WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:03.319 Hey everybody, and welcome to Everything's Political. I'm your host, 2 00:00:03.480 --> 00:00:06.679 Tayo Shoemak. You can also find us online at Everything's 3 00:00:06.759 --> 00:00:12.359 Political dot substack dot com. Shout out to Magicman Joe Strecker, 4 00:00:13.080 --> 00:00:16.039 the Merle Haggard of podcast producers. 5 00:00:16.440 --> 00:00:21.160 I've been a work in man named all the lad 6 00:00:21.320 --> 00:00:30.000 yet as long as my due hadn't been used, I've 7 00:00:30.039 --> 00:00:33.840 bring a little bear that even man and s work. 8 00:00:35.359 --> 00:00:38.520 That's right. Merle Haggard passed away on this day in 9 00:00:38.640 --> 00:00:43.560 twenty sixteen. But get this, Joe, he was also born 10 00:00:43.679 --> 00:00:48.079 on this day in nineteen thirty seven. He was born 11 00:00:49.240 --> 00:00:53.799 and died on the same exact day. Now, only an 12 00:00:53.880 --> 00:00:59.479 excellent musician has that kind of timing. I'm just saying. Obviously, 13 00:00:59.520 --> 00:01:03.200 the American country music star his good lord. His career 14 00:01:03.280 --> 00:01:07.840 spanned for at least four decades. He had thirty eight 15 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:13.200 number one hits like Mama Tried, Oki from Muskoky, and 16 00:01:13.280 --> 00:01:18.079 of course Work in Man Blues. He released seventy albums 17 00:01:19.159 --> 00:01:23.400 and six hundred songs, two hundred and fifty of which 18 00:01:23.480 --> 00:01:28.680 he wrote himself. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall 19 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:31.560 of Fame in nineteen seventy seven and into the Country 20 00:01:31.640 --> 00:01:35.640 Music Hall of Fame in nineteen ninety four, six one 21 00:01:35.719 --> 00:01:40.760 hundred songs. That, my friends, is what we used to 22 00:01:40.840 --> 00:01:47.159 call a real content producer, is it not, Joe? I mean, 23 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:50.400 come on, you know, I'm not a huge country fan, 24 00:01:50.680 --> 00:01:54.239 but I do like the old stuff because they wrote, 25 00:01:54.640 --> 00:01:58.560 for the most part about real life and hard times, 26 00:01:59.319 --> 00:02:01.120 and most of them you could see it all over 27 00:02:01.159 --> 00:02:04.519 their face. And that's actually a great segue into our 28 00:02:04.519 --> 00:02:07.040 interview today, because Wow, we have a family that has 29 00:02:07.079 --> 00:02:12.919 gone through some hard times and found out how far 30 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:16.159 they're willing to go and how hard they're willing to 31 00:02:16.199 --> 00:02:22.479 fight to save their own reputation. So take us out, Joe, everybody, 32 00:02:22.520 --> 00:02:23.280 buckle up. 33 00:02:34.080 --> 00:02:34.879 Save as the. 34 00:02:46.960 --> 00:02:51.000 Okay. With us today is John Wilson, author of Varsity Blues, 35 00:02:51.639 --> 00:02:56.080 the Scandal within the Scandal, and he's going to speak 36 00:02:56.120 --> 00:02:59.400 with us about how his family was swept up in 37 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:07.000 the college admissions process melee with USC and you all 38 00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:11.879 remember Felicity Huffman and Laurie Laughlin were also in that scandal, 39 00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:16.919 but John and his family were different, and an overreaching 40 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:21.879 federal prosecution team weaponized that justice system against him and 41 00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:25.800 his family for their own gain and he'll also talk 42 00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:29.360 with us about that ongoing battle against that federal team 43 00:03:29.960 --> 00:03:36.000 and USC and Netflix, all hopefully to restore his family's honor. 44 00:03:37.560 --> 00:03:39.639 John Wilson, thank you so much for being here and 45 00:03:39.680 --> 00:03:40.560 sharing your story. 46 00:03:41.080 --> 00:03:42.520 It's great to be here, and I really want to 47 00:03:42.520 --> 00:03:43.439 get our story out there. 48 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:45.800 Oh man. Okay. So I read a lot of the 49 00:03:45.879 --> 00:03:51.159 documentation and it's just infuriating. It's a rabbit hole down 50 00:03:51.240 --> 00:03:56.879 which people must go, I think to understand the depth 51 00:03:56.919 --> 00:04:01.360 of corruption under which your family suffered. And I think, 52 00:04:01.560 --> 00:04:03.400 first of all, let me say this that all of 53 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:07.159 the core convictions against you have been overturned by a 54 00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:08.879 federal appeals court. Is that correct? 