William “Rick” Singer, the mastermind behind the nationwide college admissions bribery scheme, can operate a new college counseling service as long as he discloses his criminal past to new clients, a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled Monday.
The service, ID Future Stars, lists Singer as “Master Coach & Lead Advisor” on its website, which says it prides itself on offering a “hands-on, personalized approach to college admissions counseling.”
Chief District Judge Denise Casper ruled that Singer can operate the company but must “prominently” display the following statement on the ID Future Stars website:
“In March 2019, Rick Singer pled guilty to federal charges-including racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and obstruction of justice-for his role in what was widely-publicized as the “Varsity Blues” college admissions scheme. Specifically, Mr. Singer admitted to, among other things: bribing standardized test proctors and administrators to engage in cheating on college entrance exams (i.e., the SAT and ACT); falsifying students’ academic transcripts by paying third parties to take classes in their names; falsifying students’ college applications with fake awards, athletic activities, and fabricated essays; and bribing college athletic coaches and administrators, through purported donations to their programs and personal bribes, to designate students as athletic recruits based on falsified athletic credentials.
As part of the scheme, Mr. Singer took in more than $25 million from his clients, from which he made payments to co-conspirators totaling more than $7 million, and transferred, spent, or otherwise used more than $15 million for his own benefit. On January 4, 2023, a federal court in Boston sentenced Mr. Singer to 42 months in prison and three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay more than $10 million in restitution and to forfeit assets totaling more than $8.7 million. “
Singer must also provide a written copy of the same statement to all parents, students or other clients who retain him.
The court-mandated text was not yet posted on the company’s website as of early Tuesday afternoon, but an attorney for Singer, Aaron Katz, confirmed that Singer will abide by the court’s order.
Singer “has no problem informing current and future clients of his past actions and, indeed, had been doing so even prior to the Court’s order,” Katz said in a statement to CBS News.
Over 50 people, including popular TV actresses and prominent businessmen — were convicted in the case, which authorities called Operation Varsity Blues.
In 2019, Singer pleaded guilty to charges including racketeering conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. He was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison, but was released to a halfway house in 2024. Singer is currently on supervised release.
CBS News has reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts for comment.
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In a statement on the ID Future Stars website, Singer says, in part, “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.”
“The important values I learned in my journey–is to stay away from the gray areas in college admissions and institutional advancement… That I will not be traveling down the uneven side of the road even when the coast looks clear, but will fiercely seek the proper guidance and support from expert counsel,” the statement says.
