Elisabeth Kimmel is the former owner of San Diego’s KFMB television and radio stations who was convicted in the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal after paying more than $500,000 in bribes to get her two children fraudulently admitted to Georgetown University and the University of Southern California as recruited athletes. She pleaded guilty in 2021 to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, served six weeks in federal prison, was disbarred in California, and has since lost every attempt to overturn the conviction.
Who She Was Before the Case
Kimmel came from a broadcasting family. Her grandfather founded Midwest Television Inc. in 1952 and acquired the KFMB licenses in San Diego in 1964.1Los Angeles Times. College Admissions Scandal La Jolla Mom She earned a history degree with distinction from Stanford, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School.2San Diego Reader. Pro DeMaio Harvard Lawyer College Scam
She joined Midwest Television as general counsel in 1993, became a third-generation owner in 2007, and was serving as company president by 2012, running KFMB-TV (the CBS affiliate), a CW affiliate, and the AM and FM stations.2San Diego Reader. Pro DeMaio Harvard Lawyer College Scam3Adweek. Former Owner of KFMB Sentenced in College Admissions Scandal The stations were sold to Tegna Inc. in early 2018. Prosecutors would later put her net worth in the “hundreds of millions of dollars.”4NBC San Diego. Former Owner of San Diego News Station Sentenced in College Admissions Scheme
What She Paid For
Kimmel was one of dozens of parents charged in Operation Varsity Blues, the federal investigation into a nationwide bribery network run by admissions consultant William “Rick” Singer. Her total payments to Singer and his associates topped $500,000, split between two fraudulent admissions.5Los Angeles Times. Ex-Media CEO Elisabeth Kimmel Sentenced to Prison in College Admissions Scam
Georgetown, as a Fake Tennis Recruit
Kimmel paid $275,000 to get her daughter admitted to Georgetown as a recruited tennis player. The application falsely described her daughter as a “ranked player” in Southern California Junior Tennis. She was not a competitive tennis player at all.4NBC San Diego. Former Owner of San Diego News Station Sentenced in College Admissions Scheme The slot was allocated by Gordon Ernst, then Georgetown’s head tennis coach, who was later sentenced to 30 months in prison for accepting nearly $3.5 million in bribes to sell roughly two dozen admission spots.6The New York Times. Gordon Ernst Georgetown Tennis Coach Scandal Part of the $275,000 was funneled through Kimmel’s family charitable foundation, which was nominally set up to fund scholarships for law enforcement and military families.7San Diego Union-Tribune. Former San Diego TV Exec Gets 6 Weeks Prison in College Admissions Scandal
USC, as a Fake Pole Vaulter
Kimmel paid another $250,000 to get her son into USC as a pole vault recruit. An athletic profile was fabricated describing him as an “elite high school pole vaulter” and included a photograph of an entirely different athlete.4NBC San Diego. Former Owner of San Diego News Station Sentenced in College Admissions Scheme Her son had not done track and field in high school and, according to prosecutors, did not know he had been admitted as a recruited athlete.8Sportico. Georgetown Tennis Team
The Guilty Plea and Sentence
On August 16, 2021, Kimmel pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.9U.S. Department of Justice. Investigations of College Admissions and Testing Bribery Scheme10Findlaw. United States v. Kimmel11Boston Herald. Feds Say Varsity Blues Admission Scandal Parent’s Request to Dismiss Her Guilty Plea a Farce
On December 9, 2021, U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton sentenced her to six weeks in prison, two years of supervised release (with the first year served in home confinement), 500 hours of community service, and a $250,000 fine. She was ordered to surrender by January 12, 2022.5Los Angeles Times. Ex-Media CEO Elisabeth Kimmel Sentenced to Prison in College Admissions Scam4NBC San Diego. Former Owner of San Diego News Station Sentenced in College Admissions Scheme She was 57 at sentencing and had moved from La Jolla to Las Vegas.7San Diego Union-Tribune. Former San Diego TV Exec Gets 6 Weeks Prison in College Admissions Scandal
Disbarment
The felony conviction ended her legal career. The State Bar of California disbarred her in 2022.12Reuters. Ex-Media Exec Elisabeth Kimmel Disbarred Over Role in Varsity Blues Scandal She had not practiced law in years but had kept her bar license active.13State Bar of California. Attorney Licensee Detail
The Fight to Undo the Conviction
Kimmel later tried to have her guilty plea thrown out. In February 2024, she filed a petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 built around the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Ciminelli v. United States, which held that the federal mail and wire fraud statutes protect only traditional property interests, not a victim’s intangible “right to control” how its assets are used. Her lawyers argued the plea was neither voluntary nor intelligent because it had rested on a legal theory Ciminelli later invalidated, and that she had been in frail health at the time and feared trial could endanger her life.11Boston Herald. Feds Say Varsity Blues Admission Scandal Parent’s Request to Dismiss Her Guilty Plea a Farce A separate motion asked Judge Gorton to recuse himself; the court denied it as “fraught with judge-shopping.”10Findlaw. United States v. Kimmel
Prosecutors called the motion “utterly without merit” and “built on an Alice-in-Wonderland version of events,” noting that Kimmel was a “Harvard-educated former lawyer represented by experienced counsel” and that her plea deal had included a waiver of her right to appeal or collaterally attack the conviction.11Boston Herald. Feds Say Varsity Blues Admission Scandal Parent’s Request to Dismiss Her Guilty Plea a Farce
Judge Gorton denied the petition on the merits in December 2024. He held that the conviction had not been premised solely on the “right to control” theory Ciminelli eliminated. The indictment expressly alleged a conspiracy to obtain “money and property,” and the plea hearing transcript established that university admissions slots were “tangible valuable resources” qualifying as property under a traditional fraud theory. Because the conviction stood on valid ground, the appeal waiver remained enforceable.14Findlaw. United States v. Kimmel
Kimmel then asked in January 2025 for a certificate of appealability, the procedural key to taking the case to the First Circuit. On March 19, 2025, Judge Gorton denied that too, concluding that “no reasonable jurist would debate the correctness” of the court’s rulings.14Findlaw. United States v. Kimmel15Law360. No 1st Circ. Appeal for Varsity Blues Guilty Plea, Judge Says Without that certificate, she cannot pursue a direct appeal of the district court’s decision.