BREAKING NEWS: Varsity Blues mastermind Rick Singer is sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison after cutting deal with the government to inform against stars like Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin
- Rick Singer was in court in Boston today to be sentenced for his role in the scandal
- He took bribes from desperate parents to ensure their kids’ entry to top schools
- He admitted racketeering in 2018 and agreed to cooperate with the government
- Singer, 62, had been facing 20 years but now prosecutors are recommending 6
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.
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.
Singer, who now lives modestly in a Florida trailer park, instead agreed to cooperate with the government’s investigation into the wealthy parents who used his services.
Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of six years.
Rick Singer arrives at court in Boston on Wednesday January 4 for sentencing. Prosecutors are recommending six years in prison
Singer, 62, had been facing 20 years in prison on a number of charges. He agreed to cooperate with the government’s investigation
His attorneys pleaded for mercy, asking the judge to give him a probation-only sentence.
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.
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.
Among the parents who used Singer’s services was Felicity Huffman, shown above with her husband and their two daughters
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