What did Rick Singer do? College admissions scandal and sentence explained

Rick Singer, the man behind the US admissions scandal that saw several celebrities using their money to buy their children top spots at elite universities, has been sentenced to prison time.

On January 4, the 62-year-old personality was sentenced to 3.5 years of jail time along with three years of supervised release.

His punishment is the longest term sentenced in a bribery case which saw many personalities, athletic coaches, and prestigious universities being put in an embarrassing spotlight.

Rick Singer pleaded guilty in March 2019, the same day the scandal was publicly exposed. He was charged with money laundering conspiracy, racketeering conspiracy, and several other charges related to the scandal called Operation Varsity Blues.

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Rick Singer cooperated with the FBI to unravel the scam

Rick Singer has been cooperating with the government's investigation of the college admissions scandal and wore a wire for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

In 2018, the 62-year-old personality secretly began working with the authorities in charge and made and recorded hundreds of phone calls and meetings that helped the investigators build a case against the people responsible and arrest them in March 2019.

Prosecutors sought six years of jail time, noting Rick Singer's cooperation in unraveling the scheme.

More than 50 people were convicted in the bribery scheme, including Full House star Lori Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, along with Desperate Housewives personality Felicity Huffman.

Speaking in front of the judge on January 4, Assistant US Attorney Stephen Frank stated:

"It was a scheme that was breathtaking in its scale and its audacity. It has literally become the stuff of books and made-for-TV movies. This defendant was responsible for the most massive fraud ever perpetuated on the higher education system in the United States."

Frank stated that Rick Singer took more than $25 million from his clients and bribed the people accused with more than $7 million.

Aside from Loughlin and Huffman, coaches from prestigious universities like Yale, Stanford, University of California, Los Angeles, and Georgetown University admitted to taking bribes from Singer.

The prosecutor said Singer's cooperation was "unparalleled" but also problematic as he obstructed the investigation by alerting his multiple clients who were under the government's radar. He was also fined with $10 million restitution fee to the IRS.

As per USA Today, Rick Singer apologized to the school authorities and his family for the embarrassing act.

“My moral compass was warped by the lessons my father taught me about competition. I embraced his belief that embellishing or even lying to win was acceptable as long as there was victory. I should have known better.”

He also vowed to work every day of his life to have a positive influence on society and in people's lives.