Admissions of Guilt

The president of a major Chinese pharmaceutical company is accused of paying US$6.5 million to get his daughter into Stanford University in a case of admissions fraud. According to US reports, Zhao Tao sought out admissions consultant William Singer who helped his daughter, Zhao Yusi, fake a sailing certification that would help her university application. In return, Zhao donated US$6.5 million to Singer’s foundation. In a public statement, Zhao Tao claimed Singer cheated him and the money was a donation for Stanford students who could not afford tuition. While no criminal charges were pressed, Stanford expelled Zhao’s daughter for the faked certificate, media reported. Chinese netizens questioned whether the money Zhao paid was “clean.”