DISPATCHES FROM THE EDUCATION APOCALYPSE: The Other LA College Cheating Scandal — The One You Might Have Missed.
UCLA is at the center of a cheating scandal that federal authorities say involved former and current students impersonating dozens of Chinese nationals who needed good scores on English tests to get into college in the U.S.
The six defendants, five with ties to UCLA, allegedly used fake passports, doctored with their own photos, to pass themselves off as the Chinese nationals at testing centers in and around Los Angeles as recently as 2016.
They were paid about $400 to $1,000 each time they sat for an exam, said Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Ryan. [Compared to $10,000 to $75,000 allegedly charged per test in that other college cheating scandal that broke this week.]
That other cheating investigation, dubbed Operation Varsity Blues, ensnared 50 defendants and also involved UCLA. It has drawn international attention, with celebrities, wealthy business people, coaches and college administrators among those charged this week. Like that scandal, the Chinese cheating charges also raise issues of fairness.
“It undermines the credibility of the admissions process for the university,” Ryan said. “It’s also potentially taking away spots from other people who are submitting valid scores.”