BOSTON (WBZ) — It is the latest chapter in a near five-year journey for the only Massachusetts man named in the college admissions scandal.
John Wilson of Hyannis has filed a civil lawsuit against Netflix for their depiction of him and his family in their documentary on the case, “Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal.”
“They called their production a documentary, which I always assumed means it’s truthful and what they did as it relates to me and my family, was anything but the truth,” Wilson told WBZ-TV.
Federal prosecutors alleged parents paid into a scheme that granted their children access to top colleges in the country, often by adding a child’s name to the roster of elite sports programs despite never having played the sport.
Wilson was originally charged with multiple federal counts for his alleged involvement in the scheme but maintained his innocence through the trial and never accepted a plea deal. In 2023, a federal appeals court dropped all the core “Varsity Blues” convictions against him. He is serving a year of probation for a tax related charge over a filing error. In all, Wilson said he’s spent roughly $10 million on legal fees.
“It’s been a devastating experience from day one, The moment I was arrested was horrific and then having to go to trial, for a crime I didn’t commit,” Wilson said.
In his civil suit, Wilson accuses Netflix of defaming him and his son by knowingly manipulating his words and involvement in the admissions scandal. This includes, according to Wilson, things the U.S. Attorney’s Office never accused him of in the first place.
“We didn’t cheat on any tests or pay anyone to cheat on any tests,” said Wilson. “We didn’t bribe any coaches. We gave money to school foundations, not to coaches or individuals. And we didn’t fake any athletes.”
But one scene in the documentary stands out for Wilson. It involves a critical part of the prosecution’s case where they claimed some families had their children photoshopped to look like athletes for sports they had never played. In the documentary, Netflix uses Wilson’s voice under a montage depicting a staged photoshoot with his son Johnny. Wilson said the trouble is, his son was a Division 1 level water polo athlete with thousands of hours of training and competitions under his belt before he ever joined the team at the University of Southern California. Wilson said the idea they falsified photos of their son to get him on a team and into school is defamatory and a pillar of his suit.
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“We warned them (Netflix) in advance off all the facts that were in the public record about my son,” Wilson said. “The thing I feel most pained by is that he trained for thousands of hours over a decade, and he had literally since the age of six competed.”
Wilson said he is seeking monetary damages, a public apology from Netflix and for the company to correct the film.
“I think more than anything, it’s also important to set the record straight for others because what they did to me should never happen to anyone in America,” Wilson said. “It’s just outrageous.”
WBZ-TV reached out to Netflix for this report and has not heard back.
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