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William "Rick" Singer is the accused "brain" of the admissions scandal in colleges. But where did he come from and how did he get there?
UNITED STATES TODAY & # 39; HUI
BOSTON – A mother of a Chinese student previously enrolled at Stanford University acknowledges that she paid $ 6.5 million to the head of a program of admission to the university. College after the admission of his daughter – but she claims to have been cheated thinking that she was donating to the school.
A lawyer for Yusi Zhao's mother, who is no longer in Stanford, confirmed the seven-figure payment of William "Rick" Singer in a statement to USA TODAY.
But she was not an informed conspirator, said the lawyer, claiming that the girl was in fact herself a "victim".
The admission of the payment, made in 2017, indicates that Singer's network may extend abroad, in addition to the 33 rich American parents, mainly Californian, accused of having paid him large sums of money. for their children to go to elite American schools.
More: In the Rick Singer University admissions network: an ex-incarcerated half-brother, a Welsh football team and a former NFL owner
A student from Stanford University walks past the Hoover Tower on the campus of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. (Photo: AP Photo / Paul Sakuma)
Vincent Law, a Hong Kong-based lawyer representing the mother, who lives in China, said that since Singer's operation had been reported, Zhao had "realized that she had been misled." , that his generosity had been taken advantage of and that his daughter had fallen victim to the "swindle".
He added that Zhao and his daughter, Yusi Zhao, were "shocked and deeply disturbed".
In March, the Justice Department, Andrew Lelling, announced charges against Singer, 33 parents and university coaches, as part of an extensive survey of admissions to the university, said that a number of college students and university educators said they had been sentenced. a family had paid up to $ 6.5 million – the highest amount in the business – to make sure their kids enter the university
But the identity of this family has not been named nor mentioned in court documents.
It remained one of the biggest mysteries of the case until that The Los Angeles Times and the New York Times announced this week that the student was Yusi Zhao, whose family had generated billions in the pharmaceutical industry. She registered at Stanford in 2017.
The Zhao family is not among the 50 defendants charged in the "Varsity Blues" case. The family of Sherry Guo, also from China, is not there either, the Wall Street Journal apparently being the "applicant of Yale 1", whose name was not revealed, and whose family reportedly paid Singer $ 1.2 million to help bring their daughter to Yale.
More: A couple who paid $ 600,000 to urge children to enroll in UCLA and USC pleads guilty in the university admissions scandal
In March, John Vandemoer, former head coach of Stanford, pleaded guilty to racketeering for accepting bribes to nominate candidates as student-athletes. Federal prosecutors said Vandemoer had agreed to nominate two candidates as sail recruits with the help of fake documents produced by Singer that allegedly falsified their sporting credentials.
In one of the exchanges, prosecutors said Singer had paid $ 500,000 to the Stanford navigation program. But Stanford said the $ 500,000 payment had been made several months after the student's admission and that he had "played no role" in his integration into the school. 39; school.
While the largest college conspiracy case ever faced by a college is taking place in a federal court in Boston, prosecutors have implied in its documents that it was likely that additional parents would be charged.
A spokeswoman for the US District Attorney's Office in the Massachusetts District did not specify at the request why Singer had been charged with $ 6.5 million or $ 1 million. $ 2 million. But she added that "the investigation remains active, including possible additional charges".
Donald Heller, Singer's lawyer, declined to comment on Zhao's statement. Singer, who has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges, cooperates with prosecutors.
Law said, "Like many Asian families, Ms. Zhao is not aware of the college admissions process." He did not reveal Zhao's full name and only identified her as "Ms. Zhao".
He stated that Zhao had been referred to Singer by a third-party education advisor and that as a result "he got to know Singer's charitable foundation, which was presented to him as a substantial and legitimate non-profit foundation for support education. "
More:Felicity Huffman returns to court on May 13 to plead guilty to a college admissions scam
Federal prosecutors said Singer had used his nonprofit organization, The Key Worldwide Foundation, to channel parental payments to coaches bribing them to admit their students as athletes or to rigging ACT or SAT test results.
But Law said Singer only provided educational consulting services to Zhao. He said that Yusi Zhao had a good academic record and that she had been accepted into a number of American colleges and universities after applying through "ordinary pathways". She was accepted at Stanford on March 31, 2017, he said.
Law stated that Singer was "surprised to learn" that Yusi Zhao had been admitted to a prestigious American school and asked the mother to donate to Stanford through his foundation. Law stated that the purpose of the donation was described as being for the salaries of academic staff, scholarships, athletics programs, and assistance to students who would otherwise not be able to attend school.
"Based on Mr. Singer's representation on April 21, 2017, Ms. Zhao donated $ 6.5 million to Mr. Singer's foundation," said Law. "This generous act was done not only for the sake of the school and its students, but also for the love and support of Yusi by a caring mother."
He added: "The gift is of the same nature as those that many wealthy parents have openly made in prestigious universities."
More: Former Texas tennis coach pleads guilty in court of college admissions scandal
Last month, Stanford canceled the admission of an unidentified student associated with the $ 500,000 contribution to the sailing program. But E.J. Miranda, a spokesman for Stanford, said the school could not identify the student's name because of the federal law on protecting student privacy.
Stanford said that the student had been fired for falsifying information in his application. The university said that the student's candidacy was not recommended by the sailing coach, Vandemoer, and that the student had never been affiliated with the sailing program.
In a statement from the university this week, officials wanted to point out that Stanford had not received $ 6.5 million from Singer, nor from the family of a student who worked with Singer. School officials said they were unaware of the family's $ 6.5 million payment to Singer until it was reported this week.
In total, the school reported that Stanford's sailing program received $ 770,000 from Singer: $ 110,000 and $ 160,000 associated with two students – none of whom were admitted to Stanford – and the payment of 500 000 USD.
Nineteen defendants pleaded guilty or agreed to plead guilty in the conspiracy case for admission to a college.
Actress Felicity Huffman, who is expected to plead guilty in court on May 13, and Lori Loughlin, who has pleaded not guilty to chares, are among the parents accused of bribes to ensure entry of their children in the colleges.
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