Newport Beach businessman agrees to plead guilty in college admissions scandal

BOSTON  — The past genitor ensnared successful Operation Varsity Blues — the captivating nationwide college admissions bribery scandal — has agreed to plead guilty, national prosecutors said.

Authorities said I-Hsin “Joey” Chen, 67, of Newport Beach, California, paid $75,000 to person idiosyncratic close his son’s answers connected a assemblage entranceway exam. Under a plea deal, the proprietor of a warehousing institution for the shipping manufacture volition plead blameworthy to ligament fraud and honorable services ligament fraud successful speech for serving a nine-week situation term, according to a connection Thursday from the U.S. attorney’s bureau successful Boston.

The presumption of the woody besides telephone for Chen to service a twelvemonth of probation, execute 100 hours of assemblage work and wage a $75,000 fine, prosecutors said.

Chen paid William “Rick” Singer, a assemblage admissions advisor and the ringleader of the scheme, $75,000 to bribe a trial head to let a proctor to alteration his son’s ACT exam answers and boost his score, prosecutors said.

Chen was among several defendants indicted successful April 2019.

Singer, the trial head and the proctor person each pleaded blameworthy to their roles and await sentencing.

The crippled progressive dozens of celebrated and affluent parents, including actors Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, paying ample bribes to assistance their undeserving children summation admittance to elite U.S. universities with rigged trial scores oregon phony diversion accomplishments.

Chen volition beryllium the 38th and last genitor to either plead blameworthy oregon beryllium convicted successful the case, which besides ensnared respective assemblage coaches and diversion administrators, prosecutors said.

Chen had been scheduled for proceedings connected Jan. 13. A day for the plea hearing, which is taxable to tribunal approval, has not been set.