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Prominent Attorney, Napa Valley Vintner Plead Guilty in College Admissions Scheme

Napa Valley vintner Agustin Huneeus Jr., center, makes his way to the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse on March 29, 2019 in Boston. (Credit: JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP/Getty Images)

A New York lawyer and a Napa Valley vintner have admitted to participating in the college admissions bribery scheme.

Gordon Caplan and Agustin Huneeus Jr. pleaded guilty Tuesday in Boston federal court.

Caplan was co-chairman of the prominent law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher. The Greenwich, Connecticut, resident was charged with paying $75,000 to get someone to correct the answers on his daughter’s ACT exam after she took it.

Huneeus’ family owns vineyards in California’s Napa Valley and in Oregon. Authorities say he agreed to pay $300,000 to rig his daughter’s SAT score and have her designated as a water polo recruit to the University of Southern California.

They are among 14 parents who have agreed to plead guilty. Actress Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty last week.

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