William “Rick” Singer, College Admissions Scandal, Massachusetts 2024

BOSTON, Mass. – The mastermind behind a nationwide college admissions scheme that facilitated cheating on entrance exams and the admission of students as fake athletic recruits to elite universities has been sentenced to prison.

William “Rick” Singer, 62, of St. Petersburg, Fla., formerly of Newport Beach, Calif., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Senior Judge Rya W. Zobel to 42 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

Singer was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $10,668,841 to the Internal Revenue Service and to forfeit specific assets with a value in excess of $5.3 million and approximately $3.4 million in the form of a forfeiture money judgment.

In March 2019, Singer pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of justice.

“Rick Singer was the architect of a sprawling criminal enterprise that corrupted the admissions process at several of the nation’s most elite universities. His decade-long scheme resembled something out of a Hollywood movie,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins.

“This historic case generated headlines around the globe with privilege, celebrity and entitlement at its core, it also exposed the profound failings in the college admissions process. There should not be a separate college admissions process for the rich, powerful and entitled. This case exposed that there is. But it also resulted in meaningful changes in the college admissions process and I am incredibly proud of that.”

Singer owned and operated The Edge College & Career Network LLC (The Key) – a for-profit college counseling and preparation business that was used as a front for the scheme.

“Access to a quality education is a key pillar of our society and the American institutions that are educating our future leaders are second to none. But maintaining fairness in the access to these great institutions is also a vital part of this system,” said Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston.

“Today’s sentence should send a clear message and serve as a deterrent to those who might contemplate similar fraudulent schemes.”

The scheme involved cheating on college entrance exams, including the SAT and ACT, and the admission of students as fake athletic recruits to elite universities, including Georgetown, Stanford, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Southern California (USC), the University of Texas, Wake Forest and Yale.

“Rick Singer was the mastermind of a massive criminal enterprise that undermined the college admissions process at universities all across the country. Fueled by pure and simple greed, Mr. Singer raked in millions of dollars in his corrupt scheme in which he rigged the system, making it much easier for far less qualified students and their families to buy their way into some of this country’s most elite universities,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division.

“Operation Varsity Blues uncovered a bold and shameless decade-long scheme that undercut hard-working students trying to get into these prestigious universities the right way. Everyone we’ve arrested, charged, and convicted to date were integral to the scheme’s success, but without Rick Singer, they never would have succeeded.”

Terry Harris, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General Eastern Regional Office, added, “Today’s action shows that Mr. Singer abused his position to help scores of parents cheat their way through the college admissions process. In doing so, he damaged the reputation of the schools and hurt legitimate students who sought admission to those schools. That is unacceptable.”

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/architect-nationwide-college-admissions-scheme-sentenced-more-three-years-prison