All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! College admissions scandal: Gamal Abdelaziz, John Wilson convicted The profile falsely claimed she was Hong Kong Academys team captain, had been named team MVP and had earned spots on the Asia Pacific Activities conference All-Star Team and the Beijing Junior National Team. Gamal Abdelaziz was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton in a Boston federal court to one year and one day in prison for conspiring to facilitate his daughter's admittance . Hey [CW-1], that profile that you did for Azizs daughter, I loved it. [5][1][4] He earned a bachelor's degree in business at the University of Cairo. Aziz confirmed that he would provide the same story if questioned. Former casino exec gets record year in prison in U.S. college scandal William Rick Singer, the so-called godfather behind the Varsity Blues scheme, is now cooperating with the government and has handed over emails and secret recordings he made of his dealings with parents. 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. Gamal Aziz Biography. Previously, he was the president of Wynn Macau Limited and also the chief operating officer of Wynn Resorts Development. Aziz is accused of paying The Key Worldwide Foundation, a California-based college consulting nonprofit, $300,000 to create a fake athletic profile for his daughter to secure her admission to the. His attorney Brian Kelley said they intend to fight the allegations and stated to the press "we maintain it is a weak case", and that the government's case hinges on a "deeply compromised" witness. The son withdrew from the team after one semester. Despite these positions, he was also the former CEO of MGM Resorts International. More than three dozen parents in the college admissions scam case either pleaded guilty or were convicted following trial. 2 Las Vegas parents face new charges in college admissions scam Wynns Mirage Resorts in 1998 to help open the Bellagio, then the most expensive U.S. hotel ever built. Abdelaziz, instead, went to trial. But prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum that, unlike many parents who participated in the scheme, Mr. Abdelaziz had been intimately involved in the lies at every step of his daughters fraudulent admission to U.S.C.. 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. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Turkey had declared the Fourth Level Alert Singer pleaded guilty in 2019 to facilitating cheating on college entrance exams and funneling money from the parents to corrupt coaches and athletics officials in order to secure the admission of their children as fake athletes. Legal Analyst and Senior Sports Legal Reporter. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. A former Wynn Resorts executive has been sentenced to one year in prison after he was convicted of paying a $300,000 bribe as part of the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal in the stiffest sentence handed out to date. In a call prosecutors played for the jury, Singer told Wilson that it "doesnt matter" what sport they were paired with and that he would "make them a sailor or something. U.S.C. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Gamal Abdelaziz, 64, of Las Vegas, paid the bribe to secure his daughter's admission to the University of Southern California as a "basketball recruit." His daughter had not played. [2][6][12] In that position he helped finalize 27 hotel projects in leisure markets around the world. Prosecutors alleged that Aziz - a former Wynn Resorts Ltd (WYNN.O) executive also known as Gamal Abdelaziz - in 2018 paid $300,000 to secure his daughter's admission to the University of. He was also the former CEO of MGM Resorts International. BOSTON, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Two wealthy fathers who were the first to face trial in the U.S. college admissions scandal were convicted on Friday of charges that they corruptly tried to buy their children's way into elite universities as phony athletic recruits. [8][2][6][5][9][10][11] He was then president and chief operating officer of MGM Resorts International, and then MGM Hospitality in September 2010. He and John Wilson, a private equity financier, were also the first defendants to stand trial in the federal investigation known as Operation Varsity Blues. Above, Abdelaziz arrives at federal . 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. Books . [27] He was also ordered to serve two years of supervised release, 400 hours of community service, and pay a fine of $250,000.[28]. Part of the trial will hinge on the question of whether Mr. Abdelaziz and Mr. Wilson believed that U.S.C. Gamal Abdelaziz, a former casino executive, and John Wilson, a former Staples Inc. executive, were found guilty after about 10 hours of deliberations in the case that exposed a scheme to get. Parents convicted in first trial of college admissions scandal Among their assertions were that USC suffered no tangible economic harm. [4] In October 2021, he was found guilty, and in February 2022 he was sentenced to serve one year and one day in federal prison. basketball team. There is no evidence, not even a hint, that John figured out Singers scam. But by then, Singer was working with federal investigators to expose the operation, and the alleged scheme failed for his daughters. Between 2000 and 2015, experience was gained by working with 5 different Canadian . He is awaitingsentencing for his role in the scam, which laid bare the stunning level of corruption in the US higher education system. Wynn recently paid a record $20 million fine to the Nevada Gaming Control Board as a result of similar allegations. 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. Former casino exec sentenced to year in prison in U.S. college scandal Submitting falsified applications for admission to universities . Aziz then submitted falsified basketball profile which include exaggerated and altogether fabricated basketball credentials to submit to USC on his daughters behalf. Singer responded that it "doesnt matter" and that he would "make them a sailor or something" because Wilson lives on Cape Cod. "They dont have the evidence to prove him guilty," he added. Did Sabrina try out for the varsity team? Frank asked. "Its all smoke and mirrors," Kelly said of the governments case. 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. The verdict followed 10-1/2 hours of jury deliberations and four weeks of trial in a case that exposed inequalities in higher education and the lengths wealthy parents would go to secure spots for their children at top schools. 