CONNELL: REALLY SOME STORY THAT
BROKE TODAY.
AUTHORITIES ARE CALLING IT THE
LARGEST COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCAM
EVER.
PROSECUTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE.
THE ACTRESS, FELICITY HUFFMAN
AND ACTRESS LORI LAUGHLIN ARE
AMONG THOSE INVOLVED.
50 PEOPLE INVOLVED.
INDICTED SEE GROWS, ACTRESS,
COLLEGE ADMINISTRATORS, COACHES
YOU NAME IT ALL IN A NATIONWIDE
CHEATING SCANDAL.
IT INVOLVED WEALTHY INDIVIDUALS
PAYING UP TO $6.5 MILLION TO
PLACE THEIR CHILDREN INTO ELITE
UNIVERSITIES.
THE JUDGE JOINS US.
ANDREW NAPOLITANO.
FOX NEWS SENIOR JUDICIAL
ANALYST.
KIND OF I DON'T KNOW UNIQUE,
DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE'VE SEEN
IN THE PAST, PART OF IT WAS JUST
PAYING SOMEONE TO TAKE A TEST
FOR YOU.
WE HAVE SEEN.
OBVIOUSLY A CRIME.
>> RIGHT.
CONNELL: IN OTHER CASES BRIBES
WERE PAID TO COACHES SO THEY
TAKE A SLOT FOR ATHLETE.
THE PERSON PAYING THE BRIBE,
PARENT, DON'T EVEN HAVE A
ATHLETE.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS?
>> WELL, IT'S A SERIOUS CRIME
BECAUSE USE OF INTERNET MAILS TO
FRAUDULENT DOCUMENT.
CHILD'S HEAD --
CONNELL: CHILD DOESN'T PLAY
SOCCER.
>> HERE IS MY CHILD'S
APPLICATION.
SHE GOT 800 S.A.T. SCORE IN
LITERATURE.
THAT IS PERFECT SCORE.
IN REALITY SHE GOT SOMETHING
LESS THAN THAT.
EVIDENCE SEEMS OVERWHELMING.
THERE ARE EMAILS, TEXTS, THERE
ARE PHONE CONVERSATIONS.
THIS IS A MASSIVE CONSPIRACY,
BUT ONE OF THOSE CONSPIRACIESES
WHERE NOT EVERYBODY KNEW EACH
OTHER.
THINK OF IT AS BICYCLE WHEEL.
HE KNOWS EVERYBODY BUT ALL THE
CONSPIRATORS DIDN'T KNOW
ANYBODY.
SOME OF THE CHILDREN, NOT
CHILDREN ANYMORE, DOUGHNUT
DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEIR PARENTS
DID TO GET THEM IN SCHOOLS.
CONNELL: SCHOOLS IN MANY CASES
ARE SAYING, I WOULD THINK IT IS
BELIEVABLE, MAYBE THE SCHOOLS
DIDN'T KNOW.
IF YOU BRIBE A COACH, AS, THIS
IS AN EXAMPLE IN THE INDICTMENT,
A SOCCER COACH NOW RESIGNED AT
YALE, WOMEN'S SOCCER COACH, GAVE
THEM 400,000-DOLLAR BRIBE.
GET AS GIRL TO BE ON THE TEAM
DOESN'T EVEN PLAY SOCCER, BUT
THE SCHOOL WILL CLAIM WE DIDN'T
KNOW ABOUT THIS WE THOUGHT THIS
WAS ONE OF HIS RECRUITS.
SHOULD THEY HAVE KNOWN?
>> YES THE SCHOOL HAS DUTY TO
KNOW THE INTEGRITY INVOLVED OR
THE ABSENCE THEREOF IN THE
ADMISSION OF STUDENTS.
CONNELL: THAT IS THE NEXT STEP
IN ALL OF THIS.
>> CORRECT, CORRECT.
HOW ABOUT THESE KIDS THAT HAVE
GRADUATED AND SOME GONE TO LAW
SCHOOL OR MEDICAL SCHOOL?
ARE THEIR UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES
DEFECTIVE?
CONNELL: WHAT IF THEY DIDN'T
KNOW IN DOES IT MATTER?
>> I DOUBT THAT ANYONE WILL HARM
A HAIR ON THE HEAD OF THE
STUDENTS WHO WERE INNOCENT IN
ALL OF THIS.
IN FACT THE GOVERNMENT HAS
CHOSEN, AS FAR AS I CAN TELL,
ONE OF THE DOCUMENTS IS 300
PAGES LONG, THE GOVERNMENT HAS
NOT INDICTED ANY OF THE
STUDENTS.
THEY HAVE INDICTED THE PEOPLE
WHO RECEIVED THE MONEY AND PEEL
WHO PAID THE MONEY.
CONNELL: ONE OTHER QUESTION, ONE
OTHER TOPIC, ONE OTHER QUESTION
ON THIS, WHAT IF A STUDENT
DIDN'T GET IN, YALE EXAMPLE --
>> "PUNK'D" BY SOMEBODY --
CONNELL: ONLY CERTAIN AMOUNT OF
SLOTS.
THE COACH TOLD ME IN EMAIL I WAS
GOOD ENOUGH TO BE ON THE TEAM
BUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY SLOTS
YET.
DO THEY HAVE ANY RECOURSE.
>> DEPENDS ON THE SCHOOL AND
THAT IS DIFFICULT CASE,
DIFFICULT CASE TO PROVE.
I DIDN'T GET INTO YALE BUT I GOT
INTO HARVARD.
WHAT ARE YOUR DAMAGES?
WAITING FOR MELISSA TO COME.
CONNELL: SHE IS HAPPY HARVARD
WASN'T INVOLVED.
CONNELL: WHERE I WENT, FORDHAM,
WE DIDN'T HAVE THE MOTIVATION TO
GET INVOLVED.
>> WHERE IS JESUIT SCHOOL
INVOLVED.
CONNELL: GEORGETOWN.
>> BITTER ARCH RIVALS.
CONNELL: I SAW THAT I WANT TO
ASK YOU ABOUT ELON MUSK BEFORE
YOU GO.
THAT CASE WAS PENDING A JUST A
DEVELOPMENT.
THE JUDGE GRANTED SEC PERMISSION
TO FILE A BRIEF RESPONDING TO
ELON MUSK, ALL ABOUT WHETHER OR
NOT HE SHOULD BE HELD IN
CONTEMPT FOR A TWEET.
HE WAS SUPPOSED TO GET HIS
TWEETS APPROVED.
APPARENTLY DID NOT.
>> IF HE IS GOING TO ARGUE AS
HIS LAWYERS DID IN PART IN THE
DOCUMENTS THEY FILED YESTERDAY
THAT HE HAS A FIRST AMENDMENT
RIGHT TO SAY WHATEVER HE WANTS.
HE DOESN'T, HE GAVE THAT RIGHT
UP WHEN HE ENTERED INTO CONSENT
DECREE WITH THE SEC OVER
COMMENTS HE MADE LAST YEAR.
CONNELL: ONE OF THE ARGUMENTS HE
MAY MAKE IT WASN'T MATERIAL
STATEMENT.
BECAUSE SIMILAR STATEMENTS WERE
MADE IN THE COMPANY'S EARNINGS
REPORT.
IS THAT LEGIT?
>> NO.
IT IT IS LEGIT TO MAKE THOSE
ARGUMENTS BUT WOULD I HAVE
ADVISED MAKING A MEA CULPA.
ELON MUSK IS ELON MUSK.
I HAVE ADMIRATION FOR HIM
BECAUSE HE BUCKS SYSTEM AND IS