55 00:04:09.199 --> 00:04:11.360 Yeahs, they overturned. 56 00:04:11.840 --> 00:04:15.439 Okay, And I think a great place to start after 57 00:04:15.520 --> 00:04:19.800 that is just to outline and remind our audience the 58 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:23.920 college admissions scandal was I think for the most part, 59 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:27.079 if not all of them, California families, because we have 60 00:04:27.240 --> 00:04:34.040 USC and these family Yes, they were involved in falsifying 61 00:04:34.120 --> 00:04:37.519 not just academic records and having people take exams for them, 62 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:43.399 the college entrance exams, but also athletic credentials. And then 63 00:04:43.439 --> 00:04:47.519 the business of the admissions process and what donations have 64 00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:51.439 to do with that process that USC ratified for you all, 65 00:04:51.519 --> 00:04:55.279 but then change their mind later down the road. So 66 00:04:55.439 --> 00:04:58.680 can we start with and Johnny was the was your 67 00:04:58.759 --> 00:05:03.959 son that was ultimately admitted. He was admitted to USC. 68 00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:06.800 He was a walk on, not a scholarship. Is that accurate? 69 00:05:06.959 --> 00:05:08.319 Yeah, he was a walk on player. He played on 70 00:05:08.319 --> 00:05:09.839 the team the entire season in postseason. 71 00:05:10.680 --> 00:05:14.480 And can you tell us his athletic career up to 72 00:05:14.519 --> 00:05:15.000 that point. 73 00:05:15.800 --> 00:05:17.959 Absolutely, he had an extraordinary career. When he was a 74 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:20.000 young child, he had a world record. He was the 75 00:05:20.040 --> 00:05:23.040 youngest person ever to swim from alcatratus to shore. He 76 00:05:23.120 --> 00:05:25.519 was on the Oprah Show. He and his fourth grade 77 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:30.000 classmates raised fifty three thousand dollars And that's just a 78 00:05:30.040 --> 00:05:32.399 typical example of what he would do. He competed nationally 79 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:36.000 and internationally for ten years in swimming. His swim times 80 00:05:36.040 --> 00:05:39.439 were better than Johnny Weissmuller's gold medal times in the Olympics, 81 00:05:39.839 --> 00:05:42.079 So that's how good he was. He played water pool 82 00:05:42.120 --> 00:05:44.360 for six years on national teams. He played on the 83 00:05:44.399 --> 00:05:47.399 Stanford club team and his high school and middle school team, 84 00:05:47.920 --> 00:05:50.839 and he was always a starter on those teams. And 85 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:54.680 he competed in the national Junior Olympics. Every year he 86 00:05:54.759 --> 00:05:57.240 won first place in one of the national Junior Olympics tournaments, 87 00:05:57.519 --> 00:05:59.560 and he was also selected twice for the US Olympic 88 00:05:59.680 --> 00:06:03.199 team for their development program. So he was the real deal. 89 00:06:03.399 --> 00:06:07.480 His high school coach, who was also nationally recognized, he 90 00:06:07.560 --> 00:06:10.399 was a two time MVP when he played water polo 91 00:06:10.399 --> 00:06:13.680 in college, he was also an Olympic player. He recommended 92 00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:16.079 my son to the USC coaches. He called them and 93 00:06:16.120 --> 00:06:18.959 he testified, and he said, undoubtedly my son was a 94 00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:21.720 Division one athlete. My son was being recruited by the 95 00:06:21.759 --> 00:06:25.160 Division one schools as well, and his swim times proved 96 00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:27.920 he was one of the fastest players on the US's team. 97 00:06:28.279 --> 00:06:30.319 So most of that of this couldn't be brought into 98 00:06:30.360 --> 00:06:33.079 our trial. His world record couldn't be brought into his trial. 99 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:36.680 My son's coach couldn't even bring his swim time into 100 00:06:36.720 --> 00:06:39.399 the trial because the judge argued that that was the 101 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:41.680 swim time from the swim team and he was the 102 00:06:41.720 --> 00:06:43.920 water polo coach and he didn't witness at time, so 103 00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:46.399 he couldn't bring it in. And that's how rageous the 104 00:06:46.399 --> 00:06:49.360 trial was. Right, So my son was a real player. 