Nearly four years after Lori Loughlin, Felicity Huffman, and other Hollywood stars were found guilty of bribing their kid’s way into noble colleges, the scam’s 62-year-old frontrunner was ordered to serve three and a half years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He must also pay more than $10 million in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Singer led what has been dubbed “Operation Varsity Blues” by providing fake or cheated test results, false sports team placements, and other unlawful methods that allowed some of the nation’s wealthiest families to buy their kids’ way into top schools that they were otherwise under-qualified for. Singer pleaded guilty back in March 2019 to racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and other charges in connection with the scandal. A 200-page indictment that obtained more than 30 parents nationwide was made public that same month. While appearing in court on Jan. 4, Singer stated, “I lost my ethical values and have so much to regret,” adding, “to be frank, I am ashamed of myself,” per Deadline. “I’ve learned how to use my strong self-discipline to become an honest and legitimate person,” he concluded. So far, Singer received the longest sentence out of all of those involved in the case, followed by former Georgetown University tennis coach Gordon Ernst who received two and a half years in prison after pocketing more than $3 million in bribes. In a news conference after the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins called the behavior “something out of a Hollywood movie” and was shocked at the depth of the scandal. “I, like millions of hard-working lower or middle-class families, have gone through this process,” Rollins said. “I was never foolish enough to believe it was a meritocracy, but I had absolutely no idea how corrupt and infected the admissions process was until this case exposed everything. Any parent or guardian who has ever experienced the college admissions process should be angry.”
