“I did it”: Convicted ‘Varsity Blues’ leader breaks silence

The kingpin in the infamous ‘Varsity Blues’ college admissions scandal admits he conspired to help parents get their teens into colleges by using bribes, fake resumes, and altered tests.

“I want to apologize profusely to all the families I hurt, all the kids I hurt, and the administrators I hurt,” Rick Singer said in his first interview, a sit-down with Fox News.

Singer admits he is guilty as charged.

“Everything that the FBI and U.S. attorney and world said I did, I did it,” Singer confessed in the interview.

Singer was arrested in Boston and pleaded guilty in 2019 to charges of racketeering, money laundering, and obstruction. He was sentenced in 2023 to 42 months. He’s currently serving his sentence at a halfway house in Los Angeles after more than a year in a Florida prison.

Prosecutors say Singer raked in $25 million through the scandal, which included bribing coaches to help get students into college through athletic programs, even if the student had little or no experience in the sport. Singer’s clients included wealthy and famous parents, such as celebrities Felicity Huffman of “Desperate Housewives”, and Lori Loughlin, who played Aunt Becky on “Full House.”

Huffman pleaded guilty in 2019 and was sentenced to 14 days. Loughlin pleaded guilty in 2020 and received two months.

Singer says while he regrets his actions, he often hears from parents working to get their children into elite schools through other contacts.

“I would go to paddle board and people at the beach would say to me, ‘I got my kids into USC, and we used this friend,’” Singer said. “Everybody’s done it.”

It’s also why he says he wants to work on changing the college admissions process and helping parents realize their child may benefit from a different path.

“I want to help change the system and disrupt education and the whole career model,” Singer said. “We have a notion that everybody needs to go to college… and that’s not the truth based on the tens of thousands of kids I’ve worked with.”

Singer says when he’s released, everything he does moving forward will be done legally and after consulting with his attorneys – something says he should have done all along.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2024 Cox Media Group