Former Wynn Macau president Gamal Abdelaziz knew a thing or two about odds when his daughter wanted to attend the University of Southern California five years ago. One problem: The daughter hadnt made her high school varsity team. More trials are expected, with another one set for November. Mr. Abdelazizs daughter never joined the U.S.C. John Wilson, a private equity executive, is accused of paying $220,000 to get his son admitted to U.S.C. According to court documents, Mr. Singer, who by this time was cooperating with law enforcement agents, told Mr. Wilson the spot at Stanford would be through the sailing team, but the daughter didnt have to actually sail; the spot at Harvard would be through a senior womens administrator who would choose a sport for his daughter. Aziz then submitted falsified basketball profile which include exaggerated and altogether fabricated basketball credentials to submit to USC on his daughters behalf. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), 1-year sentence for bribe to secure daughters USC admission is stiffest penalty to date, 7 house fires prompt fears about gas meters buried in snow. Parent Sentenced in College Admissions Case - United States Department Dozens of high-profile parents, athletic coaches and others have beenarrested in connection with thescandal, but Abdelaziz and Wilsons case is the first to go to trial, with many others havingpleadedguilty. He then went on to run operations in Macau where hewas in charge of operations at the US$4.2 billion Wynn Palace hotel-casino resort on the Cotai Strip, which opened in August 2016. A cooperating witness in the case told Aziz that his daughter would not get into USC based on her academic record but that her prospects would improve dramatically as a recruited athlete. The judge ordered Aziz, who is also known as Gamal Abdelaziz, to serve 12 months and a day in prison, pay a $250,000 fine and perform 400 hours of community service. After the son was admitted, prosecutors say, Mr. Wilson paid Mr. Singer $220,000, of which Mr. Singer sent $100,000 to the U.S.C. Mr. Wilson was also found guilty of additional fraud and bribery charges, and of filing a false tax return for taking a deduction for a payment that the government called a bribe. Gamal Abdelaziz of Las Vegas, Nev., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to one year and one day in prison, two years of supervised release, 400 hours of community service and a fine of $250,000. Over the coming weeks, the fairness of the admissions process may also be on trial. Wilson allegedly paid more than $1 million for the arrangements. Attorneys for Abdelaziz argued to Judge Gorton that the convictions are unsupported as a matter of law. Although she was admitted in 2017,. But by then, Singer was working with federal investigators to expose the operation, and the alleged scheme failed for his daughters. By paying $300,000 to have her depicted as a top Trojans basketball recruit, the hotel and casino executive boosted her admissions chances from uncertain to near guaranteed. Like other parents, Abdelaziz and Wilson hired admissions consultant/fixer William Rick Singer to fictionalize their childrens admissions profiles. Hey [CW-1], that profile that you did for Azizs daughter, I loved it. Hilal Kaplan on LinkedIn: Dear Connections, As most of you know, we Casino operator sentenced to one year in prison in college admissions Abdelaziz was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel Gorton to one year and one day in prison, two years of supervised release, 400 hours of community service and a fine of $250,000. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Abdelaziz in 2017 agreed to pay co-conspirator William Rick Singer the $300,000 bribe to secure the admission of his daughter to USC as a purported basketball recruit. The prosecutors case against Mr. Wilson also involves athletics. He is awaitingsentencing for his role in the scam, which laid bare the stunning level of corruption in the US higher education system. Wilson similarly worked withSinger beginning in 2013 to get his son into USC as a water-polo recruit, even though the dad worried that his boy would be a clear misfit at practice, court documents allege. 