From a very young age, children all around the world are disciplined and punished for things they do wrong, or for when they do not listen to their parents. This teaches them what is right and wrong within a household and ultimately within society. These teachings are then questioned when parents themselves are not even punished for their wrongdoings.

In March 2019, the story of a college admission scandal involving celebrities and their children was released. These celebrities included the mastermind of the entire plan, William “Rick” Singer, and well-known actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman.

There were over 50 others involved in this scandal, 15 of whom appeared in court March 29.

Although these parents, along with others, have yet to enter plea deals, all were accused of conspiracy to commit fraud.

Several of the other parents were scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, April 3, in U.S. District Court. These appearances in court are only preliminary hearings, which are hearings that will determine if there is enough evidence to go to trial.

This process is all a part of the pre-indictment phase of a case that tries to resolve the matter at hand before they are presented to a grand jury.

On March 12, Singer pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy, which refers to crimes that are committed through obtaining money illegally on a regular or briefly but repeated basis. He also pled guilty to three other crimes that are in relation to the scandal which he orchestrated. He currently faces 10 to 20 years in prison.

On March 25, 12 of the 50 people involved in the scandal pled not guilty to the charges against them. Of those 12, six were coaches who allegedly accepted bribes to help wealthy kids get into elite colleges based on falsified athletic abilities and skills.

The investigation of how far this scandal went and who all is involved is still ongoing as people start to make appearances in court.

Along with the first 12 of the accused making their way to court, the Federal Department of Education made contact through letters to the eight colleges where coaches allegedly took bribes.

These letters contained the notice that they will be opening their own investigation to analyze exactly what took place and if these allegations are true. The letters also stated that the examination of the colleges would relate to whether any laws or regulations dealing with the governing of federal financial aid programs were violated. The names, Social Security numbers and academic transcripts of the students who were admitted allegedly in part of the scandal have also been requested.

All the defendants are currently out on bail of varying amounts. Many of the lawyers, either appointed or personal, will be fighting the charges made against their clients. More hearings are scheduled in the following weeks, and the big names will finally make their appearances in court.