Acquittal in “Varsity Blues” College Admissions Bribery Case

John is joined by Michael Packard, federal prosecutor and civil litigator at the Boston office of Quinn Emanuel, and Bill Weinreb, an expert in white-collar criminal defense and complex litigation.

Together, John, Bill and Michael discuss the recent acquittal Bill and Michael obtained for Jie “Jack” Zhao, the CEO of iTalk Global Communications Inc. in a high-profile “Varsity Blues” prosecution.

Prosecutors claimed Zhao paid $1.5 million in bribes to obtain admission for his two sons to attend Harvard. Zhao was one of only four, out of roughly 60 defendants, who did not plead guilty and one of only two who were acquitted at trial. They explain the honest services fraud statute at issue, the preparation for trial, and the specific tactics and evidence Bill and Michael used to win the acquittal.