People Ask If The College-Cheating-Scam Actresses Will Be Jailed Like The Black Moms Who Used Fake Addresses To Send Kids to Better Schools
The shocking arrests of actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin has not only shined a light on the prevalence of white privilege in the education system, but also reminded many about the institutionalized racism within the justice system.
According to federal documents, Huffman allegedly paid $15,000 to the scam’s ringleader, William Rick Singer, who owns a college counseling service called Key Worldwide Foundation and a company called Edge College & Career Network. In exchange for the payment, Singer arranged for a special proctor to correct the answers on Huffman’s daughter’s SATs.
Loughlin, who is most known for playing Aunt Becky on Full House, is facing the same felony charge as Huffman, conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, was also charged.
In the case of Giannulli and Loughlin, the couple allegedly agreed to pay bribes of $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters recruited to the USC crew team, even though they did not participate in crew, the federal complaint said.
Although both actresses were arrested, they’ve already posted bail, and many expect that they won’t see any jail time due to their wealth and status.
The college bribery scandal has outraged many who remember the Black mothers who were served jail time for lying about their addresses so their children could attend school in a better district.
In one particular 2012 instance, a homeless Connecticut mother was sentenced to five years for using a babysitter’s address so her son could attend a better elementary school. The state of Connecticut accused Tonya McDowell of stealing $15,686 worth of education from the city of Norwalk when her child should have been enrolled in Bridgeport school.
In 2011, Kelley Williams-Bolar, of Ohio, was also jailed for lying about her residency to send her child to a better school. In the end, Williams-Bolar was sentenced to 10 days in county jail and put on three years of probation. She was also required to perform community service, ABC News reported.
Both cases have resurfaced as people began wondering if the rich, white actresses involved in the recent college admissions scandal will face similar harsh punishments.