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Felicity Huffman has pleaded guilty to charges of mail fraud and honest services mail fraud in the nationwide US college admissions cheating scheme.

The American actress, known for her role in Desperate Housewives, allegedly paid $15,000 (€13,300) to rig her daughter's SAT score in order to get her into a better college.

The star entered her plea in a Boston federal court two months after her arrest in the Operation Varsity Blues case, where wealthy parents have been caught paying bribes to aid their children's acceptance into elite colleges.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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The 56-year-old is among 14 parents who have agreed to plead guilty to the accused charges in the widely-publicised case, involving Lori Loughlin among others.

Authorities are referring to it as the biggest college admissions cheating scandal ever prosecuted in the USA. Hollywood stars and business executives have been involved in the proceedings, as well as coaches at Georgetown and Yale.

Huffman apparently paid a consultant, Rick Singer,  $15,000 to have a proctor correct her daughter's SAT answers and also considered carrying out the same plan for her younger son.

The actress was tearful in court as she faced consequences of her actions.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Parents are accused of using the admissions consultant to pay off entrance exam administrators to allow a proctor to sit tests for students or correct their mistaken answers.

Huffman has apologised for her crime and claims her daughter was unaware. "I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions," she said.

Prosecutors have stated that they will seek between four and 10 months in prison for Huffman. As she agreed to plead guilty, the recommended sentence will be at the low end of the range, and she may not actually end up in prison.

It has been pointed out that parents on the lower economic scale and especially parents-of-colour in the US have faced far longer prison times for lesser crimes.

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Can you believe it's been two years since April 28, 2017? 

The day when mass chaos occurred in the Bahamas after Fyre Fest descended into disarray, with musical acts dropping out, no food and water and fake amenities similar to a refugee camp.

Marketed by the industry's most valuable influencers such as Hailey Baldwin and Kendall Jenner as the Coachella of the tropical islands, the festival organisers committed total fraud and lost thousands of dollars.

The upper class scandal led to a Hulu and Netflix documentary, GoFundMe pages set up for all the staff who were duped out of money in their home of the Bahamas, and arrests being made.

Tickets cost thousands of dollars and gained notoriety through the famous 'orange tile' advertising by famous models on Instagram such as Bella Hadid.

Let's just say it DEFINITELY was not what it was advertised, with glamorous rich folks receiving sad pieces of cheese on bread instead of gourmet meals, and had no place to lodge at all in the middle of a deserted island.

The festival organiser, Billy McFarland, 'fully postponed' the event after pretty much everyone had already arrived. Smart.

"After assessing the situation this morning and looking at best options for our guests, we cannot move forward as we hoped we could. At this time, we are working tirelessly to get flights scheduled and get all travelers home safely," they quoted at the time.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Ja Rule, a rapper who befriended Billy McFarland at the time and co-organised the event, assured attendees that Fyre Fest was "not a scam" and that he was heartbroken about the scenario. He faced his share of backlash, deservedly so.

He tweeted;  "I too was hustled, scammed, bamboozled, hood winked, lead astray!!!" Mmmmhmmm. McFarland was charged with wire fraud and sentenced to six years in prison, where he currently is still serving his time in Otisville

GIF by Team Coco

Where are they now, though? Let's start with good old Billy McFarland.

McFarland is sharing a prison with Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino. He was found guilty of defrauding investors of the festival out of a whopping $26 million in November 2018.

He plead guilty to two counts of wire fraud, and faces three years of supervised release when he completes his sentence. The 27-year-old issued an apology to People, saying;

"I am incredibly sorry for my collective actions and will right the wrongs I have delivered to my family, friends, partners, associates and, you, the general public," he said.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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"I've always sought – and dreamed – to accomplish incredible things by pushing the envelope to deliver for a common good, but I made many wrong and immature decisions along the way and I caused agony."

"As a result, I've lived every day in prison with pain, and I will continue to do so until I am able to make up for some of this harm through work and actions that society finds respectable."

The Hulu documentary claims that McFarland is teaching a music entrepreneurship class to fellow inmates of the Otisville Federal Correctional Facility in NYC.

Ja Rule

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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While the rapper didn't take part in either documentary, he was heavily featured in both. Fair enough, considering he was Fyre's co-founder and worked very closely with McFarland.

The 42-year-old has remained seemingly in the clear since his partner went behind bars, famously defending himself as clueless on social media,

"I had an amazing vision to create a festival like NO OTHER! I would NEVER SCAM or FRAUD anyone what sense does that make?" he tweeted.  Nevertheless, he was subjected to multiple lawsuits due to his ties.

