The nationwide bribery plot that was uncovered in March 2019 is examined in depth in the new Netflix documentary Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal. William “Rick” Singer, a former college coach and counselor, has been accused of orchestrating a massive, multimillion-dollar fraud that has lasted for seven years. Read below to know where is Rick Singer now.
Rick started arranging the components of his “back door” entry scheme in 2011. When he was CEO of The Key, he allegedly helped affluent students cheat on college entrance exams. According to CNN’s reporting, wealthy parents paid anywhere from $200,000 to $6.5 million to ensure their children’s admission to prestigious universities across the United States. Reportedly, Rick’s phony Key Worldwide Foundation processed these donations.
Where Is Rick Singer Now?
Director Chris Smith reached out to Singer for the Netflix documentary, but Singer declined. He was such a mystery,” Smith told Vanity Fair(opens in new tab). Smith remarked, “He was such a complicated character. It was difficult to find out, I believe, without conducting an interview or speaking directly with him. With this film, we aimed to present as much information as possible about the subject so that viewers could form their own opinions based on that data.
According to AZ Central, he enrolled at Grand Canyon University again, but he quit in the summer of 2016. (opens in new tab). You can get into college without resorting to such dishonest practices, but I guess I’m glad this scandal highlighted how far some spoiled rich kids will go to keep their reputations intact.
How About Rick Singer, Is He Currently Behind Bars?
A man who bribed universities with millions of dollars from roughly 750 families seems like the type of person who should be locked up, not that I have any particular interest in prisons. William “Rick” Singer, the scheme’s architect, has been exonerated so far. Why? One of Singer’s paid college administrators flipped and became an informant after the FBI and IRS learned of Singer’s “consultation” business through an unrelated securities case. After the FBI caught Singer, he decided to turn the state’s evidence against his clients. While the disgraced coach did plead guilty in 2019, his trial will not take place until after he has finished cooperating with federal prosecutors. No one can predict when that will be.
Is Rick Singer Likely To Face Criminal Charges?
To be clear, I’m no expert on the law and have no idea what deals informants make with the government, but a CNN(opens in new tab) report indicates that Singer could spend as much as 65 years in prison for his part in the scheme, in addition to paying a fine of up to $1.25 million. He made somewhere around $25 million while in the “consulting” business.
The Justice Department has recommended that Singer receive a sentence “at the low end of the Guidelines sentencing range,” along with a fine and four years of supervised release.
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Exactly What Was Rick Singer Action?
William “Rick” Singer, the company’s CEO, stands at the epicenter of the scandal. According to the Sacramento Bee, he went into college counseling after being fired as a coach at Sacramento State in 1988 during a disastrous season. Once he realized that a student can get into college with little effort by bribing a coach or a college sports program and cheating on the SAT or ACT, his once-legitimate business venture took a turn for the criminal.
Career Path of Rick Singer
Now he runs his own business. Since the beginning of 2019, he has been facing four felony charges related to his involvement in the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal. His coaching career began in the 1980s at Sierra College, located not far from Sacramento. He started his college outreach efforts here.
In an interview with Jeff Caraska from 1988, he admitted to promising parents that their children would be awarded a Division I or II scholarship. In order to pursue a career in college counseling, he gave up coaching.
2007 saw the inception of “The Key,” which he founded. The company started out helping students with legitimate college costs, but it has since grown into a racketeering enterprise. He convinced affluent families that he could get their children into prestigious universities through dishonest means.
As of the year 2011, he was willing to take up to $75,000 in pay. For this sum of money, you could have your teen help you cheat on the ACT or SAT. He paid off examiners in Los Angeles and Houston. He suggested that his clients see psychologists. The student clients of the psychologist were diagnosed with learning disabilities so that they could be an extended testing time.
Among the universities whose coaches he bribed were Yale, UCLA, Stanford, and the University of Southern California. These instructors bilked parents out of money to hold spots for their kids. Those kids weren’t planning on getting together and playing.
Also in 2012, he established Key Worldwide Foundation. The mission of this organization is to aid disadvantaged youth. The authorities think this charity was used to conceal bribes.
He confessed to four felonies in March 2019. Swindling, racketeering, obstructing justice, and launder(ing) money are all on the list of accusations. This individual has not yet been given a punishment. Other cases required him to be a witness. The length of his sentence may change depending on the outcomes of these lawsuits.
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