As noted by Refinery29, the recent college cheating case brought to light another story of a parent who attempted to secure a better education for their child. In 2012, Tanya McDowell was sentenced to five years in prison for illegally enrolling her son in a school that’s outside of their district. The then 34-year-old was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny.
As reported by CT Post, McDowell previously questioned the penalties for a parent seeking the best quality education for their child. “Who would have thought that wanting a good education for my son would put me in this predicament?” she said. As McDowell continued her statement after the sentencing was handed down, she noted, “I have no regrets seeking a better education for him, I do regret my participation in this drug case.” McDowell was brought to court under the charge of selling drugs to an undercover officer in two separate instances.
This case drew national attention in 2012, and again in 2017 when Kelley Williams-Bolar sent her children to a better school in a different district after lying about her permanent residence. She was sentenced to nine days in jail but also had to endure two years of probation. Williams-Bolar was also held accountable to pay $50,000 in tuition.
Recently, 50 people including actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were discovered to have been paying mega-amounts of money to illegally solidify their child’s entrance into popular or Ivy League institutions, according to federal investigators.
