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| William Singer, the Man in the Middle of the College Bribery Scandal | William Singer, the Man in the Middle of the College Bribery Scandal |
| (4 days later) | |
| BOSTON — The central figure in the college admissions cheating scandal is William Singer, 58, a Newport Beach, Calif., businessman who prosecutors say managed and profited from the cheating scheme. | |
| Mr. Singer, sometimes known as Rick Singer, has been cooperating with federal investigators since September 2018. He pleaded guilty to four charges in federal court in Boston on Tuesday. | Mr. Singer, sometimes known as Rick Singer, has been cooperating with federal investigators since September 2018. He pleaded guilty to four charges in federal court in Boston on Tuesday. |
| [Read more on the Justice Department’s largest ever college admissions prosecution] | [Read more on the Justice Department’s largest ever college admissions prosecution] |
| A tan, lean-faced man with close-cut gray hair, Mr. Singer sat very still and looked intently at the judge, Rya W. Zobel, as she explained the charges and detailed the rights he was giving up by pleading guilty. He answered, “Yes, ma’am” whenever the judge asked him if he understood. | A tan, lean-faced man with close-cut gray hair, Mr. Singer sat very still and looked intently at the judge, Rya W. Zobel, as she explained the charges and detailed the rights he was giving up by pleading guilty. He answered, “Yes, ma’am” whenever the judge asked him if he understood. |
| When the judge asked Mr. Singer to describe his role in the plot, he became expansive, speaking for about 10 minutes about his methods. | When the judge asked Mr. Singer to describe his role in the plot, he became expansive, speaking for about 10 minutes about his methods. |
| [The college admissions scandal has raised a lot of questions. We’ve answered them here.] | [The college admissions scandal has raised a lot of questions. We’ve answered them here.] |
| He spoke of arranging for students to take their SAT or ACT exams at sites in Houston or Los Angeles where he had bribed test administrators. The students thought they were taking the tests legitimately, he said, but his proctor would correct some of their answers afterward to make their scores come out exactly how Mr. Singer wanted. | He spoke of arranging for students to take their SAT or ACT exams at sites in Houston or Los Angeles where he had bribed test administrators. The students thought they were taking the tests legitimately, he said, but his proctor would correct some of their answers afterward to make their scores come out exactly how Mr. Singer wanted. |
| He bribed college coaches, he said, to falsely certify that students had been recruited for the school’s sports teams. Prosecutors said he also falsified ethnicities and other biographical details in some cases, to take advantage of affirmative action. | He bribed college coaches, he said, to falsely certify that students had been recruited for the school’s sports teams. Prosecutors said he also falsified ethnicities and other biographical details in some cases, to take advantage of affirmative action. |
| [Read more here about how the authorities say the scheme worked, from bribes to doctored photos.] | [Read more here about how the authorities say the scheme worked, from bribes to doctored photos.] |
| Mr. Singer also described how, after he became a cooperating witness and was told he could not talk to anyone about the investigation, he tipped off several families that his conversations were being recorded by the authorities and warned them not to incriminate themselves. | Mr. Singer also described how, after he became a cooperating witness and was told he could not talk to anyone about the investigation, he tipped off several families that his conversations were being recorded by the authorities and warned them not to incriminate themselves. |
| He was released on bail and left the courthouse after the hearing in the company of his lawyers. One of them, Donald H. Heller, said on his way out of the courthouse that Mr. Singer was very remorseful and intended to fully cooperate. | He was released on bail and left the courthouse after the hearing in the company of his lawyers. One of them, Donald H. Heller, said on his way out of the courthouse that Mr. Singer was very remorseful and intended to fully cooperate. |
| “I’m sure there will be more things coming out,” Mr. Heller said. “I can tell you he’s a very stoic person, but this has been very emotional for him, dealing with this, because his whole life has been working with kids getting into college, and it got out of control.” | “I’m sure there will be more things coming out,” Mr. Heller said. “I can tell you he’s a very stoic person, but this has been very emotional for him, dealing with this, because his whole life has been working with kids getting into college, and it got out of control.” |
