Varsity Blues: First Circuit Overturns College Admissions Scheme Convictions—Part One

July 10, 2023  |  New York Law Journal

In Kotteakos v. United States, the Supreme Court held that it was unfairly prejudicial to join in one conspiracy "different persons who did not know or have anything to do with one another." That fundamental principle led the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in May to set aside convictions in the government’s high-profile "Varsity Blues" prosecutions of corruption in the college admissions process. United States v. Abdelaziz, 68 F.4th 1 (1st Cir. 2023). In this article for the New York Law Journal, "The Varsity Blues: First Circuit Overturns College Admissions Scheme Convictions – Part One", Elkan Abramowitz and Jonathan Sack discuss the court’s analysis of the charged conspiracy and how it led to a denial of a fair trial. This is part one of a two-part series. In their next article, Elkan and Jon will address the court’s analysis of the fraud and bribery charges against the defendants.

Varsity Blues: First Circuit Overturns College Admissions Scheme Convictions—Part One (pdf | 122.65 KB)