But while U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton imposed a lower sentence than prosecutors wanted, her rejected Janavs’ request for probation, saying she deserved prison for "deliberately corrupting the college admissions system."
Gorton also ordered Janavs to pay a $250,000 fine. In court, Janavs said she was "so very sorry that I tried to create an unfair advantage for my children."
Janavs is among 53 people charged with participating in a scheme in which parents conspired with a California college admissions consultant to use bribery and other forms of fraud to secure the admission of their children to top schools.
William "Rick" Singer, the consultant, pleaded guilty in March 2019 to charges he facilitated cheating on college entrance exams and helped bribe university sports coaches to present his clients’ children as fake athletic recruits.
The 36 parents charged since March 2019 include "Desperate Housewives" actress Felicity Huffman, who was sentenced in September to 14 days in prison, and "Full House" star Lori Loughlin, who is fighting the charges.
Janavs is a former executive at Chef America Inc, a closely-held food manufacturer her father co-founded that created the microwave snack line Hot Pockets before being sold to Nestle SA for $2.6 billion in 2002.