Operation Varsity Blues: A Detailed Timeline of the College Admissions Bribery Scandal

Published on 3/15/2021 at 4:25 PM

Getty | Boston Globe

Helmed by the filmmakers behind Fyre, Netflix's Operation Varsity Blues takes on the notorious 2019 college-admissions bribery scandal where a handful of high-profile figures were implicated in a scheme to pay up to hundreds of thousands to place their kids into top colleges. The subject of the true-crime documentary isn't exactly a shocking reveal — it's common for well-connected students to get spots at prestigious schools. However, the fact that the bribes involved celebrities like Lori Loughlin (Aunty Becky from Full House) and her influencer daughter Olivia Jade Giannulli immediately amplified public interest in the case.

To get a full picture of everything that has happened since the scandal broke in March 2019, we've pulled together a timeline of Operation Varsity Blues, the code name that the FBI dubbed the college bribery ordeal. Take a look before the doc is released on Netflix on March 17.

2019

March 12: The Department of Justice names 50 people in a nationwide college admissions scandal. The individuals implicated included celebrities and high-profile figures such as Full House's Lori Loughlin and Desperate Housewives' Felicity Huffman. College bribery ringleader William Singer, who received $25 million from wealthy parents to place students into top-tier schools, pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and obstruction of justice.
March 25: Of the 50, 12 plead not guilty in Boston court. This number included six former athletic coaches from prominent colleges and two test administrators.
April 3: Loughlin and Huffman appear in court for the first time. They did not enter pleas and were released on bail. Loughlin and her husband designer Mossimo Giannulli paid Singer $500,000 to designate their daughters as USC crew team recruits. Huffman, on the other hand, paid $15,000 to boost her daughter's SAT scores.
April 9: Loughlin and 15 other parents face additional charges. Just a day before, Huffman and 13 other defendants pleaded guilty. To put pressure on the parents involved with the bribery scandal, federal prosecutors added charges, including a count of conspiracy to commit money laundering in addition to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.
Sept. 13: Felicity Huffman is sentenced. Her sentence mandated that she spent 14 days of prison, pay $30,000 in fines, undergo one year of supervised release, and serve 250 hours of community service.
Oct. 15: Huffman serves her sentence. She spent 11 days at a low-security prison in Dublin, CA.

2020

Aug. 21: A judge formally accepts Loughlin and Giannulli's plea deal. Loughlin was sentenced to two months in prison while her husband was sentenced to five months. Under the plea deal, Loughlin also faced a $150,000 fine and 100 hours of community service. Giannulli was asked to pay a $250,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service.
Oct. 30: Loughlin reports to prison. It is the same facility where Huffman served her sentence in Oct. 2019. Loughlin's husband reported to prison a few weeks later.
Dec. 8: Olivia Jade Giannulli appears on Red Table Talk. The conversation wasn't exactly welcomed by everyone, especially Adrienne Banfield Norris.
Dec. 28: Loughlin is released from federal prison. Due to the pandemic, she was not allowed visitors.

2021

Jan. 27: Giannulli loses a bid to finish his sentence at home. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel Gorton ruled that Giannulli failed to make an "extraordinary and compelling" argument that he should serve the rest of his sentence at home. Giannulli is set to be released April 17.