College admissions scandal TV series in the works

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College admissions scandal: Lawyers for Lori Loughlin and others due in court

Prosecutors say actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband paid half a million dollars to fake their two daughters way into USC, but the celebrity couple is fighting back; Rick Leventhal reports.

A TV series based on the recent college admissions scandal is in the works, Variety has confirmed.

Annapurna Television has optioned the rights to the upcoming book “Accepted” by Melissa Korn and Jennifer Levitz. The book is set to be published by Portfolio, a division of Penguin Random House. Sue Naegle, Ali Krug, and Patrick Chu will produce on behalf of Annapurna Television.

D.V. DeVincentis will adapt the book for television. DeVicentis’ previous credits include writing multiple episodes of “The People v. OJ Simpson” and the features films “High Fidelity” and “Grosse Pointe Blank.” He is repped by UTA, Management 360 and Morris Yorn. Korn and Levitz are repped Fletcher & Company and LGNAF.

Back in March, nearly three dozen people were indicted by the FBI for their part in the scandal, which saw parents paying large sums of money to secure their childrens’ placement in top schools. Tactics included creating fake athletic backgrounds for students and either paying someone else to take the SATs in a student’s place or bribing test administrators to correct answers after the fact.

The parents charged in the case include CEOs, real estate investors, the co-chair of a global law firm, and actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman. The children gained admission to Yale University, Georgetown University, Stanford University, UCLA and USC. At the center of the case is William “Rick” Singer, 58, who ran Edge College & Career Network LLC, also known as “The Key,” a for-profit college admissions consulting firm. Singer, who is based in Newport Beach, Calif., is also alleged to have set up the Key Worldwide Foundation, a fake charity designed to receive bribe payments.