College admissions scam mastermind set to be sentenced for role in Operation Varsity Blues

Source: CNN

College admissions scam mastermind set to be sentenced for role in Operation Varsity Blues

By Lauren del Valle and Eric Levenson, CNN
Published 4:08 AM EST, Wed January 4, 2023

(CNN) — William “Rick” Singer, the mastermind of the sprawling college admissions scam aptly known as Operation Varsity Blues, is set to be sentenced in a federal courthouse in Boston on Wednesday, nearly four years after the scandal was publicly exposed.

Singer was the central figure in the scam in which wealthy parents, desperate to get their children into elite universities, paid huge sums to cheat on standardized tests, bribe university coaches who had influence over admissions and then lie about it to authorities.

Singer pleaded guilty at the time to racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the US and obstruction of justice, and he agreed to cooperate with the government’s investigation.

Prosecutors have asked the court to sentence him to six years in prison and pay over $19 million in fines and asset forfeitures. Singer’s attorneys have asked for probation with home detention and community service.

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Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/04/us/william-rick-singer-sentencing-college-admissions-scandal/index.html


William "Rick" Singer was the mastermind of the nationwide college admissions cheating scandal. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)