The chief executive of a Northern California liquor distribution company was sentenced Thursday in Boston federal court to six weeks in prison for paying a fixer to get her son admitted to USC as a football recruit, authorities said.
Marci Palatella, a 66-year-old Hillsborough resident, was also ordered to pay a $250,000 fine; spend two years on supervised release, with the first six months under house arrest; and complete 500 hours of community service, according to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton’s ruling.
Palatella pleaded guilty Aug. 26 to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud, court records show.
She is one of dozens of defendants charged in the sweeping case, dubbed “Operation Varsity Blues,” that uncovered a college admissions fraud scheme aimed at getting the children of the rich and powerful into prestigious universities.
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