[oldalum]

  Not certain how the parents committed a fraud.

Some of them bribed (via Rick Singer) SAT test administrators to raise their students' scores. That seems at least conspiracy to commit fraud, the victims of which were the universities that received those scores, the College Board, and all test-takers who did not cheat. And all of the parents bribed (via Singer) university coaches to falsely certify to their university admissions offices that their child was a recruited athlete for the team they coached--victims of the fraud being the university and the pool of students who qualified for admission but were denied a spot, or at least athletes who would have been admitted to play on the team but whose spot was sold by the coach. I don't see how either one is "totally legal" or a "paperwork" transgression.

On buying one's kids way into elite private colleges: that requires many more dollars than what these parents paid Singer. They might still have afforded it, and the kids still have to meet minimum admission standards--at least some of them may not have had the test scores to qualify without the cheating.

[oldalum]

  Not certain how the parents committed a fraud.

Some of them bribed (via Rick Singer) SAT test administrators to raise their students' scores. That seems at least conspiracy to commit fraud, the victims of which were the universities that received those scores, the College Board, and all test-takers who did not cheat. And all of the parents bribed (via Singer) university coaches to falsely certify to their university admissions offices that their child was a recruited athlete for the team they coached--victims of the fraud being the university and the pool of students who qualified for admission but were denied a spot, or at least athletes who would have been admitted to play on the team but whose spot was sold by the coach. I don't see how either one is "totally legal" or a "paperwork" transgression.

On buying one's kids way into elite private colleges: that requires many more dollars than what these parents paid Singer. They might still have afforded it, and the kids still have to meet minimum admission standards--at least some of them may not have had the test scores to qualify without the cheating.