SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — With dreams of UCLA for her daughter, single mother Donna Balancia chose a high-rent apartment to get her into Beverly Hills High School, which she hoped would give her the best shot at the college of her choice.

Once there, she'd bring her daughter to the UCLA tennis court to practice, hoping she would be noticed by the coach. Her daughter excelled as a varsity athlete in tennis and lacrosse and earned a 3.9 GPA. But in the end, the teen's SAT scores were too low for UCLA or the University of Southern California.

"I did some crazy things, but nothing illegal," Balancia sa...