Stephen Semprevivo, a Los Angeles-based executive, is the third parent to be sentenced to prison for trying to get his child into Georgetown University by pretending he was a tennis recruit.
Semprevivo paid a $400,000 bribe his get son in the college. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and has been sentenced to four months in federal prison, stated the federal prosecutor in Massachusetts, reported Fox 6.
Semprevivo is the third parent to be sentenced in the scandal that has caught more than 50 parents, and college staff.
“Third parent in #CollegeAdmissionsScandal sentenced to prison for conspiring to have his son admitted to Georgetown University as a tennis recruit. Stephen Semprevivo sentenced to 4 months in federal prison,” the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney posted on their Twitter account.
#BREAKING: Third parent in #CollegeAdmissionsScandal sentenced to prison for conspiring to have his son admitted to Georgetown University as a tennis recruit. Stephen Semprevivo sentenced to 4 months in federal prison.
— U.S. Attorney MA (@DMAnews1) September 26, 2019
The sentence is the same as the one given to another parent on Sept. 24. Devin Sloane is a Los Angeles-based executive who tried to bribe his son into the University of Southern California as a water polo player.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani appeared to show a criterion whereby parents who paid more are sentenced to more time in prison. In addition to the 4 months, Semprevivo was sentenced to two years of supervised release, plus 500 hours of community service and a $100,000 fine, reported USA Today.
“I don’t criticize you for being taken into a crime by someone with skills of masterful deception,” Talwani said, referring to college consultant Rick Singer, who was the “mastermind” behind the scheme. “That’s how crimes happen all the time. I think the question that people need to ask is, what makes your children entitled to a side-door (into college)?” said Talwani.
Second parent in #CollegeAdmissionsScandal sentenced to four months prison https://t.co/E9jRkJxcKd
— U.S. Attorney MA (@DMAnews1) September 24, 2019
Semprevivo was the chief strategy and growth officer at Cydcor, a privately held provider that works in outsourced sales services, according to an old version of the company’s web. He was fired in May and no longer appears on the website. He must go to federal prison on Nov. 7.
