Top 20 Scandals of 2019

Federal authorities released on March 12, 2019, the results of Operation Varsity Blues, an investigation into the largest college cheating scam ever prosecuted. The indictment outlined a scheme in which parents would pay between $15,000 and $75,000 for someone to boost their child’s SAT or ACT scores — either by providing them with correct answers or taking the exam for them — and a system in which university sports coaches and administrators were bribed to secure admission for a student through sports teams.

Investigators have charged at least 53 people in the scandal so far, including William Singer, founder of the college prep firm Edge College & Career Network and its nonprofit arm Key Worldwide Foundation, as well as celebrities such as Lori Laughlin and Felicity Huffman.

The cheating scandal is the latest of many recent scandals to cast a light on the system of U.S. college admissions. According to a recent survey, only 38% of Americans believe that the current college admissions process is fair.

News broke on Jan. 29, 2019 of an attack on Jussie Smollett, a celebrity actor with a starring role on the Fox drama series “Empire.” Smollett, who is black and gay, told police he was attacked by two masked men who shouted racial and homophobic slurs at him, doused him with an unknown chemical substance, and tied a rope around his neck to mimic a noose. Initial reactions to the hate crime were widespread — celebrities in the following days issued an outpouring of support, and a rally was held in New York City to express solidarity with the actor.

Smollett may have first aroused suspicion when he refused to turn his phone over to police. Other strange developments began to take place. The main suspects were detained and released without being charged, and police announced Smollett was a suspect in the filing of a false report. Smollett was ultimately arrested on Feb. 21 for staging his own assault. The charges were later dropped.

One of the largest banks in the world, Credit Suisse, has spent the latter half of 2019 bogged down in a bizarre set of circumstances that included a personal dispute, a high-profile firing, and spying — and may have contributed to a death. Iqbal Khan, an executive at the bank, reportedly got into a heated argument with Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam in January. The two had neighboring houses along a lake in Zurich, and Khan was angry about a row of trees Thiam had planted, which apparently obscured Khan’s view of the lake. After the disagreement, Khan left Credit Suisse for rival bank UBS in the summer.

Shortly thereafter, Khan reportedly began to notice he was being followed. He confronted his pursuer, who he claims tried to take his phone. Khan called for police help and filed an official complaint with prosecutors. Credit Suisse eventually admitted its COO Pierre-Olivier Bouée ordered its security to tail Khan out of concern he would lure clients to UBS. Bouée‘s resignation was announced in October. The unnamed private investigator who organized the surveillance committed suicide shortly after the scandal was made public. Since then, two additional allegations of spying at the bank have emerged.

Singer-songwriter Ryan Adams was one of many powerful men to be accused of leveraging his wealth and status to sexually exploit women in recent years. In February, The New York Times published an expose in which seven women, including musicians Phoebe Bridgers and Adams’ ex-wife Mandy Moore, accused Adams of offering to help female musicians with their careers before making sexual advances. One unnamed woman claimed Adams exposed himself to her on video chats when she was 14.

While Adams has denied the allegations, one of his accusers showed The New York Times messages in which Adams showed concern about how young she was, comparing himself to another disgraced musician — R. Kelly. Adams later issued a statement of apology, canceled planned tour dates, and postponed a forthcoming album.

Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters resigned after allegations that he used racial slurs while coaching in the minor leagues a decade earlier. Nigerian-born hockey player Akim Aliu told Canada’s TSN that Peters hurled racial slurs at him several times when they were both members of the Rockford IceHogs organization a decade ago. Several players confirmed one such incident took place in front of the entire team, when Peters criticized Aliu for playing hip-hop in the locker room. Peters admitted to using the slurs before resigning.

Ex-Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh resigned in May of this year after a lengthy self-dealing scandal finally came to a head. Pugh published a book titled “Healthy Holly” to promote good diet and exercise. From 2011 to 2018 — during which Pugh had been a member of the Maryland Senate, the mayor of Baltimore, and a trustee of the University of Maryland Medical System — the UMMS purchased 100,000 copies of her book for $500,000. Health provider Kaiser Permanente also bought over $100,000 worth of the books while the city’s spending panel, of which Pugh was also a part, was deciding whether to award the company a $48 million contract, which it eventually won.

These payments raised huge conflict of interest issues with Pugh, who failed to properly disclose the payments multiple times. In late April, the FBI and IRS raided Pugh’s offices, home, and other places of work. Shortly thereafter, she resigned.

Pharmaceutical giant Purdue Pharma reached in September a multibillion-dollar settlement with thousands of cities, counties, and tribes, as well as 23 states, for its role in the opioid crisis. The settlement is the first of its kind. Under the deal, the company will reportedly file for bankruptcy and restructure with its OxyContin proceeds going to victims of the opioid addiction epidemic.

