BOSTON — The gritty streets of Boston were shaken by the revelation that Mikaela Sanford, a 34-year-old former employee of William “Rick” Singer’s for-profit business “The Key,” has agreed to plead guilty in a massive college admissions bribery scandal.
Sanford, hailing from Folsom, Calif., faces charges related to her involvement in a scheme that used bribery and fraud to secure spots at prestigious colleges for applicants across the nation. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, she will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering.
The plea hearing has yet to be scheduled, but sources indicate that Sanford could face a sentence at the low end of the sentencing guidelines, including one year of supervised release and a fine upwards of $67,062. The government is also seeking restitution for the victims of this scam.
Details of the scheme reveal that Sanford, while employed by “The Key,” took online classes on behalf of students to boost their grades for college applications. In other instances, she helped concoct fraudulent athletic profiles and other documents to portray these students as stellar high school athletes when they were not.
The full scope of this case is detailed at the U.S. Attorney’s Office website, where case information, including the status of each defendant and charging documents, are available.
The charges against Sanford carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater, and restitution. United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling, along with federal agents from the FBI and IRS, announced today that Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric S. Rosen, Justin D. O’Connell, Leslie A. Wright, Kristen A. Kearney, Karin M. Bell, and Stephen E. Frank are handling the prosecution of this case.
While the details in the charging documents are allegations, all defendants remain presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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