#college-admissions-scandal

#college-admissions-scandal

(Josh Reynolds / Associated Press)

A federal appeals court Wednesday overturned the convictions of two wealthy businessmen in the "Operation Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal - including by rejecting a central claim of prosecutors that the fathers had knowingly conspired with other parents to buy their children's way into elite universities.

Robert Flaxman, a Beverly Hills real estate developer who pleaded guilty in 2019 to conspiring with William "Rick" Singer, the mastermind behind the "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal, died by suicide last week at his Malibu home.Flaxman, 66, spent a month in jail and was ordered to pay a $50,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service after he admitted to participating in the admissions scam by paying Singer $75,000 to rig his daughter's ACT exam.