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Manuel Henriquez, dad of family who ‘gloated’ about SAT cheating, sentenced to prison

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Manuel Henriquez and Elizabeth Henriquez
Manuel Henriquez and Elizabeth HenriquezREUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo
Manuel Henriquez and Elizabeth Henriquez
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Manuel Henriquez
REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo
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The father of a family that allegedly “gloated” about cheating their daughter’s entry into Georgetown University was sentenced to six months in prison on Wednesday.

Manuel Henriquez, 56, a former Silicon Valley financier, had pleaded guilty alongside his wife, Elizabeth, to paying more than $400,000 to help their two daughters cheat on their college admissions exams as part of the Varsity Blues scandal that rocked the US last year.

The California couple paid the scheme’s mastermind, William “Rick” Singer, to correct wrong SAT answers of their older daughter, Isabella, as well as to craft her admission to the elite university as a tennis recruit — even though she hadn’t even played the sport competitively.

Singer’s crooked proctor who helped facilitate the test cheating at one point gloated with Isabella and Elizabeth after they had gotten away with the scheme, prosecutors said.

In addition to his six-month prison term, Manuel has been sentenced to two years of supervised release with a requirement to complete 200 hours of community service. He has also been ordered to pay a $200,000 fine.

His wife, Elizabeth, was sentenced in March to seven months in prison. She also has to pay a $200,000 fine and faces two years of supervised release with a requirement for 300 hours of community service.

Manuel Henriquez became the 28th parent to have pleaded guilty and the 20th parent to be sentenced in the scheme. The scandal has embroiled several wealthy American families and stars like Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin.

Huffman was sentenced to two weeks in prison, while Loughlin, who has pleaded guilty, still awaits her sentencing.