Rick Singer, the mastermind of the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison.
Singer was the leader of the scam, which was exposed four years ago and indicted Hollywood stars including Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin.
They, and dozens of other wealthy parents, paid Singer up to $500,000 to get their children in elite schools by either altering their SAT scores (sometimes without the child’s knowledge) or by instructing them on how to fraudulently pose as a sporting star.
He immediately pleaded guilty to charges including obstruction of justice and conspiracy to commit money laundering, offenses that can carry sentences of up to 20 years, and has since been working with prosecutors against the others involved in the hope that it would lead to a lighter sentence.
But prosecutors revealed in their sentencing notes to the judge that Singer was a reluctant cooperator who even tipped off six of his clients. That is why he was never called as a witness in court, and could explain why he wasn’t given full immunity.
Singer, who now lives modestly in a Florida trailer park, returned to court in Boston today where he pleaded with the judge, telling him he was ‘ashamed’ of his crimes and that he followed his father’s advice that ‘to lie was acceptable as long as it brought victory.’
Rick Singer arrives at court in Boston on Wednesday January 4 for sentencing. Prosecutors are recommending six years in prison
His sentence is considerably more severe than anyone else indicted in the scandal; most of the parents have been sentenced to less than a year.
Before his sentence was handed down, prosecutors told the judge there were ‘very real victims’ in the case – the other kids who missed out on places to those whose places had been bought.
His attorneys pleaded for mercy, asking the judge to give him a probation-only sentence.
His sentencing today brings an end to the criminal case; Singer is the last of the more than 40 adults to have been charged as part of the investigation.
In addition to his prison term, Singer must also pay $10million in restitution to the IRS.
Once released, he will be on supervision for three years.
The scam involved Singer accepting bribes of up to $500,000 from desperate parents who wanted to get their kids into some of the country’s best schools.
Through his contacts at universities like USC and in SAT test centers and boards, he got the kids in.
Some, like Loughlin’s two daughters, pretended to be star athletes in sports they’d never even tried. Singer vouched for them in their applications.
Singer ignored reporters as he entered court in Boston on Wednesday to be sentenced
Among the parents who used Singer’s services was Felicity Huffman, shown above with her husband and their two daughters. She served 14 days in prison
Lori Loughlin also used Singer to bribe her daughters into USC. She served two months in prison
Others weren’t even aware of their parents’ involvement in their college admission – they would sit their SAT exam in locations where the test administer or proctor was on Singer’s payroll.
Once they’d completed their answers, the proctor would change them to ensure they were correct.
In a letter to the judge before sentencing, Singer blamed his actions on his ‘winning at all costs’ attitude, which he said was caused in part by suppressed childhood trauma.
His lawyer is requesting three years of probation, or if the judge deems prison time necessary, six months behind bars.
‘By ignoring what was morally, ethically, and legally right in favor of winning what I perceived was the college admissions “game,”, I have lost everything,’ he wrote.
He told the court he felt ‘ashamed’ of his actions and his ‘poor judgment’.
‘I have been reflecting on my very poor judgment and criminal activities that increasingly had become my way of life.
‘I have woken up every day feeling shame, remorse, and regret. I acknowledge that I am fully responsible for my crimes,’ he said.
For years, Singer paid off entrance exam administrators or proctors to inflate students’ test scores and bribed coaches to designate applicants as recruits for sports they sometimes didn’t even play, seeking to boost their chances of getting into the school.
Singer took in more than $25 million from his clients, paid bribes totaling more than $7 million, and used more than $15 million of his clients´ money for his own benefit, according to prosecutors.
‘He was the architect and mastermind of a criminal enterprise that massively corrupted the integrity of the college admissions process – which already favors those with wealth and privilege – to a degree never before seen in this country,’ prosecutors wrote in court documents.