A California woman will plead guilty to a criminal charge of having someone take online classes for her son so he could graduate from Georgetown University. Karen Littlefair of Newport Beach, Ca., is the newest parent to be charged in connection to the college-admissions cheating scheme led by admitted mastermind William “Rick” Singer, the Wall Street Journal reports. Littlefair was charged with wire fraud conspiracy. Federal prosecutors said she paid Singer $9,000 to have one of his employees take four online classes for her son at Georgetown and Arizona State University. The son graduated in 2018, using credits earned by the employee.
Twenty parents have now pleaded guilty or plan to do so. The scheme also includes rigging college-entrance exams and bribing coaches. Littlefair is the first parent to be charged with online-test fraud. A criminal charge says Mikaela Sanford, who was charged for her participation in the broader scheme in March, worked with Littlefair and Singer to have an unnamed employee take the classes in 2017 and 2018. Georgetown’s honor council “will investigate and adjudicate the case and may recommend sanctions up to and including the revocation of the student’s degree,” a spokeswoman said. Prosecutors are recommending a sentence of four months in prison for Littlefair.