Former Georgetown University parent Karen Littlefair pleaded guilty in federal court Jan. 22 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud after prosecutors said she paid a private company to take online classes for her son.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office recommended a four month sentence, $9,500 fine and 12 months of supervised release, according to court documents. Littlefair entered into a plea agreement Dec. 9, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
Littlefair paid William “Rick” Singer’s for-profit college counseling and preparation business, The Key, $9,000 to take online classes for her son James Littlefair (COL ’18) to satisfy his Georgetown graduation requirements, according to charging documents. One class was taken at Arizona State University, but then transferred to Georgetown for credit, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Littlefair was the 53rd person and fifth Georgetown parent charged in the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, a national investigation into parents who collaborated with Singer to illegally improve their children’s college admissions chances or fulfill graduation requirements.
Littlefair reportedly emailed Singer with questions and concerns over ways to obtain college credits for her son without him taking courses, including asking for the completion of an online history course to satisfy Georgetown requirements, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Rosen, the prosecutor on Littlefair’s case.
“The credits were submitted to Georgetown, and based in part on these credits, on or about May 19, 2018 Littlefair’s son graduated from Georgetown University and was issued a diploma,” court transcripts said.
In March, four Georgetown parents and former Georgetown tennis coach Gordon Ernst were charged by the Department of Justice in connection to the scandal. The university first discovered Littlefair’s misconduct through an internal investigation stemming from the indictments brought against the former parents and Ernst.
Ernst, who was asked to resign by the university in 2017 after a university investigation, separately pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges in March 2019. Ernst was additionally indicted with over 10 additional charges, including mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering Oct. 22, according to ABC News.
Ernst pleaded not guilty to the added charges in Oct. 2019, and does not have any further scheduled court appearances scheduled. A pretrial meeting for Ernst’s case is scheduled to take place in April 2020.
Manuel and Elizabeth Henriquez, Douglas Hodge and Michaelle Janavs, four other Georgetown parents tied to the scandal who were charged with bribery and fraud, previously changed their pleas from not guilty to guilty at a federal court in Boston on Oct. 21.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act prevents university officials from commenting on the specifics of any individual student’s case, university spokesperson Meghan Dubyak wrote in an email to The Hoya. When alumni are accused of violating the Honor System, the university Honor Council reviews the case.
“When the University learns of a potential serious violation of the Honor System after a student has graduated, the Honor Council will investigate and adjudicate the case and may recommend sanctions up to and including the revocation of the student’s degree,” Dubyak wrote.
Previously, the university rescinded the admission of two students linked to the scandal through their parents. One of the two students, Adam Semprevivo, brought a lawsuit against the university alleging wrongful disciplinary actions. (Full disclosure: Semprevivo previously served as a cartoonist for The Hoya.) He then dropped the lawsuit two months after his degree was rescinded on May 15.
Going forward, federal prosecutors do not have any present plans to investigate or charge Littlefair’s husband or son, according to Rosen.
“It’s not our present intention to charge the son or the husband for this conduct and, again, we don’t view this as a promise or inducement, simply based on the information we know to date,” court transcripts said.
Littlefair’s attorney, Kenneth Julian, declined to comment. Littlefair’s sentencing date is set for May 13.
This article can also be found on The Hoya's website at this link.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office recommended a four month sentence, $9,500 fine and 12 months of supervised release, according to court documents. Littlefair entered into a plea agreement Dec. 9, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
Littlefair paid William “Rick” Singer’s for-profit college counseling and preparation business, The Key, $9,000 to take online classes for her son James Littlefair (COL ’18) to satisfy his Georgetown graduation requirements, according to charging documents. One class was taken at Arizona State University, but then transferred to Georgetown for credit, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Littlefair was the 53rd person and fifth Georgetown parent charged in the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, a national investigation into parents who collaborated with Singer to illegally improve their children’s college admissions chances or fulfill graduation requirements.
Littlefair reportedly emailed Singer with questions and concerns over ways to obtain college credits for her son without him taking courses, including asking for the completion of an online history course to satisfy Georgetown requirements, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Rosen, the prosecutor on Littlefair’s case.
“The credits were submitted to Georgetown, and based in part on these credits, on or about May 19, 2018 Littlefair’s son graduated from Georgetown University and was issued a diploma,” court transcripts said.
In March, four Georgetown parents and former Georgetown tennis coach Gordon Ernst were charged by the Department of Justice in connection to the scandal. The university first discovered Littlefair’s misconduct through an internal investigation stemming from the indictments brought against the former parents and Ernst.
Ernst, who was asked to resign by the university in 2017 after a university investigation, separately pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges in March 2019. Ernst was additionally indicted with over 10 additional charges, including mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering Oct. 22, according to ABC News.
Ernst pleaded not guilty to the added charges in Oct. 2019, and does not have any further scheduled court appearances scheduled. A pretrial meeting for Ernst’s case is scheduled to take place in April 2020.
Manuel and Elizabeth Henriquez, Douglas Hodge and Michaelle Janavs, four other Georgetown parents tied to the scandal who were charged with bribery and fraud, previously changed their pleas from not guilty to guilty at a federal court in Boston on Oct. 21.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act prevents university officials from commenting on the specifics of any individual student’s case, university spokesperson Meghan Dubyak wrote in an email to The Hoya. When alumni are accused of violating the Honor System, the university Honor Council reviews the case.
“When the University learns of a potential serious violation of the Honor System after a student has graduated, the Honor Council will investigate and adjudicate the case and may recommend sanctions up to and including the revocation of the student’s degree,” Dubyak wrote.
Previously, the university rescinded the admission of two students linked to the scandal through their parents. One of the two students, Adam Semprevivo, brought a lawsuit against the university alleging wrongful disciplinary actions. (Full disclosure: Semprevivo previously served as a cartoonist for The Hoya.) He then dropped the lawsuit two months after his degree was rescinded on May 15.
Going forward, federal prosecutors do not have any present plans to investigate or charge Littlefair’s husband or son, according to Rosen.
“It’s not our present intention to charge the son or the husband for this conduct and, again, we don’t view this as a promise or inducement, simply based on the information we know to date,” court transcripts said.
Littlefair’s attorney, Kenneth Julian, declined to comment. Littlefair’s sentencing date is set for May 13.
This article can also be found on The Hoya's website at this link.
Comments
Post a Comment