Test-taking phenom at heart of scandal

Mark Riddell is a 36- year-old Harvard grad and pro tennis washout — but he would be a high school boy or girl if the price was right.

That price was $10,000 to take a college admissions exam for a high school student, the feds allege.

The Palmetto, Fla., resident is a test-taking wiz at the center of the college-admissions scandal that has rocked the country. While a couple of TV actresses commanded the headlines, Riddell (photo) flew under the radar until the scandal broke.

But if you had money and wanted your ordinary child to appear brilliant, Riddell was your man, authorities say.

Riddell is “just a really smart guy,” U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew Lelling said Tuesday. “He was just smart enough to get a near-perfect score on demand or to calibrate the score,” Lelling said.

Riddell served as the director of college entrance exam preparation at IMG Academy, a prestigious Florida prep school that he attended between 1995 and 2000, but court documents show no connection between his work for IMG and the college admissions scheme.

Authorities say Riddell took exams in place of students or would correct their answers after exams were handed to test administrators — allegedly making $10,000 a test.

Riddell is one of the 50 people arrested this week in a nationwide college admissions cheating scheme. He’s charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, honest services mail fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The man who went 0-10 in low-level pro tennis tournaments from 2003 to 2005 released a statement through his lawyer Wednesday saying he is “profoundly sorry” for his role in this racket.

“I understand how my actions contributed to a loss of trust in the college admissions process,” he said.

In the statement, he denied making bribes and said he “legitimately counseled” more than 1,000 students.

Authorities said he worked directly with William Singer, founder of a college preparation business in California and considered the leader of the scam.

Singer would discuss with his clients what kind of score they wanted their child to get without raising any red flags, court records show.

“So if your daughter took the SAT on her own the first time and got a particular score, [when] retaking the exam, if the score goes up too much that would invite scrutiny” Lelling said. “So Singer would discuss with parents what kind of score was impressive, but not too impressive, and then would instruct Riddell to attempt to get that score and he was just good enough to do it.”

In one case from July 2018 detailed in court filings, Singer was discussing a deal with a client for his or her child when the child became too sick to fly to Houston for the exam, which was going to be corrected by Riddell. Singer then arranged for Riddell to take the test himself, which he did from his hotel room.

Riddell wasn’t accused in the court filings of taking or fudging tests for IMG Academy students, but a now-deleted profile on the school’s website speaks to his test preparation skills.

“His knowledge of test preparation, tutoring prowess, athletic background, and experience as a former IMG Academy student make him an important mentor for IMG Academy students,” the school wrote.

The profile highlights Riddell’s talents in helping students gain admission to Stanford, Duke, Columbia, Dartmouth, University of Chicago “and many other notable institutions.”

Stanford was among the schools connected to the scheme, authorities say.

“Riddell has been suspended indefinitely as we investigate this matter,” IMG Academy said in a statement.