Treasury staffer quits after being implicated in college admissions scandal: report

James Littlefair, who worked as an advance staffer for Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, resigned earlier this month after his mother pleaded guilty in the national “Varsity Blues” college admissions scandal, Politico reported Wednesday.

Karen Littlefair was charged Monday with one count of wire fraud conspiracy. She had agreed in November to plead guilty to the charge.

Federal prosecutors say Karen Littlefair paid college admissions consultant William “Rick” Singer $9,000 so that an employee of Singer’s would take four online classes for her son at Georgetown University and Arizona State University between 2017 and 2018.

James Littlefair reportedly used the class credits to graduate from Georgetown in May 2018.

An official for Georgetown said in a statement Wednesday that when the school “learns of a potential serious violation of the Honor System after a student has graduated, the Honor Council will investigate and adjudicate the case and may recommend sanctions up to and including the revocation of the student’s degree.”

A U.S. District Attorney has recommended that Karen Littlefair serve four months in prison followed by 12 months of supervised release, according to Politico.

James Littlefair joined the Treasury Department in 2017 after working on the Trump campaign’s advance team. He was also an event coordinator for the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

He declined Politico’s request for comment, and a Treasury Department official told the publication that “James Littlefair no longer works at the Treasury Department.”

The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill, which was unable to contact James Littlefair.

Tags Arizona State University college admissions scandal Donald Trump Georgetown University Justice Department Steven Mnuchin Treasury Department Varsity Blues

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