The Sackler family, which owns Purdue and made billions as the opioid crisis worsened, now is being held responsible for the crisis they helped create. Sackler family donations are now being rejected by nonprofits; the family name was removed from universities like MIT and NYC; and high society shuns them.

Six other pharmaceutical companies are under federal investigation and face potential criminal charges for their role in the opioid crisis. Federal prosecutors are working to determine what, if any, laws were broken in connection with shipments of mass quantities of opioid painkillers

According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than two-thirds of the more than 70,000 drug overdose deaths in 2017 involved an opioid. Such drug-related deaths were six times more common in 2017 than in 1999, according to the CDC.

Gabrielle Union’s contract as judge on NBC talent show “America’s Got Talent” was not renewed in November. Multiple reports surfaced later that the actress was let go for pushing back against racially insensitive comments made by staff, guests, and producers, as well as other issues.

Variety reported that Union gained the reputation for being “difficult” when she took umbrage at several incidents, including producers calling Union’s hairstyle “too black,” Jay Leno making a joke playing into a stereotype about Korean people, and judge Simon Cowell smoking indoors, which is against California law. Entertainment union SAG-AFTRA opened an investigation into the allegations, while representatives of the show said they would work with Union to address her concerns.

Dior released a new ad for Sauvage, a men’s fragrance created in 1966, in late August. Titled “We Are the Land,” the spot stars Johnny Depp as a guitar-wielding traveler in the canyons of the Utah desert, and features a Native American actor performing a traditional war dance as well as an actress of Da’Naxda’xw Nation descent cloaked in wolf-skin.

Social media users immediately criticized the ad for its stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans, as well as the resemblance of the fragrance’s title to a slur for the Native American people, prompting Dior to cancel the rest of the ad campaign. The negative reception to the ad was the latest in a long string of scandals for Depp, and one of a handful of cultural appropriation controversies involving the French fashion house in the last several years.

The arrest of financier Jeffrey Epstein in the summer of 2019 kicked off one of the biggest news cycles of the year. Epstein — who in 2008 pleaded guilty for procuring an underage girl for prostitution, for which he ultimately served a 13-month sentence — was arrested for the sex trafficking of minors on July 6, sparking media speculation and formal investigation into who among his famous friends, such as Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and Prince Andrew, were potentially involved.

The case took a surprising turn on Aug. 10, when Epstein was found dead in his Metropolitan Correctional Center jail cell. Sketchy details of the incident soon surfaced: The New York City medical examiner ruled it a suicide, but a pathologist hired by Epstein’s brother said it may have been a homicide.

It was the first recorded suicide at the MCC in 13 years; Epstein was taken off suicide watch just six days after a previous attempt; and the guards on duty did not perform the required inmate checks for the wing Epstein was housed in, among others details. This, along with his known associations with many rich and powerful people led some to believe Epstein was either murdered or was assisted in committing suicide.

Office sharing real estate company WeWork filed in August 2019 its highly anticipated S-1 form with the Securities and Exchange Commission in preparation to become a public company. However, a litany of red flags in the document — including massive losses, expensive lease agreements, complex corporate structure, an all-male board of directors, and CEO Adam Neumann’s outsized control of the company — were seen as major risks by investors and invited further scrutiny into the company’s leadership. Examples of Neumann’s lifestyle and idiosyncrasies that came to light as the IPO collapsed added to the scandal.

The disgraced CEO was reported to have illegally transported marijuana in his private jet across international borders and promoted excessive alcohol consumption in professional settings. He banned meat at his company, considered running for president of the world, and expressed a desire to become the world’s first trillionaire.

Amid a storm of negative press, WeWork slashed its valuation from $47 billion to $10 billion, ousted its CEO, and laid off 2,400 employees — nearly one-fifth of its workforce. The IPO — which has been delayed indefinitely — ultimately cast a shadow on spendthrift, fast-growth startups and has likely soured the marketplace on future unicorn IPOs.

This past September, photos surfaced of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wearing blackface back in 2001. Trudeau donned the racist makeup for an “Arabian Nights” theme party back at the private school where he worked as a teacher. The Liberal Party leader was quick to issue an apology, and in so doing, also admitted to wearing blackface while performing the song “Day-O” during a high school talent show.

Robert Kraft, billionaire businessman and owner of the New England Patriots, was one of 300 men charged with paying for sex in a spa in Jupiter, Florida. Kraft pleaded not guilty on two prostitution charges in February 2019, one month after surveillance tapes allegedly recorded the illicit act as part of a broader sting operation. Kraft is currently in a courtroom battle to keep the surveillance recording from being released. The misdemeanor charges against him have been on hold since May.