105 00:06:49.439 --> 00:06:52.759 He joined the team. Leslie and I traveled thousands of 106 00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:55.399 miles to visit him, to watch him at practices, watch 107 00:06:55.439 --> 00:06:58.240 him at games, and cheer the team on. He was 108 00:06:58.279 --> 00:07:00.600 a red shirt like ten other red shirts on the team. 109 00:07:00.879 --> 00:07:02.720 Water Polo is the sport were speed is the most 110 00:07:02.720 --> 00:07:05.319 important skill, and he's one of the fastest. But they 111 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:07.360 also only have six players on a water polo team 112 00:07:07.360 --> 00:07:10.079 that play offense and defense in addition to the goalie. 113 00:07:10.279 --> 00:07:13.600 The US team was national champions they had thirty six players, 114 00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:16.600 so only about ten or twelve played. He was a 115 00:07:16.639 --> 00:07:18.879 red shirt like ten other red shirt players, so he 116 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:22.240 practiced the team throughout the entire season in postseason, but 117 00:07:22.279 --> 00:07:24.759 he didn't play in games his first year. Most freshmen 118 00:07:25.279 --> 00:07:28.519 would rarely play on a national championship team in terms 119 00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:30.639 of games, so he was one of the star players. 120 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:33.120 He was one of the fastest players, and yet they 121 00:07:33.199 --> 00:07:36.600 ridiculed him, and the federal government said falsely that he 122 00:07:36.639 --> 00:07:38.920 was an alleged athlete. That's what they said to the meet, 123 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:41.879 he was an alleged athlete and that he wasn't qualified 124 00:07:41.879 --> 00:07:44.720 to play, and who are they to judge and to 125 00:07:44.720 --> 00:07:46.959 say that right, They just fed the media that kind 126 00:07:46.959 --> 00:07:49.600 of false narrative, and you can imagine how devastating that 127 00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:51.560 would be for my son. He was twenty years old 128 00:07:51.639 --> 00:07:54.040 at the time. His entire life he had been spent 129 00:07:54.279 --> 00:07:58.240 in academics and athletics, and he's spent probably five hundred 130 00:07:58.240 --> 00:08:00.399 to seven and fifty hours a year for ten years 131 00:08:00.439 --> 00:08:03.000 training in swimming and water pool at the national and 132 00:08:03.040 --> 00:08:06.600 international level. And to have federal prosecutors be rate you 133 00:08:06.680 --> 00:08:09.399 and say you're an alleged athlete or that you weren't 134 00:08:09.480 --> 00:08:14.279 qualified was despicable and just a horrific experience. And to 135 00:08:14.279 --> 00:08:16.079 this day he still lives to that stigma. Where do 136 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:19.199 you go to get your reputation back, earn that back? 137 00:08:19.240 --> 00:08:21.120 And that was just part of it. The same thing 138 00:08:21.160 --> 00:08:24.120 with my daughters. My twin daughters were also spired foalcy 139 00:08:24.160 --> 00:08:28.360 by prosecutors. They worked hard, studied hard, got a perfect 140 00:08:28.360 --> 00:08:30.920 score on the Act and a ninety nine percentile score. 141 00:08:31.480 --> 00:08:34.759 Fewer than five thousand students worldwide out of one point 142 00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:37.600 eight million get a perfect score, so they were very 143 00:08:37.639 --> 00:08:40.919 talented and get the prosecutors said they were unqualified. They 144 00:08:40.919 --> 00:08:43.399 were sixteen years old, my twin daughters. You know how 145 00:08:43.480 --> 00:08:46.759 fragile teenage girls can be. Yes, And imagine being a 146 00:08:46.840 --> 00:08:49.240 sixteen year old and having the federal government tell the 147 00:08:49.279 --> 00:08:52.039 world you're not qualified and imply that you cheated on 148 00:08:52.080 --> 00:08:54.279 your test when you didn't, And how do you prove 149 00:08:54.360 --> 00:08:57.759 to your other students and other people that you didn't cheat. 