Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Parent sentenced in college scandal
BOSTON — A Los Angeles business executive was sentenced on Tuesday to four months in prison for paying $250,000 to get his son admitted to the University of Southern California as a fake water polo recruit.
Devin Sloane, 53, pleaded guilty in May to a single count of fraud and conspiracy. He is the second parent sentenced in a sweeping college admissions scandal that has ensnared dozens of wealthy mothers and fathers.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani also ordered Sloane to perform 500 hours of community service over two years of supervised release and pay a fine of $95,000.
Authorities say Sloane helped fabricate documents depicting his son as an international water polo star even though he had never played the sport. He bought water polo gear online, investigators found, and staged action photos of his son in the family’s swimming pool.
“The crime I committed is unacceptable. In my heart and my soul I want what’s best for my son. I realize now my actions were the antithesis of that,” Sloane said.
He was accused of paying $200,000 to a sham charity operated by William “Rick” Singer, an admissions consultant at the center of the scheme, and $50,000 to an account controlled by Donna Heinel, a former USC athletics official.
Singer pleaded guilty in March and agreed to work with authorities. Heinel is accused of accepting bribes to get students admitted as fake athletic recruits. She has pleaded innocent.
Last week, Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman, who admited to paying $15,000 to rig her daughter’s SAT score, was sentenced to 14 days in prison, 250 hours of community service and a $30,000 fine.