Education Consultant Sentenced For Defrauding Chinese Couple

An educational consultant who accepted more than $2 million from a Hong Kong couple and then failed to a deliver on his promise to get their sons into Ivy League universities has been sentenced to more than five years in prison.

Mark Zimny, formerly of Cambridge, was sentenced this week following his conviction in April on 13 charges, including multiple counts of wire fraud, unlawful money transactions and false tax returns.

Prosecutors say Zimny told Gerald and Lily Chow the money would help get their sons into elite American universities, but he kept the money for himself. He said the donations would counter an anti-Asian bias and make a good impression.

Zimny must also pay $839,000 in restitution and complete three years of supervised release.