Xiaoning Sui, Bribery for College Admission, California 2024

Bribes for UCLA Admission Lands Woman in Prison, Charges Unsealed in Boston Court.

Spanish authorities arrested Xiaoning Sui, 48, of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, last night in connection with her role in using bribery and other forms of fraud to facilitate her son’s admission to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) as a purported soccer recruit.

According to the indictment, Sui agreed with William “Rick” Singer to pay $400,000 to facilitate her son’s admission to UCLA as a purported soccer recruit. It is alleged that during a phone call in August 2018, Singer explained that Sui’s son could be “guaranteed” admission to UCLA, in exchange for $400,000.

Sui allegedly provided Singer with her son’s transcript and photographs of her son playing tennis. Co-conspirator Laura Janke then fabricated a soccer profile for Sui’s son, which described him as a top player for two private soccer clubs in Canada.

On Oct. 24, 2018, Singer instructed Sui to wire Singer $100,000 which would be “paid to the coach at UCLA” in exchange for a letter of intent from the UCLA soccer coach. Two days later, Sui allegedly wired $100,000 to a bank account in Massachusetts in the name of Singer’s sham charitable organization, the Key Worldwide Foundation (KWF).

Janke previously pleaded guilty and is cooperating with the government’s investigation. Sui faces a charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, which provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater.

The case is part of an ongoing investigation into the college admissions and testing bribery scheme, and more information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/investigations-college-admissions-and-testing-bribery-scheme

The details contained in the court documents are allegations and Sui is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston.

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