By the Daily Post staff
The former head sailing coach at Stanford, John Vandemoer, is among 50 people who were charged yesterday (March 12) in the college bribery scheme. Mid-Peninsula residents indicted include:
• Manuel Henriquez, 55, and Elizabeth Henriquez, 56, of Atherton. He is the CEO of Hercules Technology Growth Capital, a finance company based in Palo Alto. They are accused of paying to have the tennis coach at Georgetown recruit their older daughter as a student athlete and to have proctors help both their daughters cheat on their SAT and ACT tests.
• Amy Colburn, 49, and Gregory Colburn, 61, of Palo Alto. He is a radiation oncologist at O’Connor Hospital in San Jose. They’re accused of paying a proctor to help their son cheat on the SAT.
• Davina Isackson, 57, and Bruce Isackson, 61, of Hillsborough. He is the president of the real estate company WP Investments in Woodside. They are accused of paying to get their daughters recruited as student athletes at the University of Southern California and for paying for them to cheat on the ACT.
• Marjorie Klapper of Menlo Park, a jeweler. She is accused of paying a proctor to help her son cheat on the ACT.
• Peter Jan “PJ” Sartorio of Menlo Park. Sartorio is the founder of PJ’s Organics and Nate’s Food Co. He is accused of paying for a proctor to help his daughter cheat on her ACT.
• Marci Palatella of Hillsborough. She is married to former San Francisco 49er Lou Palatella, 85, and is the CEO of a liquor distribution company in Burlingame. She is accused of paying to have her son recruited as a USC football player and for paying for her son to get help cheating on the SAT.
Silicon Valley cleaned up with 20% of all those caught – just proves that the haves never have enough and that’s why the rest of the kids, especially minorities, low-income, and disabled, get short-changed on their education with policy decisions and outright violations. Special education administration schemers should be the next sting…
There are likely 700-900 more indictments on the way. Wait until the IRS steps up on this because of all the phony charitable deductions. The population in Silicon Valley and SF may have a significant dip in the near future. For those who haven’t been charged yet, start looking for good lawyers…
You’ve got a great point. There is NO ONE more relentless than the irs. And they ALWAYS get their man. It may not be right away, but they will catch you, and severely punish you.
If universities like Stanford are willing to rig admissions, why should we believe any of their academic research is on the up and up?
Will any of these institutions revoke the degrees conferred on students who got in by cheating?
Disappointingly, this is just the kind of evidence that ignorant people across America are looking for to confirm their belief that the system is rigged, proof that the well deserved will be displaced by the well connected.
The damage to our faith and integrity is immeasurable and not likely to be recovered. Faith in societal institutions is paramount to a healthy nation.
My feeling is those with great wealth have a great responsibility to society and should be held accountable for poor decisions based on greed and selfishness.
“Ignorant people”? Who, exactly, does that include?
I hope I have cut all of them off on I-280
How big of a “spoiled Brat” do you have to be to have your parents pay $250,000 to illegally get you into your dream school. My guess is all these kids got very nice cars for their 16th birthday.