In another controversy that highlights the rotting heart of the American elite, a former Wynn Resorts executive has been sentenced to one year in prison following a scandal involving his daughter, the University of South Carolina (USC) and $300,000.
Gamal Abdelaziz, who has held the COO role at Wynn Resorts, as well as acting as President of Wynn Macau for a time, has been convicted of bribery and conspiracy following an attempt to get his daughter into USC as a basketball recruit.
The Las Vegas resident is part of a case spanning over 50 convictions of some of the most famous names in American entertainment and business.
On top of his time behind bars, Abdelaziz is expected to complete 400 hours of community service, pay a fine of $250,000 and remain on supervised release for a further two years.
This sentence is magnitudes larger than any that has been served to the other perpetrators of this transparent crime. This is because, according to prosecutors, Abdelaziz had been “intimately involved in the lies at every step of his daughter’s fraudulent admission to USC.”
Indeed, the former Wynn employee’s co-conspirator, Lori Loughlin, has recently completed her two-month stint in jail after paying $15,000 to have her daughter’s SAT grades boosted.
Abdelaziz’s crimes reportedly took place in 2017 when he agreed to pay William Singer, a California businessman who is now cooperating with authorities, upwards of $300,000.
Somewhat ironically, Abdelaziz’s daughter had very little natural ability for the sport her father had paid $300,000 for her to play. Indeed, she had not featured in her high school basketball team and her father had to produce a “fake athletic profile'' so as to not arouse suspicion. The former Wynn and MGM Grand employee also oversaw the production of his daughter's college application essay, penning the phrase “the basketball court is like my art studio.”
Abdelaziz’s lawyers, while not suggesting his innocence, argue that the sentencing is harsh in the light of what the rest of the accused received.
His lawyers said: “Public confidence in the criminal justice system would be undermined if the court sentenced the only defendant to go to trial to substantially more imprisonment than any of his 30 co-defendants, almost all of whom engaged in conduct more culpable than Mr. Abdelaziz.
“Mr. Abdelaziz has spent the majority of his 65 years working hard and helping others. But he made one terrible mistake, a mistake that has already cost him his business, tarnished his reputation and placed a great strain on his family.”
Abdelaziz’s legal team hopes to have his sentence reduced to four months.
