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Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Rick Singer, who pleaded guilty to engineering the college bribery scheme known as "Varsity Blues," has been sentenced to 42 months in prison plus three years of supervised release. Singer, 62, was sentenced Wednesday in Boston federal court for the bribery scandal that helped the children of wealthy parents, including Hollywood celebrities, cheat their way into elite colleges.
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In addition to the 42-month prison term, Singer was ordered to pay $10.6 million in restitution to the IRS.
Singer said he was ashamed of what he had done and blamed his bribes and cheating on his "winning at all costs" attitude, according to a letter he wrote to the judge.
"I have woken up every day feeling shame, remorse and regret," Singer said. "My moral compass was broken and, increasingly over time, choosing right over wrong became less important than doing whatever had to be done to be recognized as the 'best.'"
"By ignoring what was morally, ethically and legally right in favor of winning what I perceived was the college admissions 'game,' I have lost everything," he wrote.
Singer reportedly raked in $25 million off his college admissions scheme, while doling out more than $7 million in bribes, as he tricked some of the country's most elite universities into admitting less-than-deserving students by submitting fake entrance exam scores and athletic credentials.
Investigators found Singer paid bribes to test administrators to inflate student scores and paid college coaches to convince admissions to admit unqualified athletes.
Singer was first linked to the conspiracy through a separate investigation into securities fraud, which led to a Yale soccer coach who was privy to the scheme.
Eventually, Singer cooperated with federal investigators and incriminated dozens of conspirators, which led to the arrests of a number of high-profile Americans including actors Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, UCLA head soccer coach Jorge Salcedo and Michelle Janavs, an heiress to the Hot Pockets franchise.
Before he was sentenced Wednesday, Singer's lawyer had asked for a much lighter sentence than what prosecutors were seeking, calling for a term of no more than six months in prison. Prosecutors were seeking a six-year prison sentence.
Singer was not called to testify against any of his former clients and had remained free while awaiting his sentencing.
Since the scandal was first exposed, Singer sold his five-bedroom mansion and moved into a trailer home.
"I have forfeited all of my assets and live in a modest trailer park for seniors," Singer told the judge.
"I have been judged by family, friends and professional community. I will be permanently notorious as the 'mastermind of Varsity Blues' and I will probably also lose my liberty upon being sentenced for my crimes."