1 Catholic Memorial; roundup/list of scores, In day four of Varsity Blues trial, student testifies almost everything in defendants daughters profile is untrue, Rachael Rollins to co-lead delegation of US attorneys to Selma in recognition of Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Bloody Sunday, Boston drug trafficker set to do 11 years in prison, give up Louis Vuitton bags, feds say, Murdaughs fall from grace ends in life sentence for murder, At New Mexico St, a meltdown that runs beyond basketball, 'Significant burst' of heavy snow possible for areas of Massachusetts, up to 12 inches potential in spots, Alex Murdaugh killed wife, son to buy time, prosecutor says, Boston employee payroll data shows more big-money employees than ever. In fact, he was interviewed in July 2013 after the Massachusetts Gaming Commission launched an investigation into the limited liability company that was selling the land to Wynn. Unlike more than 30 of the other parents nabbed in Operation Varsity Blues, Abdelaziz didnt reach a plea deal with prosecutors. as a water polo player, then conspiring to pay another $1.5 million to secure admission for his daughters to Harvard and Stanford. 2023 Sportico Media, LLC. Abdelaziz, a former Strip casino executive who went by Gamal Aziz, is accused of paying $300,000 to get his daughter into the University of Southern California as a basketball recruit. He can be reached at nate.raymond@thomsonreuters.com. Prosecutors alleged that Aziz, who is also known as Gamal Abdelaziz, in 2017 agreed to pay Singer $300,000 to secure his daughter's admission to the University of Southern California as a. By MELISSA CHEN. U.S. District Judge Nathanial Gorton last week denied Abdelazizs motions for an acquittal or a new trial. Abdelaziz, a former casino executive, was charged with paying $300,000 to get his daughter into USC as a basketball recruit even though she didn't even make it onto her high school's varsity team. He has already pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for tipping off some of his favored clients after he first agreed to cooperate with federal agents. Gamal Aziz, charged in college admissions scandal, worked for Wynn On the fourth day of testimony in the trial of former casino executive Gamal Abdelaziz and another parent, Rachel Sih was shown her high school yearbook, which included the same photo of a girl playing basketball that was used to try to get the defendants daughter into the University of Southern California as a basketball recruit. Is that Sabrina Abdelaziz? Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Frank asked. As part of the scheme, a co-conspirator created a basketball profile for his daughter, which included a photo of a different athlete and listed falsified awards and athletic honors. Aziz made a number of trips to Boston to oversee the unveiling of the model of what is now namedEncore Boston Harbor. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. As explained in other Sportico stories, Operation Varsity Blues is predicated on the crime of honest services wire fraud. That was in January 2019 . Giving money to a school with a hope that it gets your kid in is not a crime, said Brian Kelly,Abdelazizslawyer, to jurors. Wilson also is accused of paying more than $1 million to buy his twin daughters ways into Harvard and Stanford. Rick is a Massachusetts native and graduated from Boston University. Legal Statement. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Lawyers for the defendants said in a recent hearing that they planned to spotlight U.S.C.s admissions practices and its fund-raising efforts, particularly as they were intertwined in the athletics department. The operations was known as Varsity Blues. (you can read all the gory details here). Abdelaziz, instead, went to trial. Wilson and another parent, Gamal Abdelaziz, who are the first to stand trial in the college admissions bribery scandal, used lies and money to steal coveted spots at prestigious schools their kids couldn't secure on their own, a prosecutor said Wednesday before jurors decide if the men are guilty. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File), LORI LOUGHLIN SPOTTED LOOKING LIKE HERSELF AGAIN FOLLOWING COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL. But he made one terrible mistake a mistake that has already cost him his business, tarnished his reputation and placed a great strain on his family, the lawyers wrote. [5][7][8][13][19] He was arrested on March 12, 2019, on charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, but was soon granted a personal recognizance release bond which required him to appear in court. On Monday, prosecutorscalled their first witness, Bruce Isackson, a real-estate developer from Northern California and a parent in the scam who has been cooperating with the feds. Singer told Abdelaziz the phony injury narrative was standard operating procedure for other families that went through the side door into elite colleges as fake athletes. (This article was updated in the second paragraph to clarify the FBI surveillance in the case. Gamal Aziz, also known as Gamal