Ja Rule has since begun a new investment in an app called ICONN, a "celebrity entertainment book & concierge  service." Hmmm, we feel like we've heard this one before. "It's very different, but it's similar," he admitted.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Andy King, AKA The Team Player

Bless his wee soul. Poor Andy is now remembered as the key player who attempted to save the doomed festival through using any means necessary.

He quickly became an Internet sensation after the Netflix documentary aired, with McFarland asking him to "take one for the team" and perform oral sex on a customs official so they could get bottled water delivered.

He famously declared that he took a shower, rinsed his mouth with mouthwash and drove across town to do the deed. Thankfully, the situation didn't escalate to sexual coercion, but Andy is still revered nonetheless.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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"I just don't want to necessarily be known as the Blow Job Kind of the world," he said. Well, nowadays he's doing amazingly well considering his reputation. One might even call him a breakout star?

King admitted in a recent Netflix video that he was "completely blown away" (LOL) by the public response to the interview. "I am now a noun, a verb, an adjective…it's mind-blogging." 

The Billy Whisperer admitted to the L.A. Times he hasn't cut his ties with his imprisoned protégé; "No, I'm not done with him. I know- I'm Uncle Whackjob," he said.

"We come from a preppy background. Half my friends have sons his age. I didn't have somebody to mentor me at that age. He's not a horrible guy. He has hurt a lot of people. Will I probably go visit him someday? Yeah, I will probably. And maybe that's the closure I need."

The 57-year-old is still working as an event producer, and aided the start if a GoFundMe to help pay back all of the local Bahamian staff members.

Last but not least; Maryanne Rolle

Rolle was the caterer at the Exuma Point Resort in the tropical islands of the Bahamas, and lost her ENTIRE life savings to feed the staff of the festival.

Of course, anyone who watched the documentary had a huge amount of sympathy for her, and began a GoFundMe campaign to help her out.

It raised over $123,000 dollars and exceeded the goal, with many of the festival organisers offering donations.

Maryanne and her husband, Elvis Rolle, have found the attention highly difficult, and revealed in an interview that she has fallen ill due to the stress, "She can't cope with it all," Elvis told The National. "I hope she feels better soon."

As for the amazing GoFundMe campaign, he said, ""It means everything, it means we get something back from everything we put in. It is like God is watching over us."

So there you have it. Most of them are still embroiled in the law, but at least Maryanne got her savings back? We wish her well.

Feature image credit: Hypebeast

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The Fyre Festival has gone down as one of the greatest fails of the modern era; the celebrity endorsed festival was branded as the elite, luxurious partying experience. Think Coachella but on a tropical island.

The intention of the festival was to promote the Fyre music booking app, scheduled to go ahead on the Bahamian island of Great Exuma in April and May of 2017.

Social media influencers and socialites like Kendall Jenner, Hailey Baldwin, Emily Ratajkowski and Bella Hadid were all promoters of the festival, many of whom failed to mention that they were being paid to promote it.

As everyone figured out pretty damn quick, the event was a complete SHAMBLES.

Problems relating to food, security, and accommodation arose, and they also had no artists to play as they couldn't even travel to the island.

Instead of the luxury they branded and were promised, influencers paid thousands of dollars to be housed in FEMA tents, and eat prepackaged sandwiches. All hell broke loose, as you can imagine. Rich folks like to be treated as such…

The organisers are now the subject of at least eight lawsuits, such as defrauding ticket buyers and millions of dollars of damages. CEO of Fyre Media Inc, Billy McFarland, has been charged with wire fraud and in 2018 was sentenced to six years in prison.

Hulu and Netflix have each released documentaries on the failure, Fyre Fraud and Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened. The festival and it's employers had a hugely negative impact on people who live on the island itself.

A GoFundMe was set up for one amazing woman living on the island who helped to cater for the festival, but was never given any form of payment.

The GoFundMe has now SURPASSED it's $123,000 goal, miraculously. Maryann Rolle, who owns the venue, gave $50,000 of her own money into the event to attempt to cover costs and pay the additional staff who were flown in to meet demands.

In the description, she wrote; "As I make this plea it’s hard to believe and embarrassing to admit that I was not paid…I was left in a big hole! My life was changed forever, and my credit was ruined by Fyre Fest."

Luckily, the account raised $128,000 in just one week, so Maryann can get her life back on track. Oh, the follies of rich people, typically tramping on those less fortunate than them. Fulfilling the stereotype never looked so trashy.

Now, some absolute GENIUS has created a mock Fyre Festival to take the absolute PISS out of influencers who paid thousands of cash for trash, and marketed it without mentioning their affiliation to their followers.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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An artist has created an INSTALLATION which allows members of the public to pretend they're at the real life Fyre Festival, and it's hilarious.

