Defense lawyers have portrayed Abdelaziz and Wilson as Singer\u2019s victims. They were profiled as anxious parents who were advised that making generous donations to prestigious universities would help their children\u2019s applications, unaware it was against the law.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not illegal to do fund-raising, not illegal to give money to a school in the hopes that your kid will get in,\u201d<\/strong> said Brian Kelly, Abdelaziz\u2019s lawyer, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\nSinger has pleaded guilty to all the charges against him. They include racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and obstruction of justice.<\/strong><\/p>\nHe ran a California-based business called The Key that mingled legitimate services with his lucrative admissions scam. He has admitted using parents\u2019 money to fraudulently inflate entrance exam test scores and bribe college officials, including sports team coaches.<\/p>\n
He also told federal prosecutors he created bogus athletic profiles for his clients\u2019 children, which he emailed to Abdelaziz and Wilson for approval. Both claim they missed the email.<\/p>\n
Industry High-Flyer<\/strong><\/h2>\nEgyptian-born Abdelaziz held a senior executive position at Caesars Palace before joining Wynn Resorts, helping Steve Wynn launch the Bellagio in 1998.<\/p>\n
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In 2001, he became president and COO of the MGM Grand, and then president and COO of MGM Resorts International. In 2013, he rejoined Wynn as CEO of Wynn Resorts Development and later became head of the Wynn Macau. But he resigned shortly after the property opened for reasons that were not disclosed publicly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
He left the casino business in 2016 to become chairman of and CEO of Legacy Hospitality Group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A jury in Boston began deliberation Thursday on the case of a former Wynn Resorts president and MGM Resorts CEO charged with fraud in the 2019 college admissions scandal. In closing arguments Wednesday, prosecutors said Gamal Abdelaziz \u201ccrossed the line\u201d when he paid $300,000 to a corrupt admissions consultant, William \u201cRick\u201d Singer. They claim the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":188281,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Jury Deliberates Fate of Casino Exec Accused in College Admissions Scandal<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n