BOSTON, MA – May 25, 2023 – A new wave of indictments has brought 16 parents to justice in the ongoing college admissions scandal. Among those charged is actress Lori Loughlin, known for her role in the popular TV show Full House.
The defendants, all of whom were arrested last month on a criminal complaint, are charged with conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud, as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The second superseding indictment alleges that the defendants conspired with William “Rick” Singer, 58, of Newport Beach, Calif., and others, to bribe SAT and ACT exam administrators to allow a test taker to secretly take college entrance exams in place of students, or to correct the students’ answers after they had taken the exam.
The indictment also alleges that the defendants bribed university athletic coaches and administrators to facilitate the admission of students to elite universities as purported athletic recruits.
The following defendants were charged in the second superseding indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering:
- Gamal Abdelaziz, 62, aka “Gamal Aziz,” of Las Vegas, Nev.
- Diane Blake, 55, of Ross, Calif.
- Todd Blake, 53, of Ross, Calif.
- I-Hsin “Joey” Chen, 64, of Newport Beach, Calif.
- Mossimo Giannulli, 55, of Los Angeles, Calif.
- Elizabeth Henriquez, 56, of Atherton, Calif.
- Manuel Henriquez, 56, of Atherton, Calif.
- Douglas Hodge, 61, of Laguna Beach, Calif.
- Michelle Janavs, 48, of Newport Coast, Calif.
- Elisabeth Kimmel, 54, of Las Vegas, Nev.
- Lori Loughlin, 54, of Los Angeles, Calif.
- William McGlashan, Jr., 55, of Mill Valley, Calif.
- Marci Palatella, 63, of Hillsborough, Calif.
- John Wilson, 59, of Lynnfield, Mass.
- Homayoun Zadeh, 57, of Calabasas, Calif.
- Robert Zangrillo, 52, of Miami, Fla.
An arraignment date has not yet been scheduled. The charge of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud 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 charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the money laundering.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric S. Rosen, Justin D. O’Connell, Leslie A. Wright, and Kristen A. Kearney of Lelling’s Securities and Financial Fraud Unit.
Case information, including the status of each defendant, charging documents and plea agreements are available here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/investigations-college-admissions-and-testing-bribery-scheme.
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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