Infamous creative The Most Famous Artist (Real name Matty Mo) and his company SelfieCircus have created The Fyre Experience, and we are living for this classy humour.

They've got a Bahamas backdrop, cardboard cut-outs of pretentious influencers, pathetic sandwiches to create a realistic portrayal of the shambolic festival.

Remember Andy King and the NSFW experience he was told to perform in order to get Evian water through customs? We wonder have they somehow inserted him into their joke..

Bravo, this is pure gold. Visitors to Mo's installation are promised an ''ultra luxurious" experience and VIP packages, only to meet disappointment. 

The recreation of the 'beach front' hot tub full of Evian bottles and a sandy beach background honestly has us cackling, these lads went ALL OUT.

There's an Orange Square selfie spot and fake piggies for all those who want in on the joke. Our personal favourite addition is Billy McFarland in a prison outfit in the background. Gas.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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'Ex-influencers' looking for work wielding cardboard signs are also present, naturally. The influencers who were paid to endorse an absolute sham have deservedly been given a slagging.

They're already annoying as hell, but when you market something as elitist as a private island festival for thousands of dollars which almost ruins the lives of those who actually LIVE on the island, be prepared to face some serious consequences.

Yes Bella Hadid, we're looking at you over our cat-eye sunglasses. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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The fake private jet also makes a guest reappearance. This was one of Mo's previous installations, and allows people to take those all important selfies and create a glamorous, false illusion for Instagram. 

The things we do for the 'gram, honestly. It's slightly depressing. Mo spoke to Insider about the mock festival, saying;

“This is a satire and experience meant to drive offline to online engagement. We call this participatory art. I created the project to ride a cultural wave created by Netflix and Hulu. I hope to show that participatory art is the future of retail.”

Located in Los Angeles, the pop-up 'experience laboratory' is free to attend and celebrities have schedules appearances. We can't wait to see the pics from this, we stan a good slagging.

Feature image credit; @kevinlosani/Instagram

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After winning parole in July of this year, OJ Simpson is expected to be released from a Nevada prison as soon as Monday, October 2.

The 70-year-old was famously acquitted of the murder of ex-wife, Nicole Brown, but later jailed for armed robbery and assault with a weapon in 2008.

The former NFL star has served just nine years of a 33 year sentence, and while the details of his parole have not yet been finalised, David Roger, the Clark County district attorney who tried Simpson in 2008, said: "Based upon my knowledge of his background and behaviour in prison, I expect he will be a very good candidate for getting parole."

As it stands, the inmate remains at Lovelock Correctional Centre in northern Nevada awaiting transfer to High Desert State Prison , where he would be freed. 

Once released, OJ will be supervised by the state Division of Parole and Probation until September 29, 2022.

According to Brooke Keast, a spokeswoman for the Nevada state department of corrections, video footage of his release is expected to be released to the public.

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A 36-year-old man has been sentenced to a year and a half in prison for hacking into computers of the rich and famous.

Ryan Collins hacked into several female celebrities Google and Apple accounts from 2012 to 2014 which included nude photos and videos of the stars.

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However, prosecutors believe that while Ryan did hack and obtain the images, it wasn't him who leaked them on the Internet.

The Pennsylvanian pleaded guilty back in May to one count of gaining unauthorised access to a protected computer to obtain information.

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Prosecutors say that there is no evidence Ryan leaked the images and police are still on the hunt for the person who did.

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Former Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has reportedly received hospital treatment for wrist injuries after an incident in a South African prison on Saturday.

According to the BBC, a spokesperson for the prison service described the runner’s injuries as “minor” and confirmed Pistorius was sent back to prison shortly after receiving treatment.

The Irish Mirror has reported that Pistorius denied trying to kill himself before claiming his injuries had been caused by a fall out of bed.

The sprinter's brother Carl has echoed this claim by tweeting: “Jenna and I have just seen Oscar and he is doing well given the circumstances.  He was in good spirit.”

“I know there are reports saying that he had tried to injure himself – they are completely untrue and sensational…He slipped in his cell and injured himself, nothing serious.”

However a source told City Press that blades were found in Pistorius’ cell when it was searched after the incident.

The Paralympic gold medallist received a six year prison sentence this July for the 2012 killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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He may have been given a five year sentence following a sensational trial last year, but this evening convicted killer Oscar Pistorius has been permitted to pack up his belongings and leave his prison cell. 

Spending just 11 months inside, he departed from the Pretoria Central Prison a day earlier than planned in order to thwart waiting media. 

He has now made his way to his uncle's house, where he will spend time under house arrest. 

The former Olympian killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his upmarket Pretoria home in February 2013. He was charged with murder but ultimately convicted of culpable homicide – which is largely akin to manslaughter.

