Anyone see this yet?
Wal-Mart Heiress Accused of Cheating Gives Back USC DegreeMove comes nearly a year after Paige Laurie's ex-roommate made the allegations on TV.From Associated Press
Wal-Mart heiress Elizabeth Paige Laurie, accused of paying a fellow college student $20,000 to do her homework, has returned her USC degree, officials said.
The move came nearly a year after Laurie's freshman-year roommate, Elena Martinez, told the ABC newsmagazine "20/20" that she had written term papers and done assignments for the heiress for 3 1/2 years.
"Paige Laurie voluntarily has surrendered her degree and returned her diploma to the university. She is not a graduate of USC," the school said in a statement dated Sept. 30. "This concludes the university's review of the allegations concerning Ms. Laurie."
USC spokesman James Grant said Wednesday that the university had no further comment.
A call seeking comment from Bill Laurie, the father of Paige, at his Paige Sports Entertainment company was not returned. The family has repeatedly declined to comment on the cheating allegations.
Martinez said at the time of the "20/20" broadcast that she joined the ROTC to earn money for college but eventually dropped out because she couldn't afford tuition at USC. She said she learned a great deal by doing Laurie's classwork.
more:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-heiress20oct20,1,524341.story?coll=la-headlines-california