A former lecturer at Harvard University has been found guilty of defrauding a Hong Kong couple trying to secure their children places at top Ivy League schools.
Mark Zimny received a retainer of USD2 million (HKD15.5 million) from Hong Kong jewellery magnate Gerald Chow and his wife while running his IvyAdmit business in Massachusetts, USA, in 2008.
As criminal as that sounds, that’s not what landed Zimny in hot water.
Clearly feeling a bit short-changed with his measly retainer, the so-called education consultant also persuaded the couple to part with a further USD650,000 (HKD5 million) to give as bribes – sorry, donations – to elite schools.
“Rather than delivering the funds to the schools as he promised, however, Zimny embezzled the funds for his own purposes,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said, according to the Business Insider.
Zimny has been released on bail and is due for sentencing on July 9, while the Chows say they might file a civil case to recover the USD2 million as well.
Zimny’s lawyer Albert Watkins is remaining defiant in the face of defeat, claiming they will appeal the verdict and are looking into the possibility of a mistrial after a blog post, claiming to be by one of the jurors, was discovered online.
Photo: Instituto Inovação
