Willian "Rick" Singer, known as the mastermind of the infamous US college admissions fraud, was given a three-and-a-half-year prison term on Wednesday. Whether it is SAT, the Scholastic Aptitude Test or ACT Exam, the American College Testing or even help with fake athletic credentials, Singer schemed in every way to help wealthy parents to get their kids into prestigious institutions. With involvement of these high-end schools, the whole scheme became the most notorious admissions corruption case in modern higher education.

These affluent youngsters benefited academically from their parents' easy use of their enormous riches and Singer was there all along to hold what is known as the "side door" wide open for them. These prestigious schools include Yale, Stanford, Georgetown colleges, and the University of Southern California.

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Singer's clients would pose to be recruited athletes in sports like tennis, pole vaulting, water polo, or soccer in order to receive preferential treatment when applying for admission in these schools. Additionally, they got phoney SAT or ACT scores from a test-fraud business.&nbsp;According to the prosecutors, bribes were used to grease the entire plan and were channelled via a fake charity.

<h2>Prison sentencing to Singer&nbsp;</h2>

The controversy emerged four years earlier and finally, the culprit has been brought to the books on Wednesday. US District Judge Rya W. Zobel sentenced Singer at the federal courtroom in Boston. Along with the 42-month punishment, Zobel also gave Singer a three-year supervised release period and a mandate to pay the &nbsp;Internal Revenue Service (IRS) more than $10 million in reparations. On February 27, he is supposed to report to jail.

“This is not a case [where] I could simply sentence you to probation or supervised release,” reported Washington Post quoting the judge telling Singer. “That has to do with the fact that it was such a large venture, such large amounts of money, and it lasted such an extraordinarily long period of time," the Judge added.&nbsp;

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In March 2019, Singer pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, obstruction of justice and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Prosecutors say he was “involved in paying dozens upon dozens of bribes totaling millions of dollars.”

Singer pleaded guilty to conspiracy for money laundering, racketeering, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy to defraud the United States in March 2019. He was engaged in paying dozens upon dozens of bribes worth millions of dollars, as per the prosecution.

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Willian "Rick" Singer, known as the mastermind of the infamous US college admissions fraud, was given a three-and-a-half-year prison term on Wednesday. Whether it is SAT, the Scholastic Aptitude Test or ACT Exam, the American College Testing or even help with fake athletic credentials, Singer schemed in every way to help wealthy parents to get their kids into prestigious institutions.

Willian "Rick" Singer, known as the mastermind of the infamous US college admissions fraud, was given a three-and-a-half-year prison term on Wednesday. Whether it is SAT, the Scholastic Aptitude Test or ACT Exam, the American College Testing or even help with fake athletic credentials, Singer schemed in every way to help wealthy parents to get their kids into prestigious institutions. With involvement of these high-end schools, the whole scheme became the most notorious admissions corruption case in modern higher education. These affluent youngsters benefited academically from their parents' easy use of their enormous riches and Singer was there all along to hold what is known as the "side door" wide open for them. These prestigious schools include Yale, Stanford, Georgetown colleges, and the University of Southern California. ALSO READ: US: Family of eight found dead in Utah home Singer's clients would pose to be recruited athletes in sports like tennis, pole vaulting, water polo, or soccer in order to receive preferential treatment when applying for admission in these schools. Additionally, they got phoney SAT or ACT scores from a test-fraud business. According to the prosecutors, bribes were used to grease the entire plan and were channelled via a fake charity. Prison sentencing to Singer The controversy emerged four years earlier and finally, the culprit has been brought to the books on Wednesday. US District Judge Rya W. Zobel sentenced Singer at the federal courtroom in Boston. Along with the 42-month punishment, Zobel also gave Singer a three-year supervised release period and a mandate to pay the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) more than $10 million in reparations. On February 27, he is supposed to report to jail. “This is not a case [where] I could simply sentence you to probation or supervised release,” reported Washington Post quoting the judge telling Singer. “That has to do with the fact that it was such a large venture, such large amounts of money, and it lasted such an extraordinarily long period of time," the Judge added. WATCH | China, Philippines agree on direct communication channel In March 2019, Singer pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, obstruction of justice and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Prosecutors say he was “involved in paying dozens upon dozens of bribes totaling millions of dollars.” Singer pleaded guilty to conspiracy for money laundering, racketeering, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy to defraud the United States in March 2019. He was engaged in paying dozens upon dozens of bribes worth millions of dollars, as per the prosecution. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Who is William 'Rick' Singer, the mastermind sentenced for US college admissions scandal?

