NEW YORK – The mastermind of a sprawling college admissions scam in the United States that saw actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman serve jail time was sentenced to three and a half years in prison today.
William “Rick” Singer bribed coaches and university administrators to admit the already privileged children of his wealthy clients into prestigious American universities.
Singer took home about US$25 million (RM110 million) and paid out US$7 million in bribes during the decade-long scheme.
He pleaded guilty in 2019 and cooperated with federal authorities in their investigation that was dubbed “Operation Varsity Blues.”
More than 50 parents, coaches, and associates of Singer were ultimately convicted.
Loughlin, best known for playing Aunt Becky in the 1980s-90s hit sitcom Full House, and her husband were given a two-month prison term in August 2020.
They admitted to paying US$500,000 to gain admission for their two daughters at the University of Southern California as recruits to the crew team – a sport neither had ever trained in.
In October 2019, Huffman of Desperate Housewives fame was released from prison after serving 11 days of a two-week sentence at a low-security California facility for her role in the scam.
She had admitted during a tearful court appearance to paying US$15,000 to boost her daughter’s SAT college entrance exam score.
Prosecutors had sought a six-year term for Singer, while lawyers argued for home confinement because of his cooperation in the probe.
The judge in the Boston federal court opted for 42 months in prison.
In a pre-sentencing court filing dated November, Singer said he had “woken up every day feeling shame, remorse, and regret,” since law enforcement told him in September 2018 that they had unearthed his scam.
He added that he had since “lost everything” and now lives “in a modest trailer park for seniors.”
“I am so sorry for the pain I caused the students and their families, and the universities and testing agencies, who were negatively impacted by my misconduct,” he wrote. – AFP, January 5, 2023
.jpeg)
