Mastermind behind college admissions scam is back in business — but with a court-ordered disclaimer

CNN

6 days ago

Fresh out of federal prison, the mastermind behind the college admissions scam known as 'Operation Varsity Blues' is back with a new job: college admissions advising.
William 'Rick' Singer was released early from the Bureau of Prisons' custody on March 25 and, according to a recent legal filing, is living in California and working for ID Future Stars, an 'admissions consulting company owned by his sister.'
The company's website lists Singer as the 'master coach and lead advisor' and includes a note from him saying he 'made a mistake (and) took full responsibility.'
Federal prosecutors had 'concerns' about Singer's return to work in college admissions advising, given his criminal history in a case that also netted actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, they said in a filing of their own.
But Singer's defense attorney argued his work in college admissions advising is 'both lawful and entirely consistent with the conditions of his supervised release,' and asked the court to allow him to continue with his work.
'The purely theoretical risk of recidivism does not warrant a prophylactic field-of-employment restriction here,' attorney Aaron Katz said.
After the parties met in federal court last month, District Judge Denise J. Casper ruled Singer may work in college admissions advising – but he must post 'prominently' on the ID Future Stars' website a 270-word disclaimer explaining the charges against him and his guilty plea.
'Mr. Singer served his prison sentence and is currently on supervised release,' part of the disclaimer says. 'The terms of Mr. Singer's supervised release require him to provide this disclosure.'
The disclaimer appears on the website's Terms and Conditions page.
Singer's plan to return to college admissions advising has raised eyebrows among some of those working in the field.
'That is insane,' Brian Taylor, the managing partner of Ivy Coach, an elite college counseling firm, told CNN. 'This is the equivalent of Bernie Madoff asking to manage your money from prison.'
Still, the debate over Singer's post-conviction job reflects broader questions about the 'collateral consequences' of a criminal conviction. In general, people convicted of crimes can face restrictions on government benefits, voting rights, gun rights or professional licensing. About 45,000 'collateral consequences' exist in legal systems across the country, a 2018 report from the American Bar Association found.
Tough-on-crime advocates support more collateral consequences to protect the public and punish offenders, while reform advocates push for fewer restrictions to help formerly incarcerated people reintegrate into society.
ID Future Stars and Singer's attorney did not respond to requests for comment.
For about a decade before his 2019 arrest, Singer owned a college counseling and prep business known as 'The Key' and served as CEO of its affiliated foundation, the Key Worldwide Foundation.
Through those organizations, he carried out a scheme to get children of wealthy parents into top universities by facilitating cheating on standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT, falsifying their college applications, and bribing coaches and administrators to accept the children as recruited athletes, even if they didn't play that sport, according to prosecutors. Singer took in more than $25 million from his clients as part of the scheme, paid bribes totaling more than $7 million and used more than $15 million for his own benefit, according to prosecutors.
In March 2019, authorities arrested and charged more than 50 people, including coaches, test administrators, prominent CEOs, and the Hollywood stars. With a few exceptions, nearly all of them pleaded guilty and served prison terms generally measured in weeks or months.
Singer pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of justice. He was sentenced in January 2023 to 3 1/2 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, more than $10 million in restitution and forfeiture of more than $8.7 million.
'I lost my ethical values and have so much regret,' Singer said at his sentencing hearing. 'To be frank, I'm ashamed of myself.'
He was released to a halfway house in 2024 and from prison in March, according to court filings.
The website of ID Future Stars, a college admissions consulting company, boasts '20+ Years of Experience' and '98% Success Rate (Up to).' The site links to several ID Future Stars social media pages with few followers, and the earliest posts on those accounts date to 2024.
On its About page, the website names Singer as the 'master coach and lead advisor' and includes a message from him.
'I am not afraid to tell people who I am and that I made a mistake, took full responsibility and want to share my expertise, passion, and desire to help shape our next generation's leaders by helping each find a college and career that is the right choice for each individual,' he writes on the site.
He writes that he learned 'to stay away from the gray areas in college admissions and institutional advancement' and says he 'will fiercely seek the proper guidance and support from expert counsel.'
'I want to do college and career life coaching again because–I LOVE IT! And this is my passion,' he writes. 'The energy that I exude when I work with our future leaders and their families is like rocket fuel. Additionally, why not go back to doing something that I am the best at worldwide based on our successes in the past?'
In court filings last month, federal prosecutors took issue with Singer's statements, calling them 'misleading and problematic' regarding his role in the 'Varsity Blues' scheme. They asked the court to require Singer to post a fuller explanation of the facts of his case and the charges against him on the website.
'The government cannot stand idly by and allow the fox in the hen house without voicing its concerns to the Court and Probation,' prosecutors said.
In response, Singer's attorneys opposed a restriction on his field of employment but said he is 'willing to agree to a reasonable disclosure requirement' about his criminal case to his clients.
Casper ultimately ordered Singer to post the 270-word statement on his website and provide it to prospective clients, including a link to the Department of Justice news release announcing his sentence.
The extent of Singer's current work is unclear, as the ID Future Stars website does not list the total number of clients. However, a legal filing outlined the basics of his work and said it has expanded into two new fields tangentially related to college admissions.
'Mr. Singer's current employment involves advising students, parents, affinity groups, organizations, and institutions regarding college admissions and campus-related issues, including assessing which campuses provide the best environments for Jewish students and helping smaller schools attract and support 'NIL Collectives,'' the filing states.