On paper, she seemed an excellent applicant to the University of Southern California: a&nbsp;SAT score in the 96th percentile, along with an impressive record as a varsity water polo player who won her high school team's "most valuable player" award.

But the application was full of lies, according to federal prosecutors. Her father, Agustin Huneeus, a Napa Valley vintner, bribed a consultant to falsify her test scores and athletic credentials, including a photograph of an entirely different girl playing water polo, to the school's admissions office, authorities said. Huneeus could not be reached for comment.

That case was one of dozens making up a massive college admissions fraud unveiled on Tuesday, when the US&nbsp;Department of Justice announced charges against 50 people, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/us-college-admissions-scandal-sweeps-up-hollywood-stars-like-felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-202974">including Hollywood actresses and chief executives</a>, for rigging the application process to get wealthy students into some of the nation's most exclusive universities.

The mastermind, William "Rick" Singer, who ran an admissions consulting firm, took advantage of the premium that top schools place on athletic prowess and test scores, as well as the cutthroat competition that yields a vanishingly small percentage of successful applicants each year.

At Georgetown University, for example, one of the schools where Singer was allegedly able to get clients' children admitted, around 158 spots are set aside for athletes, and those applicants "have substantially higher admissions prospects than non-recruited students," authorities wrote in court papers.

Last year, Georgetown accepted less than 15 percent of the 22,897 students who applied. At Yale University, another school where Singer placed at least one client's child, the acceptance rate was under 7 percent.

Singer agreed to cooperate with authorities last fall and secretly recorded many of his conversations in recent months with co-conspirators, including parents. He pleaded guilty on Tuesday to fraud.

Court papers described a fraud aided by college coaches and test administrators who collected kickbacks from the bribes parents paid Singer, prosecutors said. Singer funnelled the money through a charity to disguise its origin and allow parents to claim the contributions were for "underserved children" if pressed by tax auditors.

He sold the fraud as a "side door" to some of the country's best schools, claiming he had helped more than 800 families.

"I can make scores happen, and nobody on the planet can get scores to happen," he told a parent during a recorded phone conversation, prosecutors said.

In one scheme, parents paid Singer between $15,000 and $75,000 to help their children cheat on entrance exams, including the SAT and ACT.

Singer advised several parents to have their children claim learning disabilities and submit to psychological testing so they would get permission to take the tests over the span of two days, rather than all at once.

He told one father his daughter should "be stupid" during the psychological testing to ensure she received extra time, according to court papers.

The additional time, in turn, allowed Singer to schedule the exams at one of two testing centres run by his co-conspirators, whom he paid either to correct the answers or take the test for the children in the first place.

FAKE ATHLETIC PROFILES

Singer also built fake athletic profiles for students as a way of improving their odds, in some cases with the assistance of college coaches whom he bribed.

Parents paid Singer large sums. In the case of one girl who was portrayed as a prized soccer recruit at Yale despite not playing the sport, her family gave him $1.2 million.

That was about eight times as much as four years of tuition, room, board and fees at the New Haven, Connecticut, Ivy League school, based on current prices.

In one example, Singer superimposed a boy's face onto a photograph of an actual football player.

"So I'm gonna make him a kicker," Singer told the father, William McGlashan Jr., who heads the growth equity business at private equity firm TPG, according to a transcript included in court papers.

"He does have really strong legs," McGlashan replied, laughing. His son was unaware of the scheme, prosecutors said. A spokesman for TPG did not respond to requests for comment.

In another case, Singer helped a student claim to be a decorated water polo player when applying to USC, even though his high school did not have a team. His father purchased a water polo ball and a swimming cap from Amazon.com, prosecutors said, and then asked a graphic designer to superimpose the boy's image onto an indoor pool.

