Trump Pardons a Varsity Blues Father

President Trump pardoned a Varsity Blues father on his last full day in office. Trump explained the pardon this way: "President Trump granted a full pardon to Robert Zangrillo  … Mr. Zangrillo was charged in connection with the Varsity Blues investigation. However, his daughter did not have others take standardized tests for her and she is currently earning a 3.9 GPA at the University of Southern California. Mr. Zangrillo is a well-respected business leader and philanthropist."

According to prosecutors, Zangrillo paid $50,000 to USC’s athletics department and later paid $200,000 to Rick Singer, who organized the scheme. The Los Angeles Times reported that "Amber Zangrillo turned in an application that falsely said she rowed about 44 hours per week for 15 weeks a year. And apparently to improve the grades in her application, prosecutors said, one of Singer’s employees, Mikaela Sanford, secretly took classes on her behalf."