College admissions scandal ringleader Rick Singer said he was 'ashamed' of himself as he was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for the scheme
- Rick Singer was sentenced to 42 months in prison for his role in the college admissions scandal.
- In court Wednesday, Singer addressed the judge and apologized to those he hurt along the way.
William "Rick" Singer was sentenced to 42 months in prison and three years of supervised release in a Boston courthouse Wednesday for his involvement in the College Admissions Scandal, also known as Operation Varsity Blues.
Prosecutors sought a six-year sentence and over $19 million in fines, according to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts. Assistant US Attorney Stephen Frank said in court on Wednesday Singer is responsible for the most "massive fraud ever on the higher education system," local Boston 7 News reporter Kimberly Bookman tweeted from the courtroom.
Singer's attorneys argued for probation with home detention and community service, saying that his cooperation with federal agents led to dozens of arrests in the case, Bookman reported from court.
When the defense rested its case, Singer addressed the judge, Bookman tweeted, saying "I am responsible for my actions and my crimes," then apologizing to students, institutions, and families that he says he hurt.
"I am most culpable ... I am ashamed of myself ... It's all my fault," Singer said, according to Bookman.
Singer had reportedly shown remorse for his actions in the years leading up to his sentencing.
In a letter filed by Singer's lawyers as part of a sentencing memorandum seen by Insider, Singer showed remorse for his actions.
"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," Singer wrote. "I acknowledge that I am fully responsible for my crimes."
Singer continued: "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."
Singer has been widely recognized as the ringleader of the 2019 college admissions scandal as he is the founder of Edge College & Career Network, LLC and CEO of the Key Worldwide Foundation, the companies at the center of the ploy, Insider previously reported.
His scheme, which brought in millions of dollars by creating fake college applications for prospective college students — including fabricated test scores, false identities, and edited photos that put the faces of applicants onto athlete's bodies — resulted in the prosecution of 39 parents, more than a dozen college coaches and administrators, and other business associates, according to Insider. Actors Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were two parents charged in the scheme.
The scheme had two parts. In some cases, Singer facilitated cheating on the SAT and ACT exams for students. In other cases, Singer arranged for students to be admitted to elite colleges through athletic recruitment programs under the guise of being student-athletes.
According to CNN, Singer brought in more than $25 million from his clients and paid more than $7 million in bribes to coaches and advisors to coax them to allow these kids into their schools.
The scheme was discovered by federal agents in September 2018, who came across his name in a different fraud case.
Singer pleaded guilty in the scandal in March 2019 to charges of racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the US, and obstruction of justice.
He agreed to cooperate with prosecutors on the case, who, in 2019, initially sought a 65-year sentence for the ringleader. As part of his cooperation, he helped to identify parents, coaches, and advisors who worked with him on the scheme, wearing a wire while discussing the case with them.
But, as Assistant US Attorney Stephen Frank noted in Wednesday's hearing, his cooperation was "problematic" — he tipped off six people about the investigation, Bookman tweeted.