College admission scandal

[hungry101]

A bit off topic but anyhow this is my thread

Interesting article...
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/04/ray-dalio-capitalism-revolution

This is something that really warns me a lot. The eniquety is a huge social problem that can lead to much worst...

Patron when you say "The poor and middle class were not going to these schools to study fluff subjects."... You are absolutely correct if you ask me. But put yourself in the shoes of a struggling middle class family. It simply really piss them off to see prima-donna spending fucking half a million dollar to see their kid bypass school law when their own kid will have to grow big debt to go to university.

This is really fucked up.

Health and education should be free. Period. And no I am not a leftist I am just someone with common sense.

Cheers,

Nothing is free. With Obama care, I know of no one that was happy. It drove the costs of insurance up for everyone. People that had coverage opted out. It gave women with hysterectomies pre-natal care and other nonsense. It is the equal sharing of misery.

I worked all my life to get ahead and I have contributed to our healthy economy. I have inventions that I can show you if we ever have a beer someday that have made the world a better place. I served. Now whey they hell should anyone work all their life if somebody is just going to hand it to them?

The middle class are already getting fucked in this country by affirmative action. Do something about this racism while your at it.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Here is the latest on Lori Loughlin:

https://deadline.com/2019/08/lori-l...ege-bribery-scandal-lawyer-ruling-1202705553/

 

[EagerBeaver]

I saw that headline too. Such canvassing by a Judge is very unusual except in cases where a very obvious conflict of interest is being waived, so I believe it was a very prudent thing for the Judge to do.

Many years ago I had a sudden conflict of interest erupt and I forced the clients, who by that time were not speaking to each other, to sign conflict interest waivers or I would not continue to represent them and would move for the Court's permission to withdraw due to the conflict of interest. The clients were actually two individuals who were the principals of a company, each having an equal interest, and I also represented the company. I had been representing both the company, and the two principals who were also sued in their individual capacities in counterclaims filed by the defendant company and its principal, who was also sued individually as well. For 3 or 4 years the cases were aggressively litigated, and although my client's two principals bickered with each other in regards to strategic decisions on the litigation, I was usually able to broker a solution that was acceptable and signed on to by both of the two partners.

What I did not see coming, and probably should have, was a simmering personality rift between the two partners which finally exploded, causing the two partners to effectively dissolve the company and each start their own separate companies. When this happened, the two were no longer on speaking terms. I was communicating with both, however, and in a letter I copied both, I told them that if I were to continue as their counsel they would have to waive any perceived conflict of interest. We all met for lunch at a restaurant, they signed the waivers, and after that, I settled the case and they signed on to it.

The point is that sometimes you do not see a blatant conflict of interest coming and then it hits you, and then you have to get signed conflict of interest waivers. I think that Loughlin and her husband are making a huge mistake because at trial what will shake out is that one of the two was the ringleader and the more culpable party, and that person will have an interest in having his or her own counsel. I suspect Massimo was the ringleader since he was the USC grad and Loughlin did not even go to college.

 

[EagerBeaver]

It’s not unbelievable. She had a chance to take the deal you mentioned before the money laundering charges were filed. She didn’t take the deal and they brought the charges. This was probably mentioned when the prosecutor spoke to her defense counsel. They thought it was a bluff and guessed wrong.

 

[EagerBeaver]

This report notes the palpable difference in Lori Loughlin’s public demeanor at her most recent court appearance:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/lawand...hearing-stone-faced-answers-no-questions/amp/

I think these demeanors were obviously calculated but criticism of the prior Court demeanor probably resonated and shaped the demeanor shown in the video in that link above.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Patron,

I don’t think you really understand how the system works in reality as opposed to what you read in the newspapers. Prosecutors routinely overcharge cases. They do so to leverage convictions or guilty pleas to lesser charges. That is how they get evaluated, by how many cases they closed with pleas or convictions. I have defended minor criminal matters in which the exact same thing happened to me and my clients. All that you can do as an attorney is tell the client it’s an overcharge and to seek a trial. Sometimes the client agrees, but when money is scarce, or the client’s resolve is low, they tell you to capitulate and take the usually suck ass deal that is offered. I have had capitulation happen a lot more than trials. This is the reality of how the system works and has always worked.