Abdelaziz, ( Arabic: ) (born 1957 or 1958) is an Egyptian-American businessman. Anyone can read what you share. Are you -, CW-1: Ill tell you a funny story, is that Donna Heinel, how is the senior womens administrator, she actually called me and said . The two are among 57 people charged over a scheme in which wealthy parents conspired with California college admissions consultant William "Rick" Singer to fraudulently secure college placement for their children through fraud and bribery. Fox News Flash top headlines for October 7. Singer told Abdelaziz that he wouldnt tell the IRS that the money was used to get his daughter into school "even though she wasnt a legitimate basketball player at that level" and asked Abdelaziz if he was OK with that. application and essay, which began, prosecutors said, with the line: "The basketball court is like my art studio." In September 2018, Mr.. Isackson and his wife, Davina, pleaded guilty in 2019 to charges that they worked with Singer to get their daughters into the University of California, Los Angeles, and USC as athletic recruits. Longtime casino executive Gamal Abdelaziz has been named in the DOJ college bribery complaint and charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Two wealthy dads convicted in first U.S. college admissions scandal trial USC, for its part, has said it wasnt aware of Singers scam until2018, when it cooperated with the investigation. (Associated Press), OLIVIA JADE EXCITED FOR MOM LORI LOUGHLINS RETURN TO TV FOLLOWING COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL. based on her academic record. Gamal Abdelaziz, 65, of Las Vegas, stood solemnly in federal court in Boston as a judge told him "it boggles the mind" that he worked so hard to pursue his own education yet committed a crime . Parent with Cape Cod ties convicted in college bribery scandal trial Thirty-three parents, and a number of coaches and other individuals, have already pleaded guilty to involvement in the scheme, which also involved cheating on admissions exams. In one recording played on Friday for the jury, Singer tells Wilson that hes going to do more than 730 of these side-door deals at 50 or 60 schools., In another recording, Wilson asks, Is there any way to make those (payments) tax-deductible, as like, donations to a school?. [6] In December 2015 Ecole htelire de Lausanne (EHL), a hotel and hospitality school, appointed him to its international advisory board. Gamal Abdelaziz, 64, of Las Vegas, paid the bribe to secure his daughters admission to the University of Southern California as a basketball recruit. His daughter had not played basketball in more than a year, and she didnt even make it onto her high schools varsity basketball team. In one call with Singer, Wilson asked which sports "would be best" for his twin daughters. None of these kids were getting recruited to play collegiate sports without the money.. Lynn Parent Is Defendant In 1st 'Varsity Blues' Trial That - WBUR Mr. Those who came clean face jail or prison sentences ranging from a couple of weeks to a handful of months. Guilty verdict reached in trial of 2 parents in college admissions Wilson and another parent, Gamal Abdelaziz, who are the first to stand trial in the college admissions bribery scandal, used lies and money to steal coveted spots at prestigious schools their kids couldn't secure on their own, a prosecutor said Wednesday before jurors decide if the men are guilty. Among those who testified during the more than three-week trial was a high school classmate of Abdelazizs daughter, who told jurors the girl didnt even make the cut for the varsity team. Former Wynn Macau president Gamal Abdelaziz knew a thing or two about odds when his daughter wanted to attend the University of Southern California five years ago. Sihs testimony was a blow to the defense of Gamal Abdelaziz, who is on trial with former Staples and Gap Inc. executive John Wilson on charges they paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to help get their children into USC by falsely presenting them as athletic recruits. Jurors are expected to begin deliberating on Thursday after the judge gives his instructions. 2 parents convicted in 1st trial of college bribery scandal If you got twins?". Other parents convicted in the case have received far shorter sentences. Rania Genena on LinkedIn: I'm excited to announce starting a new Former MGM Resorts executive Gamal Abdelaziz was sentenced Wednesday to one year and one day in federal prison for bribing his daughter's way into the University of Southern California as a. Abdelaziz, of Las Vegas, is accused of paying $300,000 to the sham. 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