Harvard alu, Mark Riddell apologizes for having passed edge tests for students

March 13, 2019, 20:45 GMT

By David K. Li

The 36-year-old Harvard alumnus, who paid to secretly pass the college board test for children of parents who are impaired, apologizes on Wednesday for his role in the nascent scandal.

"I want to let everyone know that I am deeply sorry for the damage I have done and the grief that I have caused as a result of my unnecessary actions," said Mark Riddell, a resident of Palmetto Florida, in a statement issued by his lawyer. .

Federal prosecutors in Boston face two counts of conspiracy to commit postal fraud and money laundering.

Riddell, a 2004 Harvard graduate and winner of a four-year tennis letter, is a key figure in a major university admissions investigation called Operation Varsity Blues. The federal inquiry said Tuesday that it has trapped dozens of parents who allegedly paid millions of dollars to falsify college applications and send their children to elite universities.

"I understand how my actions contributed to a loss of confidence in the college admissions process," Riddell said. "I take full responsibility for what I have done."

According to a criminal complaint, Riddell passed the SAT and ACT exams for children between 2012 and February.

He was paid $ 10,000 per test, prosecutors said.

The exact number of tests Riddell did on the impeachment of documents was not immediately clear, but prosecutors sought to recover nearly $ 450,000 from the confiscation of the former university tennis player.

It does not appear that Riddell actually sat among high school students on Saturday morning when he would have passed the tests.

Ring Ruler William Rick Singer bribed test administrators in Houston and Los Angeles and "allowed Riddell to secretly pass the ACT and SAT tests instead of the children of Singer's clients," according to news reports. # 39; accusation.

Federal prosecutors have so far only given one example among the tests conducted by Riddell, who allegedly flew to Houston and took away an ACT from a police station. teenager in his hotel room on July 14th.

Riddell has been touted by Singer for probably getting a 35 for their client – and that's exactly what he's marked, prosecutors said. The maximum score is 36 and a 35 would be in the 99th percentile of ACT takers.

Since 2006, Riddell has been Director of College Preparation at IMG Academy, a preparatory school in Bradenton, Fla., Known for producing high performance athletes. Riddell said he has legitimately helped many students in his work at the IMG Academy.

"I will always regret the choices I have made, but I am also convinced that more than a thousand students that I have legitimately counseled, inspired and helped to achieve their goals of my own. career will paint a more complete picture of the person that I am really "at the defendant's statement.

Riddell's profile was immediately removed from the school's website after the announcement of the indictment, reported WFLA-TV.

"Today, we have been informed of the charges against Mark Riddell," the school said in a statement. "Riddell was suspended indefinitely while we were investigating this case."