Latest news with #VarsityBlues
USA Today
6 days ago
- USA Today
California fugitive captured three decades after escaping FCI Dublin
A fugitive who fled a California prison over three decades ago was arrested by the U.S. Marshals earlier this month, authorities announced, about 150 miles away from where he escaped. Ronald Keith Harvey, 79, was captured in Nevada City, California, by the U.S. Federal Marshal Fugitive Apprehension Team on June 12, according to a Facebook post by the Nevada County Sheriff's Office and county booking records. Harvey escaped from the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, on Jan. 21, 1994, according to KTVU. "There are some people who are better than others at absconding justice and just going on the run," Deputy U.S. Marshal Cruz Moya told KGO-TV. Moya, who has been in charge of Harvey's case since 2024, told SF Gate that the federal marshals found Harvey following a data sweep that led to an address associated with the escapee in Nevada City. USA TODAY reached out to the U.S. Marshals Service for a statement on June 17 and did not receive an immediate response. Escapee had been serving time for marijuana operation Moya told KTVU that Harvey was serving a 60-month sentence at FCI Dublin for manufacturing marijuana plants. "He wasn't cultivating a small amount. He was arrested with 600-plus plants and firearms. So, it was a pretty big operation that he was running," Moya said to KGO. Marshals told KGO-TV that Harvey has about four years left on his original sentence. FCI Dublin was the prison where Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin served their sentences related to the "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal. FCI Dublin closed in 2024 following an Associated Press report on alleged sexual abuse at the prison.
Pink Villa
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Scott Caan and Elizabeth Debicki Join Brad Pitt in David Fincher's Next Untitled Project
Actors Scott Caan and Elizabeth Debicki have joined Brad Pitt in an upcoming Netflix film, whose details remain largely under wraps. The project centers around Cliff Booth, the stuntman character portrayed by Pitt in Quentin Tarantino's 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. This new story is set in a later time period than the original movie. While details are tightly guarded, sources say the film draws from a script Tarantino wrote but chose not to direct. Pitt reportedly convinced him to let director David Fincher take over the project, which was greenlit earlier this year. The film's storyline may include elements from Tarantino's 2021 novel, which expanded on Cliff Booth's backstory, including the controversial death of his wife. However, it is unclear how closely the movie will follow the book. Debicki and Caan's roles have not been confirmed. Sources suggest the script includes two major female characters — one running a bar and mud wrestling venue, and another described as a trophy wife — but it's unknown whether Debicki will play either of these roles. For Caan, this marks a reunion with Pitt, having worked together in the Ocean's Eleven trilogy. Production is expected to begin in California this July. Netflix has not released any official statements regarding the new cast members. Scott Caan, son of late actor James Caan, is known for his work in television, including CBS's Hawaii Five-0 and Fox's Alert: Missing Persons Unit. His film credits include Varsity Blues and Gone in 60 Seconds. Elizabeth Debicki gained widespread recognition for her portrayal of Princess Diana in Netflix's The Crown. She has also appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Tenet, and the upcoming Maxxxine. Both actors are represented by CAA, with Caan also managed by Linden Entertainment and Sloane Offer.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US court reinstates former USC coach's college admissions scandal conviction
By Nate Raymond BOSTON (Reuters) -A U.S. appeals court on Friday reinstated a former University of Southern California water polo coach's bribery conviction arising from his role in the nationwide "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a trial judge wrongly overturned a jury's 2022 verdict finding Jovan Vavic guilty of conspiring to commit federal programs bribery by accepting payments to help wealthy parents' children gain admission to USC as fake athletic recruits. The judge had set Vavic's conviction aside and ordered a new trial after concluding the prosecution during closing arguments misstated what it needed legally to prove its case, which arose out of the investigation dubbed "Operation Varsity Blues." But U.S. Circuit Judge Julie Rikelman, writing for a three-judge panel, said that while part of Vavic's conviction could no longer stand following an appellate ruling in a different "Varsity Blues" case, the prosecution's closing arguments were not contrary to the judge's jury instructions on the law. The ruling opens the door to Vavic being sentenced three years after the jury's verdict. His lawyers did not respond to requests for comment. He was among dozens of people charged in 2019 in the investigation, which exposed how some wealthy parents went to extreme lengths to secure spots for their children at schools like Yale, Georgetown and USC. They did so with the help of William "Rick" Singer, a California college admissions consultant who was sentenced in 2023 to 3-1/2 years in prison after admitting he facilitated college entrance exam cheating and helped bribe coaches to secure his clients' children's admission as phony athletes. More than 50 people, including coaches and parents, pleaded guilty. Prosecutors claimed that in exchange for more than $200,000, Vavic helped mislead USC admissions officials into believing children of Singer's clients belonged on his championship team. While prosecutors said some money that Singer paid went toward Vavic's children's private school tuition, another $100,000 went to a USC account used to fund the water polo team.
