Nate Raymond

BOSTON, (Reuters) – A former University of Southern California senior athletic director pleaded guilty to conspiring in a massive fraud and bribery scheme to allow wealthy children to get admissions to colleges to recruit fake athletes.

Donna Heinel (60) was scheduled to appear before a Boston federal jury later in the month. This is the second trial arising from the U.S. college admits scandal. Instead she pleaded guilty, pleading guilty to wire fraud and honest services.

Heinel acknowledged that she provided information about the scheme’s chief architect, William “Rick”, Singer to an USC admissions committee regarding students who misled it into thinking their applications were from coaches.

From 2015 to 2019, she did this in return for Singer’s client payments to USC accounts that she had professionally benefited.

Heinel has agreed to not appeal any sentence below 46 months. The sentence for her is scheduled to take place March 11.

Heinel was one of 57 individuals charged in Operation Varsity Blues, an investigation that ensnared celebrities and business executives as well as exposed inequalities within U.S. higher-education.

Singer pleaded guilty to cheating in college entrance exams. He also helped bribe university officials and coaches so that children could be admitted as fake athletes.

38 people, including actors Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, have already pleaded guilty.

Heinel’s plea comes after Gamal Aziz (ex-casino executive) and John Wilson (founder of private equity firm), were convicted on October 1st in the initial trial for the scandal of purchasing their children’s admissions to USC.

Singer, according to the prosecution, was charged with making payments of more than $1.3m in USC accounts. Heinel had designated them.

The payments were referred to as bribes by the prosecution, which was questioned Friday by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani because Heinel didn’t personally have the money.

After Nina Marino, defense lawyer for USC, said that the money had helped Heinel infelicitously fulfill her obligations to raise funds for the university, she accepted the plea.