'Varsity Blues' Head, Who Helped Wealthy Kids Cheat Into Elite Schools, Gets 3 1/2 Years: Feds

Rick Singer, the mastermind behind the scheme to help wealthy parents and celebrities cheat their way into elite and Ivy League universities, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison on Wednesday, Jan. 4, the Department of Justice announced.

Kevin Singer, the alleged mastermind behind the college admission scandal into some of the country's most prestigious universities, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison on a bribery charge, federal authorities announced.
Photo Credit: *Unsplash/Jon Tyson*

Josh Lanier

01/04/2023 3:53 p.m.

Singer was convicted on bribery charges after a court determined he accepted large cash payments to help cheat standardized tests and bribe coaches who could offer scholarships to kids at some of the nation's top schools.

The investigation into the scandal went by "Operation Varsity Blues," and it ensnared dozens of wealthy parents and celebrities such as Felicity Huffman of "Desperate Housewives" fame and Lori Loughlin from "Full House."

Huffman admitted to paying Singer $15,000 to have a proctor change her daughter's answers after she took the SAT, Entertainment Weekly reported in 2019. A judge sentenced Huffman to 14 days in jail.

Loughlin and her husband, designer Mossimo Giannulli, pleaded guilty to paying Singer $500,000 to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California on crew scholarships despite neither of them playing the sport, CNN reported. A judge sentenced Aunt Becky from the beloved 90's sitcom to two months in jail and a $150,000 fine.

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