LOS ANGELES, CA — A Los Angeles businessman who paid a $250,000 bribe to get his son admitted to USC was sentenced to four months in prison Tuesday in one of the harshest penalties handed down so far in the wide-ranging college admissions scandal.

The damning details of his case may have added to his sentence, which is several times longer than the 14-day sentence handed down last week to Oscar-nominated actress Felicity Huffman, who paid to $15,000 to have a proctor correct her daughter's answers on a college-entrance exam. Still, the sentence is likely to be lenient compared to the prison time several parents fighting the charges face if they lose at trial. Devin Sloane, the founder of a drinking and wastewater systems company, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Sloane admitted to paying $250,000 to have his son admitted to USC as a water polo recruit even though he had never actually played the sport. To help bolster the fraud, he purchased water polo gear online and hired a graphic designer to create a photo of his son appearing to be playing the sport, all in an effort to portray his son as a member of the Italian junior national water polo team.

During his sentencing in federal court in Boston, Sloane was also ordered to pay a $95,000 fine and perform 500 hours of community service. Prosecutors said Sloane paid more than $250,000 -- largely to Rick Singer, the Newport Beach businessman and admitted ring-leader of the wide- ranging college-admissions cheating scandal -- to facilitate his son's admission into USC as a water polo recruit.

Prosecutors had asked that Sloane serve a year in prison. Huffman and Sloane were among the first parents indicted in the scheme to confess guilt. It's earned them a measure of leniency, especially compared to indicted parents such as actress Lori Loughlin, who is fighting the case and facing additional charges for her stance. The indictment announced in March alleges dozens of parents paid for help cheating on college entrance exams or applications to the likes of Yale, Georgetown, University of San Diego, Stanford, UCLA and USC. It's as a veritable who's who of the wealthy elite and lays bare a system seemingly rigged for those willing and able to pay. According to prosecutors, parents paid a Newport Beach college prep business as much as $75,000 to have someone take SAT or ACT exams for their children. Others allegedly paid hundreds of thousands in bribes to college coaches to make their child an "athletic recruit" regardless of whether the students even played sports. In several cases, parents had their children photoshopped into sporting events to make them look like athletes, prosecutors contend. Bolstered by transcripts of recorded conversations, the case reaped mortification on privileged families ensnared by prosecutors.

Athletic coaches from USC, UCLA, Yale, Stanford, Wake Forest and Georgetown, among others, were implicated in the scheme.