BOSTON, Massachusetts — The mastermind behind a nationwide bribery scandal involving celebrities, businessmen and other parents who used their wealth and privilege to buy their children into prestigious US universities, has been sentenced. Wednesday to three and a half years in prison.
The sentence for Rick Singer, 62, is the longest handed down in this scandal that has embarrassed some of the most prestigious universities in the country and has exposed the secretive admissions system, which was already considered rigged. in favor of the rich.
Federal prosecutors had sought a six-year sentence behind bars, pointing to Singer’s extensive cooperation that helped authorities unravel the entire bribery system.
Singer began working undercover with investigators in 2018, recording hundreds of calls and meetings that helped authorities bring charges against dozens of parents, coaches and others who were arrested in March 2019.
Among those who were sent to prison for participating in the scheme are “Full House” actress Lori Loughlin; her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, and “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman. Coaches at universities such as Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and the University of California at Los Angeles have admitted to taking bribes.
After undergoing surgery twice, his representative reported that the actor is awake and progressing. To see more from Telemundo, visit https://www.nbc.com/networks/telemundo.