California Parents Agree to Plead Guilty in College Admissions Scandal

A California couple have agreed to plead guilty to charges that they paid $250,000 to fraudulently gain their daughter’s admission to the University of Southern California as a volleyball recruit, prosecutors said.

If the agreement is approved by a federal judge, the couple, Diane Blake, 55, and Todd Blake, 54, of Ross, Calif., will be the 27th and 28th parents to plead guilty in the nation’s largest college admissions prosecution, which has ensnared wealthy financiers, lawyers and celebrities.

Court documents described Mr. Blake as an entrepreneur and investor and Ms. Blake as an executive at a retail merchandising firm.

Mr. Blake has agreed to serve four months in prison and Ms. Blake six weeks, prosecutors said. They have also agreed to each pay a $125,000 fine, submit to supervised release for two years and complete 100 hours of community service, prosecutors said.