam leader Rick Singer’s sham foundation to fix McGlashan’s son’s ACT score, made the request for the swanky Beverly Hills hotel two days before his bribe payment in December 2017. Feds included a copy of his November 2017 invoice to Singer’s foundation in Tuesday’s filings.
■ “I’ve given some money, but not a lot. I’ve given, you know, a few hundred grand or (overlapping dialogue; inaudible).” — John
Wilson to Singer in a Sept. 29, 2018, phone call transcript. Wilson was named in a fourth superseding indictment Tuesday of making $1 million in wire transfers to scheme mastermind Singer’s sham foundation related to his child’s proposed college admission.
■ “Send me an email with where you need to send these funds. And so you don’t care, half a million, whatever is good, 3/4 of a million, doesn’t really matter …” — Wilson to Singer in an Oct. 10, 2018, call transcript. Wilson, who also allegedly claimed he “rented out Versailles” for a birthday party, was also charged with filing a false tax return related to an alleged $220,000 bribe for his son’s bogus recruitment as a water polo recruit to the University of Southern California in 2014.
■ “Good news my daughter (redacted) is in SC…. bad is i had to work the system.” — Mossimo Giannulli, accused of paying a combined $500,000 with his wife Lori Loughlin for their daughter’s bogus recruitment as crew recruits to USC, wrote this message when forwarding a $200,000 invoice from Singer’s foundation to an unnamed recipient. Feds also included a December 2017 check from Giannulli’s trust for “FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS EXACTLY” for a gift to USC’s athletic center, made out to co-conspirator and ex-USC official Donna Heinel.