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College Admissions Scandal Mastermind Rick Singer Sentenced to 3.5 Years

Singer took some $25 million from his clients to land their children at prestigious universities.

Four years after the college admissions scandal broke national headlines, the mastermind behind the plan, William “Rick” Singer, was sentenced to 3.5 years behind federal bars on Wednesday. Singer claimed he could offer wealthy parents a “side door” into prestigious universities, according to court documents, by bribing university coaches and helping students cheat on standardized tests, a critical component in college admissions processes. Some 33 parents accused paid Singer a collective $25 million for services such as fully fabricating athletic profiles and resumes for their children in a bid to help raise their pedigree. That included Full House actor Lori Loughlin, who paid Singer $500,000 to help her daughter into the University of Southern California by landing the teenager a spot on the university crew team, despite never actually having rowed. “He is the architect of it. He is the face of this fraud,” federal prosecutor Stephen E. Frank said in court, describing the scheme as the largest fraud ever perpetrated in the higher education system.