Rick Singer Sentenced to 3.5 Years in Prison for College Admissions Scandal

A judge has revealed the fate of the "Operation Varsity Blues" mastermind.

Former college admissions adviser Rick Singer was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison and three years supervised release on Jan. 4, per NBC News, for his role in a seven year scheme that secured children of wealthy, powerful families acceptances to top schools, including USC, Georgetown, and Yale. Dubbed "Operation Varsity Blues" by the FBI, those caught up in the scandal included Full House alum Lori Laughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli as well as Felicity Huffman.

Rick pleaded guilty in March 2019—the month the admissions scandal broke— to racketeering conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. He was arrested in Sept. 2018 and subsequently cooperated with authorities, which included becoming "a cooperating witness" and wearing a wire to implicate some of the parents, according to NBC News. Prosecutors had sought a six-year prison sentence for the 62-year-old, per CBS News, while his defense attorneys asked for a year of home confinement, or a maximum of six months behind bars.

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"For most of my life, if not all of it, I have thrived on winning at all costs," Rick wrote in a letter submitted to the courts Dec. 28 and obtained by CBS News. "My moral compass was broken and, increasingly over time, choosing right over wrong became less important than doing whatever had to be done to be recognized as the 'best.'"

He added that he is remorseful and is currently living in a trailer park for seniors in Florida and can't get a job despite attempting more than 1,000 times.

In their own letter, the defense team noted how Rick's inability to land a job after the scandal has hurt his self-esteem and cited the work he has done to start over in his community.

"His unwanted notoriety has left him unemployable, depriving him of his self-esteem," the defense said. "He has tried to rebuild by volunteering in his community. He has boundless energy and ideas about programming for youth and the underserved. He would be an asset to society if permitted after sentencing to continue his community service efforts."

Rick's sentencing comes after more than 50 people were charged in the scheme. Among the parents and university officials convicted, former Georgetown University tennis coach Gordon Ernst, received two and a half years in prison for taking more than $3 million in bribes. In 2020, Lori and her husband pleaded guilty for securing fraudulent admission to the University of Southern California for their two children, Olivia Jade, 23 and Bella Giannulli, 24.

According to the FBI affidavit obtained by E! News in 2019, Lori and Mossimo "agreed to a pay bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC crew team—despite the fact that they did not participate in crew—thereby facilitating their admission to USC."

The actress was sentenced to two months in jail, a $150,000 fine and 150 hours of community service, while Mossimo served almost five months, a $250,000 fine and 250 hours of community service.

Felicity, who was convicted of mail fraud and honest services mail fraud in 2019, served 11 days in prison.

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