Few parents, coaches still fighting charges in college scam

BOSTON (AP) — TV actresses. A well-known fashion designer. Business leaders. Entrepreneurs.

One by one, they have admitted to using their wealth to bribe and cheat their kids' ways into top universities across the country, often as athletic recruits for sports their children didn't even play.

The highest-profile defendants who were left in what's been called Operation Varsity Blues — “Full House” star Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli — are now heading to prison. Just 15 of the nearly 60 people charged in the sordid scheme that rocked the U.S. educational system are still fighting the charges.

Where the case stands and what happens next:

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PRISON TIME

The prison sentences for the prominent parents charged in the case have ranged from a couple of weeks to nine months.

Loughlin, who gained fame for her role as the wholesome Aunt Becky in the sitcom “Full House," was recently ordered to serve two months behind bars and Giannulli was sentenced to five months for paying $500,000 in bribes to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California. They are supposed to report to prison Nov. 19.

A fellow actress, “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman, served nearly two weeks in prison last year for paying $15,000 to rig her daughter's entrance exam.

The harshest punishment handed down so far has gone to Douglas Hodge, the former CEO of the Pacific Investment Management Co., who paid bribes totaling $850,000 to get four of his children into the University of Southern California and Georgetown University as athletic recruits. Hodge has begun serving his sentence of nine months, but his lawyers are still trying to appeal his punishment.

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WHO'S LEFT

Only three coaches and 11 parents are still fighting the...