Reuters
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US court reinstates former USC coach's college admissions scandal conviction
BOSTON, May 30 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday reinstated a former University of Southern California water polo coach's bribery conviction arising from his role in the nationwide "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled, opens new tab that a trial judge wrongly overturned a jury's 2022 verdict finding Jovan Vavic guilty of conspiring to commit federal programs bribery by accepting payments to help wealthy parents' children gain admission to USC as fake athletic recruits. The judge had set Vavic's conviction aside and ordered a new trial after concluding the prosecution during closing arguments misstated what it needed legally to prove its case, which arose out of the investigation dubbed "Operation Varsity Blues." But U.S. Circuit Judge Julie Rikelman, writing for a three-judge panel, said that while part of Vavic's conviction could no longer stand following an appellate ruling in a different "Varsity Blues" case, the prosecution's closing arguments were not contrary to the judge's jury instructions on the law. The ruling opens the door to Vavic being sentenced three years after the jury's verdict. His lawyers did not respond to requests for comment. He was among dozens of people charged in 2019 in the investigation, which exposed how some wealthy parents went to extreme lengths to secure spots for their children at schools like Yale, Georgetown and USC. They did so with the help of William "Rick" Singer, a California college admissions consultant who was sentenced in 2023 to 3-1/2 years in prison after admitting he facilitated college entrance exam cheating and helped bribe coaches to secure his clients' children's admission as phony athletes. More than 50 people, including coaches and parents, pleaded guilty. Prosecutors claimed that in exchange for more than $200,000, Vavic helped mislead USC admissions officials into believing children of Singer's clients belonged on his championship team. While prosecutors said some money that Singer paid went toward Vavic's children's private school tuition, another $100,000 went to a USC account used to fund the water polo team.
Daily Mail
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Felicity Huffman's comeback: How Desperate Housewives' glamorous relaunch may save fan-favourite's floundering career after college admissions scandal saw her jailed
The actress that brought Desperate Housewives' legendary Lynette Scavo to life is now back on our screens - after six years out of the spotlight following a scandal that saw her jailed for 11 days. All came crashing down for Felicity Huffman in 2019 when the New York-born star, renowned for being a series fan-favourite, was exposed being involved in the Varsity Blues college admissions controversy when she fudged her daughter, Sophia's SAT score to snag her a spot at a prestigious school. Pleading guilty to the crimes, the actress, 62, went on to serve just under a fortnight in prison and do 250 hours of community service, with the ordeal blowing a hole in an otherwise starry career. With a reputation marred by controversy, the star was forced to take an involuntary break from acting - and while she's since braved comebacks, it hasn't been easy. Now however, amid the beloved series' relaunch, Felicity looks to have been offered a second chance, having landed her first water-tight acting job since the debacle - which also embroiled A-listers like Lori Laughlin - threatened to extinguish her reputation for good. In May, she appeared in a leading role in The 13th Wife: Escaping Polygamy playing the 'extraordinary true story' of Rena Chynoweth, the former of 'a manipulative polygamist group leader'. It marked her second major production in a comeback that has taken her six years to land, with the actress having previously described how her 'old life died' after the scandal came to light. Last year, she opened up in a rare interview since the incident, confessing that she felt as if her 'old life has died'. Felicity, who was at the time preparing to star in Hir in London's West End as the radical and liberated mother of a transgender son, told The Guardian that she was 'still processing' what happened, but was 'grateful' for the second chance. The play marked her return to work after bribing college officials $15,000. Reflecting how how she felt performing in front of an audience who knew about her past, she said: 'I walk into the room with it. I did it. It's black and white.' When asked how she was following the scandal, she answered that she founded it 'a loaded question'. Felicity said she is 'still processing' how she is doing after the ordeal, but added that she feels 'grateful to be here' and is happy as long as her family are doing well. The publication reported that Felicity has 'barely worked' since she was jailed and reflecting on the change to her career, she said: 'I did a pilot for ABC recently that didn't get picked up. It's been hard.' 