DENVER — A New York couple with a home in Aspen took a plea deal after being arrested in what the Department of Justice (DOJ) called the largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted.
Gregory Abbott, 68, and his wife Marcia Abbott, 59, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, the DOJ announced in a news release Monday.
The couple were among 13 parents who accepted a plea agreement in the case, which involved 33 parents across the country who were accused of paying a man identified as William “Rick” Singer hundreds of thousands of dollars to get their children accepted into elite colleges and universities.
Actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were also involved in the case. Huffman has since pleaded guilty for her role in the scandal, but Loughlin has not.
According to the arrest affidavit in the case, the Abbotts paid Singer’s company $50,000 to correct wrong answers on her ACT and $75,000 for the SAT.
Gregory Abbott is the founder and chairman of a packaging company in the food and beverage industry, and the former chairman and CEO of a private-label clothing manufacturer.
Plea hearings for the Abbotts have not yet been scheduled, according to the DOJ website.
Robert Zangrillo, who has has a Colorado connection and has been charged in the case, did not take a plea deal.
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Zangrillo is the CEO of a Miami-based private investment firm who is accused of trying to bribe athletic department officials at the University of Southern California. According to his arrest affidavit, Zangrillo’s daughter falsely stated she was taking classes at a number of schools – including CU Boulder – so she could transfer to USC.
Around June 2018, the affidavit says USC offered Zangrillo's daughter admission as a transfer student in the spring semester of 2019.
Almost four months later, Zangrillo paid the company $200,000 and mailed a $50,000 check to "USC Women's Athletics," the affidavit says.
Zangrillo is out on bond, according to the DOJ website.
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