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Hot Pocket heiress faces up to 21 months in prison and a $175,000 fine over her alleged role in the college admissions scandal

Feb 25, 2020, 23:01 IST
  • Michelle Janavs, whose family created the Hot Pockets brand of frozen calzones, faces sentencing on Tuesday in the college admissions scandal.
  • Janavs is charged with paying $300,000 to get her daughter admitted to the University of Southern California, according to the Department of Justice.
  • The "Hot Pocket Heiress" is the latest in a line of wealthy parents to be charged and sentenced in the scandal, which led to jail time for actress Felicity Huffman.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

"Hot Pocket Heiress" Michelle Janavs, whose family created the popular brand of frozen snacks, faces sentencing on Tuesday in federal court in Boston for her alleged role in the college admissions scandal.

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Janavs pleaded guilty in October to paying $300,000 to participate in the scheme, including a plan to get her daughter admitted to the University of Southern California by pretending she was a volleyball recruit, according to the Department of Justice.

Prosecutors are seeking 21 months in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $175,000, and 250 hours of community service for Janavs.

Janavs was formerly an executive at Chef America Inc, a food manufacturer co-founded by her father that created the Hot Pockets calzones, according to Reuters. The company was sold for $2.6 billion to Nestle in 2002.

A resident of Newport Coast, California, Janavs is charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, honest services mail and wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

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The scheme, according to prosecutors, was led by William "Rick" Singer, who allegedly ran a sham charity to launder money for his consulting business to admit the children of the wealthy into elite schools. Singer pleaded guilty in March.

Prosecutors say that parents involved in the scandal paid around $25 million to get their kids into schools like USC and Yale.

Dozens of wealthy people, including actors Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, as well as CEOs, high-profile lawyers, and college coaches, are among those charged.

Huffman, who pleaded guilty to paying $15,000 in the scheme, was sentenced to 14 days in jail.

You can see a complete list of everyone charged in the scandal here.

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