Description: Boston, Massachusetts criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with falsely claiming payments he made to secure the admission of his son to the University of Southern California (USC) were deductible from his taxes as a business expense and a charitable contribution.

In October 2021, John Wilson, age 64, of Lynnfield, Massachusetts, was convicted by a federal jury of one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud; one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery; three counts of wire fraud and honest services wire fraud; two counts of federal programs bribery; and one count of filing a false tax return. He was subsequently sentenced in February 2022 to 15 months in prison, two years of supervised release, 400 hours of community service and ordered to pay a fine of $200,000 and restitution in the amount of $88,546.

In May 2023, the First Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction for filing a false tax return and vacated and remanded the remaining counts of conviction.

According to evidence presented at trial, in 2013, Wilson agreed to pay William “Rick” Singer $220,000 to facilitate his son’s admission to USC as a purported water polo recruit in exchange for payments to the water polo team account. Wilson requested that Singer provide him with a fake invoice for business consulting fees so that he could make the payments using his private investment firm’s corporate account. Wilson asked, “Can we make it for consulting or whatever from The Key so that I can pay it from the corporate account?” After Wilson’s son was accepted to USC, Wilson used his firm’s corporate account to wire $100,000 to Singer’s sham charity, the Key Worldwide Foundation, $100,000 to Singer’s for-profit company, The Key, and $20,000 directly to Singer. Wilson falsely deducted part of the payments as a business expense and the remainder as a charitable contribution. In 2018, Wilson approached Singer again about securing the admission of his two daughters to college as purported athletic recruits in sports they did not play at the collegiate level. Wilson once again asked Singer whether there was “any way” to make the payments “tax deductible as like donations to the school.”

On Jan. 4, 2023, Singer was sentenced to 42 months in prison after previously pleading guilty.

Further information on the College Admissions Case is available here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/investigations-college-admissions-and-testing-bribery-scheme.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Harry Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston; and Terry Harris, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General Eastern Regional Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen E. Frank, Leslie A. Wright, Kristen A. Kearney and Ian Stearns of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.

18:1349 - CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT MAIL AND WIRE FRAUD AND HONEST SERVICES MAIL AND WIRE FRAUD
(1ss)

18:371 - CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FEDERAL PROGRAMS BRIBERY
(2ss)

18:1341 and 1346 and 2 - WIRE FRAUD AND HONEST SERVICES WIRE FRAUD; AIDING AND ABETTING
(6ss)

18:1341 and 1346 and 2 - WIRE FRAUD AND HONEST SERVICES WIRE FRAUD; AIDING AND ABETTING
(8ss-9ss)

18:666(a)(2) and (2) - FEDERAL PROGRAMS BRIBERY; AIDING AND ABETTING
(11ss-12ss)

"Conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud is a federal crime in the United States. It is defined in 18 U.S.C. § 1349, which states that:

Whoever conspires to commit any offense against the United States, or to defraud the United States, or any agency thereof in any matter within its jurisdiction, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.

To be convicted of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, the government must prove that:

Two or more people agreed to commit mail and wire fraud.
Each person knew about the conspiracy and intended to participate in it.
At least one person in the conspiracy took an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.

Mail and wire fraud are defined in 18 U.S.C. § 1341 and 1343, respectively. Mail fraud is the use of the United States mail to defraud someone. Wire fraud is the use of interstate wire, radio, or television communications to defraud someone.

To commit mail and wire fraud, a person must make a false statement or representation, knowing that it is false, with the intent to deceive someone and deprive them of money or property.

Conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud is a serious crime. The maximum penalty is 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. However, the actual penalty imposed will depend on the specific facts of the case, including the defendant's role in the conspiracy and the amount of money or property involved.

If you are accused of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, it is important to contact an experienced criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. An attorney can help you understand your rights and develop a defense strategy."

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Outcome: Defendant sentenced to a term of 15 month imprisonment, which term consists of terms of 15 months on Counts 1ss, 2ss, 6ss, 8ss, 9ss, 11ss, 12ss, and 13ss, to be served concurrently; 2 years Supervised Release, which term consists of terms of 2 years on Counts 1ss, 2ss, 6ss, 8ss, 9ss, 11ss, and 12ss, and a term of 1 year on Count 13ss, such terms to run concurrently; a fine; $88,546.00 Restitution; $800 Special Assessment

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

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