"Yes but a little high out of the water - no one gets that high," Singer wrote the father, who promptly sent an improved version.

On paper, she seemed an excellent applicant to the University of Southern California: a SAT score in the 96th percentile, along with an impressive record as a varsity water polo player who won her high school team's "most valuable player" award.

On paper, she seemed an excellent applicant to the University of Southern California: a SAT score in the 96th percentile, along with an impressive record as a varsity water polo player who won her high school team's "most valuable player" award. But the application was full of lies, according to federal prosecutors. Her father, Agustin Huneeus, a Napa Valley vintner, bribed a consultant to falsify her test scores and athletic credentials, including a photograph of an entirely different girl playing water polo, to the school's admissions office, authorities said. Huneeus could not be reached for comment. That case was one of dozens making up a massive college admissions fraud unveiled on Tuesday, when the US Department of Justice announced charges against 50 people, including Hollywood actresses and chief executives, for rigging the application process to get wealthy students into some of the nation's most exclusive universities. The mastermind, William "Rick" Singer, who ran an admissions consulting firm, took advantage of the premium that top schools place on athletic prowess and test scores, as well as the cutthroat competition that yields a vanishingly small percentage of successful applicants each year. At Georgetown University, for example, one of the schools where Singer was allegedly able to get clients' children admitted, around 158 spots are set aside for athletes, and those applicants "have substantially higher admissions prospects than non-recruited students," authorities wrote in court papers. Last year, Georgetown accepted less than 15 percent of the 22,897 students who applied. At Yale University, another school where Singer placed at least one client's child, the acceptance rate was under 7 percent. Singer agreed to cooperate with authorities last fall and secretly recorded many of his conversations in recent months with co-conspirators, including parents. He pleaded guilty on Tuesday to fraud. Court papers described a fraud aided by college coaches and test administrators who collected kickbacks from the bribes parents paid Singer, prosecutors said. Singer funnelled the money through a charity to disguise its origin and allow parents to claim the contributions were for "underserved children" if pressed by tax auditors. He sold the fraud as a "side door" to some of the country's best schools, claiming he had helped more than 800 families. "I can make scores happen, and nobody on the planet can get scores to happen," he told a parent during a recorded phone conversation, prosecutors said. In one scheme, parents paid Singer between $15,000 and $75,000 to help their children cheat on entrance exams, including the SAT and ACT. Singer advised several parents to have their children claim learning disabilities and submit to psychological testing so they would get permission to take the tests over the span of two days, rather than all at once. He told one father his daughter should "be stupid" during the psychological testing to ensure she received extra time, according to court papers. The additional time, in turn, allowed Singer to schedule the exams at one of two testing centres run by his co-conspirators, whom he paid either to correct the answers or take the test for the children in the first place. FAKE ATHLETIC PROFILES Singer also built fake athletic profiles for students as a way of improving their odds, in some cases with the assistance of college coaches whom he bribed. Parents paid Singer large sums. In the case of one girl who was portrayed as a prized soccer recruit at Yale despite not playing the sport, her family gave him $1.2 million. That was about eight times as much as four years of tuition, room, board and fees at the New Haven, Connecticut, Ivy League school, based on current prices. In one example, Singer superimposed a boy's face onto a photograph of an actual football player. "So I'm gonna make him a kicker," Singer told the father, William McGlashan Jr., who heads the growth equity business at private equity firm TPG, according to a transcript included in court papers. "He does have really strong legs," McGlashan replied, laughing. His son was unaware of the scheme, prosecutors said. A spokesman for TPG did not respond to requests for comment. In another case, Singer helped a student claim to be a decorated water polo player when applying to USC, even though his high school did not have a team. His father purchased a water polo ball and a swimming cap from Amazon.com, prosecutors said, and then asked a graphic designer to superimpose the boy's image onto an indoor pool. "Yes but a little high out of the water - no one gets that high," Singer wrote the father, who promptly sent an improved version.

Doctored photos, fake scores: How the US college admissions scam worked

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Who is William 'Rick' Singer, the mastermind sentenced for US college admissions scandal?

Doctored photos, fake scores: How the US college admissions scam worked