| Here are some key points about Mr. Singer, from court papers, statements by his lawyers, past news coverage and a biographical sketch on a company website. | Here are some key points about Mr. Singer, from court papers, statements by his lawyers, past news coverage and a biographical sketch on a company website. |
| The for-profit business: Mr. Singer owns the Edge College & Career Network, also known as The Key — a for-profit college counseling and preparation company offering families help in getting students into competitive colleges and universities. He also owns some related businesses. | The for-profit business: Mr. Singer owns the Edge College & Career Network, also known as The Key — a for-profit college counseling and preparation company offering families help in getting students into competitive colleges and universities. He also owns some related businesses. |
| The nonprofit organization: Mr. Singer established and runs the Key Worldwide Foundation, which purports to be a charity and which prosecutors say was used to disguise the true nature of payments from parents. | The nonprofit organization: Mr. Singer established and runs the Key Worldwide Foundation, which purports to be a charity and which prosecutors say was used to disguise the true nature of payments from parents. |
| The charges: One count each of racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and obstruction of justice. | The charges: One count each of racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and obstruction of justice. |
| His bail: Mr. Singer was released on $500,000 bond. Eric S. Rosen, a federal prosecutor in the case, said it would be secured by property in California belonging to Mr. Singer’s brother. Prosecutors are seeking the forfeiture of many of Mr. Singer’s own assets and those of his businesses and the foundation under federal racketeering laws. | His bail: Mr. Singer was released on $500,000 bond. Eric S. Rosen, a federal prosecutor in the case, said it would be secured by property in California belonging to Mr. Singer’s brother. Prosecutors are seeking the forfeiture of many of Mr. Singer’s own assets and those of his businesses and the foundation under federal racketeering laws. |
| His admission: “Everything that Mr. Rosen stated is exactly true — all of those things, plus many more things I did,” Mr. Singer said in court on Tuesday, referring to a summary of the accusations given by Mr. Rosen. | His admission: “Everything that Mr. Rosen stated is exactly true — all of those things, plus many more things I did,” Mr. Singer said in court on Tuesday, referring to a summary of the accusations given by Mr. Rosen. |
| What he was selling: He called it a “side door” into college, one that was sure to open. “If I can make the comparison, there is a front door of getting in, where a student just does it on their own,” Mr. Singer said in court. “And then there’s a back door, where people go to institutional advancement and make large donations, but they’re not guaranteed in. And then I created a side door that guaranteed families to get in. So that was what made it very attractive to so many families, is I created a guarantee.” | What he was selling: He called it a “side door” into college, one that was sure to open. “If I can make the comparison, there is a front door of getting in, where a student just does it on their own,” Mr. Singer said in court. “And then there’s a back door, where people go to institutional advancement and make large donations, but they’re not guaranteed in. And then I created a side door that guaranteed families to get in. So that was what made it very attractive to so many families, is I created a guarantee.” |
| His career: Mr. Singer started as a teacher and athletic coach, and founded his first college counseling business, Future Stars, in Sacramento in 1992, according to a 2005 profile in The Sacramento Business Journal. He sold it a few years later and worked for a time as an executive managing call centers, then started another admissions counseling business, The CollegeSource, in Sacramento in 2004. He also helped to develop an online high school that was sold to the educational services company Kaplan. He published a book of advice about getting into college in 2014. | His career: Mr. Singer started as a teacher and athletic coach, and founded his first college counseling business, Future Stars, in Sacramento in 1992, according to a 2005 profile in The Sacramento Business Journal. He sold it a few years later and worked for a time as an executive managing call centers, then started another admissions counseling business, The CollegeSource, in Sacramento in 2004. He also helped to develop an online high school that was sold to the educational services company Kaplan. He published a book of advice about getting into college in 2014. |