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. Meanwhile, Abdelaziz was accused of paying $300,000 to designate his daughter as a USC basketball team recruit in order to get her admitted to the university. Their lawyers contended they too were conned by Singer, who they said kept them in the dark about his scheme's mechanics and led them to believe their money was being used for university donations, not bribes. In day four of "Varsity Blues" trial, student testifies almost 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. Former Wynn Resorts Ltd. executive Gamal Abdelaziz, 64, was convicted Friday of two counts of conspiracy by a Boston jury after prosecutors alleged he paid $300,000 in bribes to get his. [2][1][3] In March 2019, Aziz and others were named in a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Justice Department, and charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, as part of the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal. If you do not find what you're looking for, you can use more accurate words. Gamal Abdelaziz, 64, and John Wilson, 62, are the first parents in the scheme to be convicted by a federal jury, Liz McCarthy, a spokesperson for the US Attorney's Office - District of . Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 1-year sentence for bribe to secure daughter's USC admission is application and essay, which began, prosecutors said, with the line: "The basketball court is like my art studio." In September 2018, Mr.. Abdelaziz, of Las Vegas, was charged with paying $300,000 to get his daughter into the University of Southern California as a basketball recruit even though she didn't even make it onto her. [13][7][17], Aziz was involved in the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal. (This article was updated in the second paragraph to clarify the FBI surveillance in the case. Two Parents Convicted by Jury in College Admissions Scheme Abdelaziz and Wilson face charges including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud. 1-year sentence for bribe to secure daughter's USC admission is Gamal Abdelaziz, 64, of Las Vegas, paid the bribe to secure his daughter's admission to the University of Southern California as a "basketball recruit." His daughter had not played. Attorneys for Abdelaziz argued to Judge Gorton that the convictions are unsupported as a matter of law. CW-1: But, yeah, it was great. The probe ensnared executives and celebrities including actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, who were among 47 defendants who agreed to plead guilty. 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. Unfortunately for the 64-year-old Egyptian native, a jury convicted him of two charges that carry maximum sentences of 20 years and five years, respectively. . Aziz was born in Egypt, grew up in Cairo, Egypt, and resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nazik is a senior employee of the family planning agency, and her husband, Dr. Hussein, is a gynecologist and obstetrician. At this stage, we intend to appeal and vindicate Mr. Abdelaziz through the appellate process, he said. There was a belief that one of the owners had ties to organized crime and that the group tried to hide that ownership. [13][4][18] He was accused of federal charges which included donating $300,000 to a college consulting nonprofit in order to facilitate the falsification of his daughter's athletic honors as well as a false athletic profile. (Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images). Singer told Abdelaziz in another call that his foundation was being audited by the IRS a ruse authorities instructed Singer to use in the hopes of getting the parents to admit to the scheme on tape. Abdelaziz, of Las Vegas, is accused of paying $300,000 to the sham charity run by the scheme's mastermind admissions consultant Rick Singer to get his daughter into USC as a basketball recruit. U.S. District Judge Nathanial Gorton last week denied Abdelazizs motions for an acquittal or a new trial. Sportico is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Earlier this week, the U.S. Attorneys Office said Gordon Ernst, the former head coach of mens and womens tennis at Georgetown University, has agreed to plead guilty in connection with soliciting and accepting $3.4 million in bribes to facilitate the admission of prospective Georgetown applicants and failing to report a large portion of those bribes on his federal income taxes. Mr. Bastedo added that he doesnt think people will feel like the system is changing even if theres some justice in these cases, he said. Rania Genena on LinkedIn: I'm excited to announce starting a new See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. The judge also denied those motions for financier John Wilson, who was similarly convicted and who arranged to have his son admitted into USC as a fake water polo recruit. Parent sentenced in college admissions scheme Gamal Abdelaziz, a former casino executive, and John Wilson, the founder and CEO of the private equity and real estate development firm Hyannis Port Capital in Hyannisport, where he also owns a . USC, for its part, has said it wasnt aware of Singers scam until2018, when it cooperated with the investigation. In September 2018, Mr. Abdelazizs daughter enrolled at U.S.C., but she did not join the basketball team, prosecutors said. Turkey had declared the Fourth Level Alert At the hearing in Boston federal court, one of Mr. Wilsons lawyers, Michael Kendall, told the judge, Nathaniel M. Gorton, that the defense would present evidence that rebuts any thought that this is a fraud on U.S.C.. USC Admin Felt 'Betrayed' By 'Varsity Blues' Ploy, Jury Hears [25], On October 8, 2021, he was found guilty of fraud and bribery conspiracy. Defense lawyers have claimed that the parents were duped by Singer and led to believe that their payments were legitimate donations. Normally, the prosecution would want such a key player to describe the conspiracy to the jury. The sentence for Gamal Abdelaziz, 64, of Las Vegas, was the longest yet in the continuing federal prosecution known as Operation Varsity Blues. Like other parents, Abdelaziz and Wilson hired admissions consultant/fixer William Rick Singer to fictionalize their childrens admissions profiles. Operation Varsity Blues: Ex-Wynn Resorts executive sentenced to 1 year Two Parents Are the First to Face Trial in College Admissions Scandal, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/12/education/admissions-scandal-usc-parents.html. Im going to essentially say that your $300,000 payment, was made to our foundation to help underserved kids. We want to hear from you! Laura Janke, a former USC soccer coach who has admitted taking bribes from Singer, testified that he later paid her after she left the school to create a profile for Aziz's daughter that falsified her height, team position and accolades. 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. Two Parents Are the First to Face Trial in College Admissions Scandal College admissions scandal: First trial in alleged bribery scheme heads Another co-conspirator who worked in the USC athletic department then used that fake profile to secure the admission of Abdelaziz daughter to USC as a purported basketball recruit.