150 00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:01.159 The government never alleged they cheated, because we got lumped 151 00:09:01.200 --> 00:09:04.279 in with thirty other parents who did cheat. It was 152 00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:07.200 guilt by association. They all cheated, so people in the 153 00:09:07.200 --> 00:09:09.399 media assumed that we had cheated when we didn't, and 154 00:09:09.440 --> 00:09:12.039 we were never accused of cheating, but we got lumped 155 00:09:12.080 --> 00:09:14.639 in and smeared anyway, And being a sixteen year old 156 00:09:14.679 --> 00:09:17.519 girl with all the normal peer pressure and other issues 157 00:09:17.519 --> 00:09:20.159 growing up as a young girl, teenage girl, having the 158 00:09:20.200 --> 00:09:23.960 feedow government imply that you cheated has been devastating for them. 159 00:09:24.200 --> 00:09:25.519 And that's why I want to spend the time to 160 00:09:25.559 --> 00:09:26.320 correct the record. 161 00:09:26.759 --> 00:09:28.600 Now were they were they part of this? 162 00:09:29.240 --> 00:09:31.240 They were, they were part of this process as well, 163 00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:34.559 so they were accused during the setup calls. We had 164 00:09:34.600 --> 00:09:36.879 known singer for ten years and had trusted him by 165 00:09:36.879 --> 00:09:39.600 the time we were talking about my daughters, and they tried 166 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:43.559 to infuse i'll say, incriminating sound bites in the setup 167 00:09:43.559 --> 00:09:45.600 calls they had for six months. They tried to set 168 00:09:45.639 --> 00:09:49.039 me up with Singer and with the let me step back. 169 00:09:49.320 --> 00:09:52.759 The context is important. Singer had over three thousand parent clients. 170 00:09:53.440 --> 00:09:56.480 Only one percent were ever charged. The vast majority of 171 00:09:56.480 --> 00:09:59.639 Singer's clients were honest, hardworking people, people like Steve Jobs 172 00:09:59.639 --> 00:10:02.480 even as a client. So he had many famous people, 173 00:10:02.679 --> 00:10:06.159 and most people were honest people like I was. And 174 00:10:06.200 --> 00:10:09.279 he did legitimate services. He did real tutoring through his 175 00:10:09.320 --> 00:10:12.360 company for kids, and his tutors helped my children a lot. 176 00:10:12.600 --> 00:10:15.200 He did real college counseling, He did real charity work. 177 00:10:15.240 --> 00:10:18.480 I drove my son from northern California to Sacramento from 178 00:10:18.519 --> 00:10:21.440 the Bay Area on weekends to help him do tutoring 179 00:10:21.480 --> 00:10:23.679 for inner city kids. I was an inner city kid 180 00:10:23.720 --> 00:10:26.480 growing up myself. I grew up in Hartford in the projects, 181 00:10:26.679 --> 00:10:29.039 so I like that. So he did real service, real work, 182 00:10:29.120 --> 00:10:32.240 legitimate work, and ninety nine percent of his clients were 183 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:35.480 never charged. They were innocent people. So that's the overall 184 00:10:35.519 --> 00:10:39.919 context that what happened about thirty parents were explicitly involved 185 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:43.559 in doing bad things. They were cheating on tests. They 186 00:10:43.639 --> 00:10:45.440 talked about cheating on tests. How much it cost to 187 00:10:45.480 --> 00:10:47.720 get this grade in that grade. They're paying people to 188 00:10:47.720 --> 00:10:52.279 take their kids tests, they were falsifying records for their kids, 189 00:10:52.519 --> 00:10:55.600 taking fake pictures and so forth. And they were also 190 00:10:55.879 --> 00:10:59.480 bribing coaches. They were talking explicitly about bribing coaches. I 191 00:10:59.559 --> 00:11:02.039 never did any of that. The closest they got in 192 00:11:02.080 --> 00:11:05.080 my trial was they had thirty other parents talking about 193 00:11:05.120 --> 00:11:07.720 bribing coaches and doing bad things, and they played that 194 00:11:07.879 --> 00:11:10.840 over those tape recordings over and over for the jury. 195 00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:14.159 Then during my setup calls Singer says to me, are 196 00:11:14.159 --> 00:11:15.679 you okay if we give a check to the coach? 197 00:11:16.120 --> 00:11:18.559 I say, yes, We always give a check to the coach. 