Judge Nathaniel Gorton of the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts handed down the sentence after the 64-year-old ex-Wynn Macau boss was found guilty of conspiring to cheat his daughter’s way into the University of Southern California (USC).
Aziz was implicated in 2019’s “Varsity Blues” college admissions scandal, when he was accused of making a $300,000 payment to The Key Worldwide Foundation, a California-based college consulting non-profit.
According to federal prosecutors, this was intended to secure his daughter’s admission into USC based on a false athletic profile which may have contributed to her acceptance as a basketball recruit.
However, at that time, her basketball experience was questionable, having reportedly not played basketball in over a year, and having never played on her high school’s varsity basketball team.
For his actions, Aziz was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, as well as honest services mail fraud and wire fraud.
Gorton remarked, as quoted by Reuters: “In essence, you stole an admission spot at a good college from a deserving student who did not have all of your advantages.”
Alongside his jail time, Aziz must pay a $250,000 fine and perform 400 hours of community service. Brian Kelly, Aziz’s lawyer, said they intend to appeal the decision.
Key Worldwide’s Founder William “Rick” Singer is currently facing up to 65 years in prison for his role in helping numerous people fraudulently land their children places at top US colleges.
