SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) — A former San Diego media executive implicated in the college bribery scandal appeared in court on Monday, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
According to the newspaper, Elisabeth Kimmel was in San Diego federal court for a brief appearance where she was ordered to give up her passport.
Kimmel, who owned KFMB Stations for decades until it was sold to TEGNA, Inc. in 2018, is charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud along with more than two dozen others named in the criminal complaint released last week.
The felony charges stem from alleged bribes paid to get Kimmel’s son and daughter into top-ranked colleges. Prosecutors allege Kimmel used $475,000 from her family's charitable foundation to pay for the bribes, and then wrote off the payments as donations.
Kimmel’s husband Gregory was with her in court Monday, according to the U-T. He is a former San Diego County deputy district attorney and has not been charged so far in the case.
According to the newspaper, prosecutors requested a $500,000 signature bond be set - a type of bond that requires no money down, but requires the signature of the person promising to show up in court.
A court date is scheduled in Boston for March 29 where Kimmel and other defendants are due to appear.
Parents charged in the case could face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison. A San Diego defense attorney tells News 8 he would not be surprised if they end up serving no time at all.
The portion of the criminal complaint pertaining to Elisabeth Kimmel appears below.
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