198 00:11:18.600 --> 00:11:20.559 It was a check made out to the school. Just 199 00:11:20.600 --> 00:11:23.159 like at USC, you have to give the check to somebody, 200 00:11:23.200 --> 00:11:25.279 you give them credit. You don't just throw the check 201 00:11:25.320 --> 00:11:27.919 in the pool. So we said, yes, give a check 202 00:11:27.960 --> 00:11:29.840 to the coach. It was made out to USC, and 203 00:11:29.879 --> 00:11:32.200 we got a receipt for it. But the jury only 204 00:11:32.240 --> 00:11:35.559 hears thirty other parents bribing the coach again and again 205 00:11:35.679 --> 00:11:37.840 and again, and then in my recording, he says, are 206 00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:39.279 you okay if we give a check to the coach, 207 00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:42.159 and they assume that's a bribe. No, it was a 208 00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:44.600 check to the coach made out to the school, not 209 00:11:44.919 --> 00:11:47.399 a check or cash to the coach for his personal account. 210 00:11:47.840 --> 00:11:50.039 And that kind of thing happened over and over. That's 211 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:52.960 as close as they got to incriminating evidence on me. 212 00:11:53.480 --> 00:11:54.919 But they can set you up that way. So even 213 00:11:54.960 --> 00:11:57.320 though my son really played on the team, they also 214 00:11:57.399 --> 00:12:00.879 got one of the USC assistant coaches who confessed to 215 00:12:00.919 --> 00:12:05.200 committing fraud but didn't get arrested and didn't get fired 216 00:12:05.240 --> 00:12:09.519 by USC. In fact, he got promoted by USC. He testified. Yeah, 217 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:11.399 so he testified that my son was only there the 218 00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:14.519 first day. That was not true. We had a picture 219 00:12:14.919 --> 00:12:16.720 of the team picture, by the way, was taking several 220 00:12:16.759 --> 00:12:19.120 weeks into the season, and guests who was standing right 221 00:12:19.120 --> 00:12:22.080 next to my son that coach, But we couldn't bring 222 00:12:22.120 --> 00:12:25.120 that evidence in, right, So there could be all kinds 223 00:12:25.159 --> 00:12:28.000 of things the government can do in this process that 224 00:12:28.039 --> 00:12:32.279 would just scare the average person. For example, government witnesses 225 00:12:32.279 --> 00:12:34.480 can lie in the stand. The only people can charge 226 00:12:34.519 --> 00:12:37.240 your government witness with perjury is the government. What do 227 00:12:37.240 --> 00:12:39.320 you think the odds are of the government charging one 228 00:12:39.320 --> 00:12:43.360 of their own witnesses who's helping them with perjury? Very 229 00:12:43.440 --> 00:12:45.639 very low. And so you can do all kinds of 230 00:12:45.639 --> 00:12:48.200 things to tilt the playing field, and that's what they did. 231 00:12:48.240 --> 00:12:51.360 They had people who were literally committing perjury on the stand. 232 00:12:51.600 --> 00:12:53.559 They brought in other people's evidence had nothing to do 233 00:12:53.639 --> 00:12:56.720 with me, and then they blocked my evidence six hundred 234 00:12:56.759 --> 00:13:00.879 and sixty times. They blocked by evidence six imagine that. 235 00:13:01.320 --> 00:13:04.000 So that wasn't just irrelevant evidence. It was things like 236 00:13:04.039 --> 00:13:07.080 my daughter's perfect Act test store that wasn't allowed into 237 00:13:07.080 --> 00:13:10.679 my trial. The judge say, was hearsay irrelevant my son's 238 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:13.120 swim time. That was part of the reasons that my 239 00:13:13.799 --> 00:13:17.000 charges all get overturned. But my son's swim time was 240 00:13:17.039 --> 00:13:20.679 also blocked. My own emails showing that I trusted Singer 241 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:24.600 were blocked from my trial, and USC records showing they 242 00:13:24.639 --> 00:13:28.159 gave donors admissions boosts more than one hundred examples of 243 00:13:28.159 --> 00:13:31.559 that were blocked from my trial. So they blocked ninety 244 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:33.960 eight point three percent of my evidence. Literally ninety eight 245 00:13:33.960 --> 00:13:35.919 percent of my office was blocked. And then they brought 246 00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:38.679 in all these other parents' bad acts and smeared me 247 00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:41.600 with that, And so it was just a totally unfair 248 00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:45.519 trial that was so outraged that eleven former US attorneys 249 00:13:45.720 --> 00:13:50.240 appointed by both Republican and Democrat presidents. Chief attorneys wrote 250 00:13:50.279 --> 00:13:53.440 a letter unpaid by me, to the court saying John 251 00:13:53.480 --> 00:13:56.279 Wilson did not receive a fair trial. That never happens, 252 00:13:56.360 --> 00:13:59.799 it's so rare. And then the appeals court unanimously