Pistorius was due to be released two months ago, but international outcry at the brevity of his jail-time encouraged South African officials to intervene at the 11th hour.

Furthermore, with an appeal currently lodged with the Supreme Court, the 28-year-old will find out on November 3 if his sentence will be upgraded to that of murder – a conviction which would see him return to prison for at least 15 years.

Cape Town native Ms Steenkamp was 29 when her boyfriend shot her dead. He has always claimed he believed her to be an intruder. 

A model and reality TV star, she also studied law at university and hoped to practise once she was called to the bar. 

Her relatives have said they believe Pistorius is "getting off lightly" and that the time he served is "not enough for taking a life".

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Johnny Depp hasn’t been watching too much Border Security recently, that’s for sure.

The ever-so-sexy actor found himself in trouble earlier this month when he was caught bringing his two Yorkshire Terriers into Australia on his private jet, without declaring them.

Johnny had been returning to Queensland to continue the filming of the new Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

The dogs had already been smuggled into the country and it was only when pictures of them at a groomers made the rounds on social media sites that the authorities were alerted.

It has just been announced that if the actor is brought to court he could face up to 10 years in prison or a fine of  €245,000 – don’t mess with Australian quarantine laws, ay?

Barnaby Joyce, the Australian Minister for Agriculture, defended their tough stance in an interview with ABC Australia:

“If we start letting movie stars – even though they’ve been the Sexiest Man Alive twice – come into our nation and break the laws, then why don’t we just break the laws for everybody?”

While Johnny hasn’t made a comment on the situation, it has been reported that his wife, actress Amber Heard, has flown the dogs back to California to avoid them being put down under Australian law.

Let’s hope he can pull a Jack Sparrow and slip out of this one! 

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Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg, best known for his roles in Boogie Nights, Transformers and Ted, hasn’t always been the charming, good humoured guy we all know and love.

The 43-year-old former rapper, who was known as Marky Mark, went down the wrong road as a teenager and found himself behind bars for 45 days for attacking a man with a wooden stick. The incident which happened outside a convenience store in Boston ultimately left the victim blind in one eye. The actor was trying to rob alcohol at the time 

Wahlberg, who had reportedly been drinking and taking drugs, racially abused the Vietnamese shopkeeper before punching another man in the face while he tried to get away from the police. 

The father-of-four was sixteen when the crime took place in 1988 and he is now seeking a pardon as he hopes to have his criminal record erased so that he can work with law enforcement in a bid to help vulnerable or at-risk children.

Discussing the shocking event, Mark said: “I am deeply sorry for the actions that I took on the night of April 8, 1988, as well as for any lasting damage that I may have caused the victims."

He then goes on to explain why he feels he deserves a pardon, saying: "My hope is that, if I receive a pardon, troubled youths will see this as an inspiration and motivation that they too can turn their lives around.”

Mark has told the Massachusetts Board of Pardons that he is focused on becoming a better person and citizen.

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Orange is the New Black star Uzo Aduba recently admitted that she never planned on playing Crazy Eyes on the hit Netflix series. In fact she even audition for another role.

Can you imagine her playing anyone else other than Crazy Eyes?

Funny or Die decided to give us a taste of what could have been in this hilarious fake audition tape.

http://FunnyOrDie.com/m/8xmx

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It has been confirmed that Chris Brown has been released from prison, where he was serving 131 days for violating his probation stemming from his 2009 assault on ex-girlfriend Rihanna.

The R&B singer went on Twitter to say he was “Humbled and Blessed”. He certainly seemed relieved as he tweeted that he was “Back to the Music and Fans”, “Thank you GOD” (sic).

Brown isn’t completely off the hook just yet – he is still on probation until the end of January, 2015 and is subject to random drug testing at least three times a week. He also has to have psychiatric counselling twice a week, attend an outpatient therapy and complete what is left of his 1,000 hours of community service he got last August after a car accident.

We can’t help but wonder if Rihanna will be able to keep her distance now that Chris is a free man? Only time will tell.

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After his break up with Selena Gomez and rumours of an affair with a Jenner sister, Justin Bieber is not having a good week.

The singer seems to be a magnet for trouble these days and managed to get himself pulled over by a policeman in Los Angeles.

The incident happened in West Hollywood after Bieber made an unsafe turn in his Ferrari. Things went from bad to worse and he was issued a citation when the officer found out he was driving with an expired registration.

Proving what a bad boy he is and just how much he doesn’t care, Justin posted a picture of the incident to his Instagram account.

The charges have since been dropped and the case closed after the singer showed proof of a valid license and registration and paid the fine for failing to signal when turning.

BieberCop

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