Test taker pleads guilty in U.S. college admissions bribery scam
BOSTON — A former Florida prep school administrator pleaded guilty Friday to taking college entrance exams for students in exchange for cash to help wealthy parents get their kids into elite universities across the U.S.
Mark Riddell admitted to secretly taking the SAT and ACT for students, or correcting their answers, as part of a nationwide college admissions cheating scheme, that has ensnared celebrities, business executives and athletic coaches at soughtafter schools such as Stanford and Yale.
Riddell, who has been co-operating with authorities since February in the hopes of getting a lesser sentence, pleaded guilty to fraud and money-laundering conspiracy charges.
The 36-year-old looked straight ahead and showed no emotion as assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Rosen explained that prosecutors will seek a sentence at the low end of the guidelines, which call for 33 to 41 months in prison. Riddell’s lawyer declined comment.
The Harvard graduate oversaw college entrance exam preparation at IMG Academy, a Bradenton school founded by tennis coach Nick Bollettieri that bills itself as the world’s largest sports academy. Riddell has since been fired.
Authorities said the admissions consultant at the centre of the scheme, Rick Singer, bribed test administrators to allow Riddell to pretend to proctor the exams for students so he could cheat on the tests. Singer typically paid Riddell $10,000 US per test to rig the scores, prosecutors said.
Riddell was among 50 people charged last month in the scam, which embroiled several elite universities across the U.S. and laid bare the lengths to which status-seeking parents will go to secure their children a coveted spot.