F.B.I. Is Said to Be Investigating College Admissions Practices at T.M. Landry

Despite the vast differences, the cases underscore just how important and competitive college admissions have become.

The F.B.I. said it does not confirm or deny the existence of investigations and declined to comment. The Landrys did not respond to a request for comment.

The Landrys and T.M. Landry’s board chairman, Greg Davis, have told parents and donors that they have done nothing wrong, and they are working to expand the school’s enrollment and repair its reputation. The school has told investigators that it has lost scores of students after the Times article, and that its graduating class dwindled to four, from 16.

In February, the Landrys abruptly broke the school’s lease and moved out of an old factory building after failing to meet fire safety codes. It now operates from a former skating rink, according to local news reports.

This spring, the school posted a solemn video on Facebook that showcased its remaining seniors, and the colleges that had admitted them: Emory University, Colgate University, Morehouse College, Bucknell University, St. John’s University, Providence College, Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College, Spring Hill College, Tulane University and Howard University. The video was a far cry from those that went viral in recent years, filled with clips of students celebrating and crying with joy as they learned they had been accepted to Ivy League schools.

Mr. Davis has also played up the findings of a 23-page report that summarized an internal investigation into the allegations published in The Times. In letters to donors, Mr. Davis said the report, which was released in April, “validates the academic outcomes” of T.M. Landry students.

The New Orleans law firm that Mr. Davis hired to conduct the internal inquiry, Couhig Partners, worked with Paul Pastorek, a former state superintendent of schools, who described Mr. Davis as a personal friend in his glowing summary of the inquiry.

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