'Sort of like your old life died and you died with it. I'm lucky enough to have a family and love and means, so I had a place to land,' she said. In May, she appeared in a leading role in The 13th Wife: Escaping Polygamy playing the 'extraordinary true story' of Rena Chynoweth, the former of 'a manipulative polygamist group leader' In the years following the reputation shattering ordeal, she has worked to repair her wrongdoings, but initially struggled to make ends meet beyond a handful of roles in flopped productions. Last year, she took on a role in the spin-off series, Criminal Minds: Evolution playing Dr. Jill Gideon, the ex-wife of Jason Gideon, who was played by Mandy Patinkin on the original show. After scoring the role in its second series, her husband, fellow actor, William H. Macy, praised his wife for doing a 'great job' and said he was 'really glad she's working'. Felicity has also made an appearance in a small handful of productions since, including being cast in a pilot for a spinoff of ABC's 'The Good Doctor' opposite Kennedy McMann - though it didn't make it beyond the first episode. In 2020, she starred in an untitled pilot for ABC, performing as the owner of a minor league baseball team, but again, the show failed to progress. She starred as Tammy MacDonald in the 2019 dark comedy, Tammy's Always Dying, about an alcoholic who is diagnosed with terminal cancer . The film, which premiered at the 2019 Toronto Film Festival slumped in the reviews, scoring just a 5.7 out of 10 on IMDb. It's a far cry from some of her former wins in the industry, with the Desperate Housewives actress having once been nominated for an Oscar while playing a trans woman in the drama, Transmerica. She played the villainous prosecutor Linda Fairstein in When They See Us, a miniseries about the Central Park Five, a group of young black New York boys who were wrongfully imprisoned for the rape of a jogger in New York (pictured) Prior to college scandal and after Desperate Housewives came to a close in 2012, she had taken on a number of roles, including Cake in 2014 with Jennifer Aniston, Rudderless in 2014, and the series, American Crime, in 2015. And amid news of the scandal in May 2019, Felicity was simultaneously receiving acclaim for her TV and film roles. She played the villainous prosecutor Linda Fairstein in When They See Us, a miniseries about the Central Park Five, a group of young black New York boys who were wrongfully imprisoned for the rape of a jogger in New York. Then in July 2019, she was seen in Otherhood, a comedy film directed by Cindy Chupack, alongside Angela Bassett. But it would prove her last before a long break. Seven years after she wrapped on Desperate Housewives, Felicity was sentenced to 14 days in jail who her involvement in the college admissions scandal. The actress paid Rick Singer $15,000 to fudge her daughter Sophia's SAT scores in order to land her a place at college and was among a group of wealthy, famous parents swept up in the ordeal. Felicity paid $30,000 in fines and spent 11 days in jail after being charged with fraud in 2019. In her first public remarks outside of the courtroom, she said she thought it was 'a joke' when FBI agents turned up at her mansion to arrest her. 'They came into my home, they woke my daughters up at gunpoint - again, nothing new to the black and brown community - then they put my hands behind my back and handcuffed me. 'I asked if I could get dressed. I thought it was a hoax. I literally turned to one of the FBI people in a flak jacket and a gun and I go 'is this a joke?' Felicity said she regretted the scheme but felt she had no choice at the time because Sophia, who she previously said has a learning disability, would not have been accepted otherwise. 'It felt like I had to give my daughter a chance at a future. And so it was sort of like my daughter's future, which meant I had to break the law,' she said. 'I think I feel the people I owe a debt and an apology to is the academic community and to the students and the families that sacrifice and work really hard to get to where they are going legitimately.' 'I want to use my experience and what I've gone through and the pain to bring something good,' she said. Felicity and Macy hired Singer to help Sophia improve her scores in order to get into college. She claims the scheme was not obvious at first, but became plain when Singer told them Sophia would not be accepted into any schools without greasing the wheels. 'After a year, he started to say your daughter is not going to get into any of the colleges that she wants to,' the actress expressed in an interview with Eyewitness. 'And I believed him. And so when he slowly started to present the criminal scheme, it seems like - and I know this seems crazy at the time - but that was my only option to give my daughter a future. 'And I know hindsight is 20/20 but it felt like I would be a bad mother if I didn't do it. So - I did it.' Sophia was unaware that her parents had paid for someone to alter her test answers after she completed the SATs. The scheme involved Singer paying off a handful of discreet test supervisors who would inflate students' scores once they had completed the exam. On the day of the SAT test, she said Sophia was nervous and asking if they could go for ice cream afterwards. 'She was going, "Can we get ice cream afterwards?"' Felicity recalled. 'I'm scared about the test. What can we do that's fun? And I kept thinking, turn around, just turn around.