overturned 253 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:03.240 all of my core convictions. So this process has been 254 00:14:03.279 --> 00:14:06.919 outrageous from day one, and it's probably we're talking about 255 00:14:06.919 --> 00:14:08.519 why they went after me and why I was so 256 00:14:08.639 --> 00:14:11.960 different than all the other parents, because it's shocking. When 257 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:13.480 people hear that, they say, wait a minute, why were 258 00:14:13.519 --> 00:14:17.399 you even charged? Right? These other parents confessed to bad acts. 259 00:14:17.440 --> 00:14:22.120 They were caught on audio bribing, cheating on tests, faking 260 00:14:22.200 --> 00:14:25.120 photos of their kids playing sports they didn't even play. 261 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:28.399 Why were you lumped in here? Well, that's an important 262 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:31.080 part of my story too, if you look back at 263 00:14:31.120 --> 00:14:36.039 what happened. The singer had several thousand clients. They were 264 00:14:36.080 --> 00:14:38.639 all primarily based in California. Ninety ninety five ye were 265 00:14:38.679 --> 00:14:41.559 in California. About thirty of them did these bad acts. 266 00:14:42.120 --> 00:14:45.840 Those thirty were primarily in California. The Felicity Huffins and 267 00:14:45.879 --> 00:14:49.840 Laura Laughlin's the Boston prosecutors uncovered this case from somebody 268 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:53.559 in Connecticut, and they wanted to have the media spotlights 269 00:14:53.600 --> 00:14:56.080 and the trials for this case all take place in 270 00:14:56.120 --> 00:15:00.600 Boston instead of being handled by the LA prosecutors. So 271 00:15:00.639 --> 00:15:04.159 they needed some basis to justify bringing all these trials. 272 00:15:04.600 --> 00:15:07.320 I was the hook they needed to justify bringing all 273 00:15:07.399 --> 00:15:10.399 the trials for Felicity Huffman and Laura Lauflin. I was 274 00:15:10.440 --> 00:15:13.679 Singer's only client in Massachusetts. They had to charge at 275 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:16.559 least one Massachusetts defendants and then say there was a 276 00:15:16.600 --> 00:15:20.440 conspiracy across all the parents to justify bringing all the trials. 277 00:15:20.440 --> 00:15:23.679 They literally to bring several hundred people from California, including 278 00:15:23.720 --> 00:15:26.600 all the witnesses, the coaches, and so forth, back and 279 00:15:26.639 --> 00:15:30.559 forth between California and Boston, with only one Boston defendant. 280 00:15:30.879 --> 00:15:33.360 It makes no sense from a cost point of view, 281 00:15:33.399 --> 00:15:36.639 efficiency point of view, time point of view, but they 282 00:15:36.679 --> 00:15:39.120 needed to do it to create the career spotlights they 283 00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:42.679 could help boost their own careers. So they charged me 284 00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:45.639 even though they had overwhelming the evidence that I was innocent, 285 00:15:46.080 --> 00:15:48.039 even though my facts are completely different than all the 286 00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:50.759 other parents, and then they roilroded me through a trial 287 00:15:50.799 --> 00:15:53.879 that was so unfair and overturned, which almost never happens, 288 00:15:54.480 --> 00:15:57.440 to really cover up the false charges against me. And 289 00:15:57.519 --> 00:16:00.600 so that's how we got ensnared in this horrific situation. 290 00:16:01.240 --> 00:16:04.039 It has been devastating. It's been almost seven years now. 291 00:16:04.080 --> 00:16:06.879 We had to fight to correct the record and clear 292 00:16:06.919 --> 00:16:08.559 our name, and they. 293 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:11.679 Cherry picked the judge, they cherry picked the venue. And 294 00:16:12.679 --> 00:16:17.399 clearly the three key KPIs there. The athletic credentials, the 295 00:16:17.440 --> 00:16:21.759 academic records, and the donations process as it relates to admissions. 296 00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:24.639 You all did not fit that mold in any way, 297 00:16:24.679 --> 00:16:28.240 shape or form. And is it accurate that USC and 298 00:16:28.320 --> 00:16:33.000 I think the legal documentation uses the word ratified your 299 00:16:33.080 --> 00:16:35.480 donation with thank you cards. 300 00:16:35.879 --> 00:16:37.519 Yes, we got to thank your learn to receipt from 301 00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:37.919 the school. 