 

[sharkman]

The old adage is proven right once again..."It's not what you know, but who you know"!

 

[Valcazar]

I do agree with Patron that the US justice system has a number of serious flaws. (The over-long sentences is one of them.)

It's one of the reasons it has been encouraging that there have been a number of justice reform moves over the last few years and that some of the Democratic candidates are talking about it. The whole "tough on crime" approach has hopefully receded now that the crime wave has gone down.

 

[sharkman]

lol!...every justice system has serious flaws and loopholes!...tell us something we don't know!!!

But, money has ways to find a lot of loopholes!!!...lol!

 

[EagerBeaver]

Looks like Huffman will get away with maybe just a month in prison and $20,000 in fines for her crime:

https://www.tmz.com/2019/09/06/felicity-huffman-sentence-1-month-college-admissions-bribery-scandal/

 

[Valcazar]

How come the government became such good friends with Singer and is criminalizing his customers?

You mean William "Rick" Singer, who pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy; money laundering conspiracy; conspiracy to defraud U.S.; obstruction of justice; and a forfeiture of $3.4 million and other assets with a sentencing recommendation of 15-20 years?
http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5766536-William-Rick-Singer-Plea-Agreement-From-US.html

Real softball they gave him.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Singer was the key cooperating witness in all the prosecutions they brought against the parents. How much jail time he shaved off with the cooperation is hard to say, but his cooperation will certainly lead to a diminution in sentence.

 

[Valcazar]

IT did. That's why I linked the plea agreement. The government asked for a reduction that amounts to reducing the sentencing guidelines from 21-27 years to 15-20 instead.
If I recall, EB, you are a lawyer, so you may be able to point out where I have misread the plea agreement, but that is what it reads like to me.

 

[Valcazar]

It isn't.
White collar crime is grossly underprosecuted, but making up for it by doing nonsense like that is silly.

 

[EagerBeaver]

I give credit to Bill Macy for standing by his woman and holding her hand today, although I am sure he was thinking, “I am just glad they didn’t have enough dirt on me.”

 

[jalimon]

When I started this thread I never ever tough anyone would be sentenced to jail. Even symbolic sentence. Got to give this to the USA justice system they are not afraid to go all the way.

In Canada our white collar or celebrity criminal are very rarely sentenced.

Cheers,

 

[EagerBeaver]

Her sentence is largely ceremonial and to send a message to other defendants still before the Court and other would be bribers. It’s called deterrence, a principal you quickly learn in first year criminal law.

 

[Valcazar]

Although the facts of the two cases are different

Somewhat important

 

[Doc Holliday]

In my opinion she is being used as an example since no one i know was shocked that this kind of stuff has been going on for as long as i can remember. Some people are just better at it than others, i suppose. Someone with a lot of money can simply do it legally by making a large donation to a school or to someone of power in a school's organization.

I can only think of Donald Trump and how his father likely bribed Wharton School officials in order to get him in. It's strongly rumoured that Trump has spent his lifetime hiding his school records since for most of his post-graduate years he mostly had D's in his courses. Someone who isn't very smart cannot get in this type of school unless his daddy has big pockets. But he's not alone. I'm sure the Kennedys, the Bushes and other afluent families didn't hesitate to 'donate' or 'bribe' some officials in order to get their sibblings at Harvard or any other prestigious schools.

 

[Bred Sob]

It's strongly rumoured that Trump has spent his lifetime hiding his school records since for most of his post-graduate years he mostly had D's in his courses.

Trump did not go to grad school. Are you by any chance confusing him with Obama? Although no one has ever seen his (Obama's) records, not even the most knowledgeable merb posters.