Where is Rick Singer now? College admissions scandal mastermind still awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty
When the college admissions scandal made headlines, it was actors Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, and Loughlin's husband, Mossimo Gianulli, who were the faces of the criminal conspiracy to influence undergraduate admissions decisions at several top US universities. While Loughlin, Huffman, Gianulli, and other parents have been sentenced to serve their time -- with Loughlin and Huffman already completing their prison sentences -- the mastermind behind the whole plot, William "Rick" Singer is still awaiting sentencing.
The investigation into the conspiracy was code-named Operation Varsity Blues after a 1999 film of the same name and was made public along with the related charges in March 2019 by federal prosecutors. At least 53 people were charged as being part of the conspiracy and is one of the largest cases to be prosecuted by the justice department. Now, a Netflix documentary, 'Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal' is set to bring to viewers details they had never seen before -- among them, reenactments of recordings of Singer's conversations with parents.
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Who is Rick Singer?
While the scandal exploded with the news that Loughlin and Huffman were involved and paid Singer to help their children get admissions into top universities, Singer has mainly remained out of the spotlight. However, Singer was the true mastermind and it was his nonprofit organization that crafted everything for elaborate university admission scams that also involved fabricating fake documents, if necessary.
Singer controlled two firms involved in the scheme, known as Key Worldwide Foundation and The Edge Colege & Career Network, which was also called "The Key." The Key catered to wealthy families who were trying to get their children into college. The Rolling Stone magazine reported that the company's website stated, "the Key’s clientele is all referral based; consequently, the quality of the service provided to many of the world’s most renown [sic] families and individuals has provided an incredible foundation for The Key to grow its offerings worldwide."
A graduate of Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, Singer claims to have a master's degree in counseling and a doctorate in business and organization management. He coached high school sports and in 1992, began his first venture for college admissions counseling. After deviating from the field for a while, he returned to it in 2004, launching the counseling service CollegeSource, before starting The Key.
While The Key was set up to "provide guidance, encouragement, and opportunity to disadvantaged students around the world," the Department of Justice alleged that Singer used the nonprofit organization as a front for his "side door" business, which saw him taking payments from parents to fund bribes of test administrators and coaches. According to Rolling Stone, Singer was allegedly paid $25 million in total between 2011 and February 2019.
Is Rick Singer in jail now?
Following the revelation of the investigation, Singer cooperated with the criminal investigation and pleaded guilty to the charges. He said he unethically facilitated college admission for children from more than 750 families. However, while two years has gone by since Singer pleaded guilty in a Boston federal court to racketeering, money laundering, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice charges, he is yet to be sentenced. There is no court date for his sentencing yet, but he was released on a $500,000 bond in 2019. He faces a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison and a $1.25 million fine. His current whereabouts are unknown as he keeps out of the public eye.