A Ventura, Calif., dentist was sentenced to six weeks in prison for his role in the University of Southern California admissions scandal, according to a Nov. 10 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Homayoun Zadeh, DDS, an associate professor placed on leave at USC, pleaded guilty in July to filing a false tax return. Prosecutors said Dr. Zadeh paid $100,000 to William “Rick” Singer's Key Worldwide Foundation to help his daughter gain admission to the Los Angeles-based university and deducted the payments from his taxes as charitable donations.
He initially was charged with fraud and conspiracy in April 2019 and was later charged with money-laundering, to which he pleaded not guilty. In October 2019, he was charged with conspiracy to commit federal program bribery.
In addition to his prison sentence, Dr. Zadeh will undergo one year of supervised release with 250 hours of community service and must pay $8,414 in restitution and a $20,000 fine.