According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, nearly 50 people have been charged in a massive college entrance exam cheating and bribery plot including a number of high-profile CEOs, and Hollywood actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman.
On Tuesday, Rob Lowe was among the stars who commented publicly on the news while defending the achievements of his own college-educated kids.
The 54-year-old West wing star retweeted a post by his youngest son John Owen Lowe and added: ‘’Very proud of my honest, hardworking sons.’’
John, 24, who graduated from prestigious Stanford University last year, tweeted out a photo Tuesday showing him at his graduation with brother Matthew, 26, and his parents.
Alongside the photo, John wrote: ‘’Still proud of this achievement. Happy for everyone out there who earned their accomplishments…and really sad for those who were never allowed the opportunity.’’
‘’I studied for MONTHS for the SAT. Twice, sometimes three times a week,’’
‘’Tons of practice tests. Ended up taking the SAT multiple times as well. College apps were no joke… the amount of stress kids put into that to potentially lose a spot to someone unfairly is horrible.’’
He went on: ‘’And let me say: I’m incredibly grateful that I had the privilege and opportunity to have a tutor and to afford practice test programs. A lot of kids don’t. And to think of them losing their chance at their dream school to someone undeserving is really, really gross.’’
Colleges targeted for the scam include the University of Southern California, Wake Forest, the University of Texas, Georgetown, Yale University, Stanford University and UCLA. Prosecutors said the schools, in general, were not involved with the scam, but coaches at some of these schools were part of the scheme.
Desperate Housewives star Huffman, 56, has been charged with ‘conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services fraud’ after being accused of paying $15,000 to help better her 18-year-old daughter Sofia’s SAT scores.
The actress is scheduled to appear before a judge on Tuesday afternoon. She is accused of paying a $15,000 ‘charitable contribution to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of her eldest daughter,’ according to the complaint.
‘’Huffman later made arrangements to pursue the scheme a second time, for her younger daughter, before deciding not to do so,’’ the documents stated.
In her SAT tests, Sofia Macy scored 1420, which was a 400 point improvement from her results just one year prior.