Varsity Blues scandal

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2025-01-03 00:30:03

Operation Varsity Blues[ 1] [ 2] was the code name for the investigation into the 2019 criminal conspiracy scandal to influence undergraduate admissions decisions at several top American universities.

The investigation and related charges were made public on March 12, 2019, by United States federal prosecutors. At least 53[ 3] people have been charged as part of the conspiracy,[ 4] [ 5] a number of whom pled guilty or agreed to plead guilty. Thirty-three parents of college applicants were accused of paying more than US$25 million between 2011 and 2018 to William Rick Singer, organizer of the scheme, who used part of the money to fraudulently inflate entrance exam test scores and bribe college officials.[ 6] [ 7] Of the 32 parents named in a Federal Bureau of Investigation affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Boston, more than half had apparently paid bribes to have their children enrolled at the University of Southern California (USC).[ 8]

Singer controlled the two firms involved in the scheme, Key Worldwide Foundation and The Edge College & Career Network (also known as "The Key"). He pled guilty and cooperated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in gathering incriminating evidence against co-conspirators.[ 9] [ 10] He said he unethically facilitated college admission for children in more than 750 families.[ 11] Singer faced up to 65 years in prison, and a fine of $1.25 million. In January 2023, he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison plus forfeiture of over $10 million.[ 12] He was released from prison in August 2024.[ 13]