LA private school offered diplomas for a fee; then came the college admissions scandal

LOS ANGELES - Stephanie Ellsworth had a problem. She was eager to enroll in a criminal justice program but lacked a high school diploma.

Her predicament didn't last long. She was told by a for-profit college that she could get a diploma from a private school in West L.A. simply by taking a test and paying $280. She wouldn't have to do any coursework, or even set foot on the tiny campus of West Hollywood College Preparatory School.

So that is what she did. Within a few weeks, the 31-year-old had her diploma signed by West Hollywood Prep's principal, Elina Dvorskaya.

That was in 2014 - five years before the school's former director, Igor Dvorskiy, was accused of conspiring with William "Rick" Singer, the admitted mastermind of a national college admissions scheme. Federal prosecutors say Dvorskiy was bribed $10,000 per student to allow a test-taking whiz to doctor