302 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:41.600 Yes on USC letterhead and copied the coach and assistant 303 00:16:41.639 --> 00:16:42.559 athletic director. 304 00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:46.559 Right, USC solicited a donation. We met with the school, 305 00:16:46.600 --> 00:16:48.240 we met with the development people, We met with the 306 00:16:48.279 --> 00:16:51.320 coach to verify our son's credentials, and they told us 307 00:16:51.320 --> 00:16:54.120 that they had walk on positions, non scholarship positions, and 308 00:16:54.159 --> 00:16:56.159 that if you make a donation to the school, that 309 00:16:56.200 --> 00:16:58.840 could help your admissions prospects. And so we talked to 310 00:16:58.840 --> 00:17:01.120 the donation department about that and we made a donation 311 00:17:01.200 --> 00:17:04.720 through Rick Singer's organization. We did that to largely insulate 312 00:17:04.759 --> 00:17:07.799 us from future requests. Most people don't have the history 313 00:17:07.799 --> 00:17:10.240 we have. We've given a lot of donations over the years, 314 00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:13.319 and when you give a lot of donations, especially large donations, 315 00:17:13.559 --> 00:17:15.880 the development department tend to keep coming back at you 316 00:17:15.960 --> 00:17:19.200 again and again. So to avoid being hounded, we made 317 00:17:19.200 --> 00:17:22.559 our donations through Singers organization and we verify with USC 318 00:17:22.720 --> 00:17:25.279 was that accepted to Yes, We've done that many times 319 00:17:25.319 --> 00:17:27.799 in the past. They verified that, and they gave us 320 00:17:27.799 --> 00:17:30.680 a receipt for our donations. Then at my trial they 321 00:17:30.720 --> 00:17:34.160 testified that essentially that wasn't allowed, that that was a bribe. 322 00:17:34.319 --> 00:17:35.920 So you gave me a receipt. I didn't know you 323 00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:39.839 gave out receipts for bribes. It's just crazy. It made 324 00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:42.559 no sense at all. And then the judge instructed the 325 00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:45.480 jury during my trial that, yes, giving a donation to 326 00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:47.920 a school can be a bribe to the coach, say 327 00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:50.480 what this is the first time. Another there's a group 328 00:17:50.519 --> 00:17:53.160 of law professors from Harvard and other schools and also 329 00:17:53.200 --> 00:17:55.440 wrote a support brief saying This is the first and 330 00:17:55.519 --> 00:18:02.400 only time in history that theons of a bribe can 331 00:18:02.440 --> 00:18:04.839 be the victim of the bribe. The schools said they 332 00:18:04.839 --> 00:18:06.559 were the victims of the bribe, but they got the money. 333 00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:09.079 It's not possible for the victim of a bribe, you're 334 00:18:09.079 --> 00:18:11.519 the one who got the money. You bribe somebody else 335 00:18:11.559 --> 00:18:13.920 to have somebody else do something on your behalf. The 336 00:18:14.039 --> 00:18:16.119 victim can't be the one who gets the money. And 337 00:18:16.200 --> 00:18:18.839 yet that's what the school was claiming. They were the victims, 338 00:18:18.880 --> 00:18:20.960 and they've kept my money to this day. So we 339 00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:24.200 have a lawsuit against USC for defraudius. They gave me 340 00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:26.279 a receipt and kept my money to this day and 341 00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:28.359 then set up my trial essentially that we were the 342 00:18:28.400 --> 00:18:34.400 victims and we were bribing the school, we being the USC. 343 00:18:34.559 --> 00:18:37.759 Right makes no sense. And so and just to verify 344 00:18:38.279 --> 00:18:42.839 your son's athletic record, and obviously your daughter's academic records, 345 00:18:43.319 --> 00:18:46.240 none of that. For instance, Johnny would have been registered 346 00:18:46.279 --> 00:18:47.960 as an NCAA athlete, would he not? 347 00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:50.160 He was, absolutely he was registered by the school as 348 00:18:50.160 --> 00:18:53.559 an NCAA athlete. He's still on the USC website showing 349 00:18:53.599 --> 00:18:56.440 him as a team member from the twenty fourteen team Wow, 350 00:18:56.480 --> 00:18:59.480 and there are medical records, but the trial blocked all 351 