Marci Palatella, a Northern California liquor distribution executive, admitted to paying a self-billed college admissions consultant to get her son into USC as a football recruit, even though he wasn’t being recruited. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)The chief executive of a Northern California liquor distribution company was sentenced Thursday in Boston federal court to six weeks in prison for paying a fixer to get her son admitted to USC as a football recruit, authorities said. Palatella pleaded guilty Aug. 26 to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud, court records show. She is one of dozens of defendants charged in the sweeping case, dubbed “Operation Varsity Blues,” that uncovered a college admissions fraud scheme aimed at getting the children of the rich and powerful into prestigious universities. Read the full story on LATimes.com.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 17, 2021 04:50 UTC