Late last year, rapper Tekashi69 was indicted on federal weapons and racketeering charges. The 23-year-old entertainer was initially facing a minimum of 47 years in prison due to his involvement with the violent New York City gang Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods. However, in a surprising twist, Tekashi, who had built a public image around flouting the law and taunting law enforcement, struck a plea deal and provided valuable information that led to the arrest of several of his former gang associates. In December 2019, Tekashi was sentenced to just two years in prison, a term that includes the 13 months he has already served.

Freshman congressional representative from Minnesota’s 5th District filed for divorce from her husband in early October 2019. The two, who have three children together, were first married in 2002 only to separate in 2008 and then remarry in 2018. The divorce comes amid allegations that Rep. Omar had an affair with Tim Mynett, a D.C.-based political consultant on Omar’s payroll. Those allegations came from Mynett’s ex-wife, Dr. Beth Jordan, who said the couple split after Mynett admitted he was in love with Omar.

Prior to these allegations, Omar was accused in August of violating Federal Election Commission (FEC) campaign staff travel regulations. According to the FEC, Omar failed to itemize travel expenses to E Street Group, the firm owned by Mynett. In October, an amendment to the FEC complaint was filed over a total of $370,000 Omar’s campaign paid to Mynett’s business.

New details surrounding the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi emerged in a damning report released following a U.N. investigation. According to the 100-page report, there is credible evidence to suggest that the crown prince of Saudi Arabia and other senior officials are liable for the killing, which appears to have been deliberate, premeditated, and extrajudicial. The kingdom denies involvement in the murder of the journalist who was an outspoken critic of the Saudi government, claiming it was a rogue operation conducted without the knowledge or blessing of the heir to the throne.

Boeing received a slew of negative attention after 737 Max planes were involved in two deadly crashes — one in Indonesia in October 2018 and one in Ethiopia in March 2019 — killing a total of 346 people. Shortly after the second crash, aviation authorities around the world grounded the 737 Max jet, Boeing ceased production of the aircraft, and federal authorities launched several investigations into the company.

In October of this year, leaked messages from Boeing engineers revealed that company officials knew of serious issues with the planes but failed to disclose them to regulators. Investigators found that the flight control system forced the two planes to nosedive because they were being fed incorrect information from a sensor. The scandal has shaken Boeing’s once rock solid reputation.

Freshman congresswoman Katie Hill announced her resignation from Congress in late October amid allegations of sexual relationships with campaign and office staffers. Her resignation came while she was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for one of her relationships. At the time of her resignation, Hill denied a sexual relationship with a male staffer and apologized for an inappropriate relationship with a female staffer. Shortly before resigning, nude photos of Hill were leaked by her husband — the two were in the middle of divorce proceedings. In a video statement, Hill slammed “my abusive husband and the brutality of hateful political operatives”. Many jumped to her defense, decrying the leak and denouncing Hill’s husband for releasing the nude images. Hill represented California’s 25th congressional district.

In February of this year, German news site Netzpolitik published an expose revealing that short-form video-sharing service TikTok had purposefully suppressed videos of disabled users. Leaked documents obtained by Netzpolitik showed that TikTok moderators had been instructed to mark videos of disabled users and limit them from going viral. While TikTok explained that the policy was meant to spare vulnerable users from bullying or harassment, the Chinese company faced heavy backlash from angered users and disability rights advocates.

TikTok was also criticized in September for censoring content, when the Guardian reported that the app had suppressed posts critical of the Chinese government. Tiktok’s owner ByteDance, a Chinese technology firm, remains one of the world’s most valuable startups. The company reported unexpectedly large profits in the first half of 2019. ByteDance had revenue in 2018 of $7.2 billion.

The biggest scandal of 2019 is still unfolding and likely will continue to be the focus of the American media landscape for much of 2020 — the impeachment of President Donald Trump. The House, on Dec. 18, passed two articles of impeachment against Trump, abuse of power and obstruction of congress.

A White House whistleblower filed a complaint regarding a July 25 call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. In the call, according to the transcript, Zelenskiy says that his nation is “almost ready to buy more Javelins from the United States for defense purposes,” to which Trump responds, “I would like you to do us a favor though.” Trump then proceeds to ask Zelenskiy to get his Attorney General to investigate cybersecurity company Crowdstrike as well as the son of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.

House Intelligence Committee Democrats say Trump abused his power by pressuring a foreign power to investigate his political rival as well as obstructed Congress because he “ordered federal agencies and officials to disregard all voluntary requests for documents and defy all duly authorized subpoenas,” in addition to holding up aid for Ukraine that had already been approved by Congress. The House impeached Trump on Dec. 18.