00:18:59.519 --> 00:19:01.720 of that. So in my trial, for example, he got 352 00:19:01.720 --> 00:19:03.759 a concussion while at school. He got taken out of 353 00:19:03.799 --> 00:19:05.680 the pool. He was thrown up in the pool. He 354 00:19:05.720 --> 00:19:08.599 got taken by one of his teammates, the goalie, who 355 00:19:08.680 --> 00:19:11.400 drove the team captain's car to take him to the 356 00:19:11.480 --> 00:19:13.559 USC hospital. It wasn't an emergency, but they want to 357 00:19:13.559 --> 00:19:15.559 get him the right away. He was vomiting and they 358 00:19:15.599 --> 00:19:18.160 took him to the USC hospital. They diagnosed him with 359 00:19:18.200 --> 00:19:23.799 a concussion, and then the athletic trainer for the team 360 00:19:24.119 --> 00:19:26.400 was sending emails back and forth to the USC hospital 361 00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:28.480 when can Johnny come back into the pool to train? 362 00:19:28.920 --> 00:19:30.480 He was out of the pool for six weeks, but 363 00:19:30.519 --> 00:19:34.000 he showed up every day at training above deck during 364 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:37.319 those six weeks during his concussion protocols. All the information 365 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:39.839 was blocked by the judge and by the prosecutor because 366 00:19:39.880 --> 00:19:42.079 it proved he was on the team. So the USC 367 00:19:42.160 --> 00:19:45.200 medical records and the emails from the training staff to 368 00:19:45.240 --> 00:19:48.279 the USC medical staff asking when can Johnny be back 369 00:19:48.279 --> 00:19:50.160 into the pool, that was all blocked. 370 00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:52.400 And under what premise was that blocked? 371 00:19:52.480 --> 00:19:55.279 It was blocked his hearsay, and the judges approved it. 372 00:19:55.440 --> 00:19:58.039 These were all legitimate motions, right, That's part of the 373 00:19:58.039 --> 00:20:01.359 reason why everything got overturned. Judge who was eighty six 374 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:04.599 years old, rubber stamped every motion that the prosecutors made. 375 00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:07.759 We even had one of the senior prosecutors who left, 376 00:20:07.799 --> 00:20:11.519 and these guys got million dollar partner rules. He was 377 00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:14.440 at a after the trials were over. He left before 378 00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:17.720 the trial. He was at a law firm reunion where 379 00:20:18.200 --> 00:20:20.920 another lawyer who wasn't publicly hired by me but was 380 00:20:20.960 --> 00:20:24.680 helping us, was meeting and with this reunion with a 381 00:20:24.759 --> 00:20:26.759 number of colleagues, and they happened to bump into each 382 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:28.359 other and they were talking and he said, Yeah, we 383 00:20:28.759 --> 00:20:32.000 were even shocked how supportive this judge was. That's what 384 00:20:32.039 --> 00:20:35.359 he said. He instinctively rubber stamped everything we wanted. And 385 00:20:35.400 --> 00:20:37.759 once he did that, we just kept going. That's what 386 00:20:37.799 --> 00:20:40.519 he said. So they were shocked at how supportive this 387 00:20:40.599 --> 00:20:42.720 judge was. The head of the office. 388 00:20:43.960 --> 00:20:47.279 Now, now, Johnny, is it accurate that he after that 389 00:20:47.359 --> 00:20:50.720 concussion in twenty fourteen, that that was pretty much his 390 00:20:50.920 --> 00:20:53.079 end of his career at the in the water polo. 391 00:20:53.359 --> 00:20:55.799 Yeah, that was his fourth concussion, and in high school 392 00:20:55.799 --> 00:20:58.599 he had a very severe concussion, and they measure your 393 00:20:58.640 --> 00:21:01.680 brain activity and brain process speed, so they have good protocols. 394 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:03.839 And after his high school concussion, and it can happen 395 00:21:03.880 --> 00:21:05.400 to water pole a lot. The guys who are in 396 00:21:05.440 --> 00:21:07.640 the middle can throw their elbows when they're fighting for 397 00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:09.559 the ball. They can kick you when they're turning around 398 00:21:09.559 --> 00:21:11.519 and kicking kick you in the head. So you can 399 00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:13.200 get hit in the head quite a bit with elbows 400 00:21:13.359 --> 00:21:17.200 and knees and feet. And so he's had four concussions 401 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:20.960