William Rick Singer
Newport Beach college admissions consultant who ran The Key and the Key Worldwide Foundation
- Entries
- 8
- On the record
- 5
- Stories
- 1
- Latest entry
- May 10, 2023
The record
William Rick Singer's record sits almost entirely in the federal courts in Boston. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit describes him as a college admissions consultant who ran a for-profit business, The Key, and a nonprofit, The Key Worldwide Foundation. In September 2018 the FBI approached him and he agreed to cooperate, making recorded calls to clients at the government's direction, after which his talk of university insiders was part of a ruse created by investigators.
On March 12, 2019, charging documents were unsealed in Boston against dozens of people, and the same day Singer pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of justice. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts lists 55 defendants in the investigation, which covered both cheating on entrance exams and admission of students as purported athletic recruits. His own case, No. 19-CR-10078-RWZ, was before Judge Zobel.
He was sentenced on January 4, 2023, to 42 months in prison, three years of supervised release, $10,668,841 in restitution to the IRS and forfeiture of $8.7 million; prosecutors had asked for six years. That May the First Circuit vacated most of the convictions of two parents who had hired him, while noting that Singer's own culpability was well established.
Roles and honours on the record
Every entry, newest first
- Filed
Criminal information filed in Boston charging Singer with racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, defrauding the US and obstruction. Varsity Blues: Huffman $15K, 14 days; Loughlin $500K, 2 months
- Admitted
Singer pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the US and obstruction, NBC News reported. Varsity Blues: Huffman $15K, 14 days; Loughlin $500K, 2 months
Stories in this file
The record, entry by entry
- 2018-03-16 Official A foundation run by Singer invoiced a client, Gamal Abdelaziz, $300,000 for a "private contribution", which Abdelaziz wired ten days later, according to the First Circuit's account of the trial record. Singer ran a for-profit business, The Key, and a nonprofit, The Key Worldwide Foundation. U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, opinion, Nos. 22-1129 and 22-1138
- 2018-09 Official The FBI approached Singer and he agreed to cooperate with its investigation of his clients and university insiders, making recorded calls at the government's direction, according to the First Circuit's account of the trial record. U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, opinion, Nos. 22-1129 and 22-1138
- 2019-03-12 Official Charging documents were unsealed in federal court in Boston against dozens of people in a scheme involving cheating on college entrance exams and admission of students as purported athletic recruits. The U.S. Attorney's Office lists 55 defendants. U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts, investigation page
- 2019-03-12 Admitted Singer pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of justice, and agreed to cooperate with the government. U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts, defendant list
- 2023-01-04 Ruled Judge Zobel sentenced Singer to 42 months in prison, three years of supervised release, restitution of $10,668,841 to the IRS and forfeiture of $8.7 million. The government had recommended six years in prison. U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts, defendant list
- 2023-05-10 Ruled The First Circuit vacated the mail and wire fraud and conspiracy convictions of two parents who hired Singer, Gamal Abdelaziz and John Wilson, and affirmed Wilson's false tax return conviction. The court said Singer was not a defendant in that case and his culpability was well established. U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, opinion, Nos. 22-1129 and 22-1138