Varsity Blues | The Admissions Process | 4

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0:30It's July 7, 2018, in London, England. 58-year-old Rick Singer grips the steering wheel of a rented sedan. As he crawls through the streets, his teeth clenched hard. A double-decker bus looms beside him like a moving wall, and cyclists dart through the tiniest gaps in traffic. Beside him, a cab blasts its horn. Singer throws up a hand in apology. In 10 minutes, he's due at a meeting with a venture capitalist to discuss a new business idea. He's looking to diversify by setting up an online wellness platform for addicts but he won't get any investment if he can't find the hotel where they're supposed to meet.

1:07The phone mounted on the dashboard vibrates. Singer glances at the display. The calls from Rudy Meredith, the Yale woman's soccer coach. Meredith plays an important role in Singer's existing business, a college counseling service with a difference. Meredith and other coaches falsely designate Singer's clients as walk-on recruits, giving them a near guarantee of acceptance by admissions offices. In exchange, Singer arranges for the applicants' wealthy families to pay tens of thousands of dollars in bribes.

1:41Singer taps the phone screen and puts it on speaker. Rudy. Hey, what's up, man? I'm in London, trying not to get myself killed in these streets. You sound stressed. I'm driving on the wrong side of the road. Maybe it's the right side. I don't know. Are you lost? Yeah, I've been lost for 20 minutes. These streets are like six inches wide. I don't know how anybody... Yeah, fine. Yeah, okay, I see you. Well, sounds like a relaxing trip. I'm trapped in some one-way maze. I just ended up back where I started. Well, before you go around again, do you have anybody for me? Uh, yeah, I might. I've got two possibles.

2:19They're choosing between Yale and Stanford, so I'll see who steps up first. What level are they? Soccer-wise? Yeah. Well, I think they've seen a game. Oh, Rick. Relax, I can build a profile. But they're serious at least, right? The parents? They understand what this involves? I wouldn't mention it otherwise. And I'll know real soon. You got room for them? I could definitely support one, maybe both. But I can't stack too many questionable profiles together. I know, I know. But I got people chasing me all the time. Because you're the man, that's why. I don't know about that. I'm tired of being the man.

2:52Singer spots the hotel at last, tucked between two white Georgian buildings. Ah, finally. Hey, Rudy, I gotta go. Okay, okay, but when am I hearing about those kids? Just stay ready. I'll have names for you soon. Rick Singer disconnects and pulls into a parking space near the hotel. For a moment, he sits motionless behind the wheel, allowing relief to wash over him. He's made it to his meeting with five minutes to spare, so he grabs his jacket, steps out into the afternoon sun, and bounds up the steps to the hotel entrance. But Singer's new business will never have a chance to get off the ground.

3:27Because on the other side of the Atlantic, federal agents are already analyzing their recording of Singer's phone call with Rudy Meredith, cataloging every word he said about his illegal college admission scheme.

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4:47From Audible Originals, I'm Lindsey Graham, and this is American Scandal.

5:11Federal investigators stumbled across Rick Singer's criminal activities almost by accident. Their original target was a parent who'd bribed his daughter's way into Yale with the help of soccer coach Rudy Meredith. But when Meredith agreed to cooperate, he confessed that he was just part of a wider network of corrupt coaches, and at its heart was one college counselor. The expanded investigation was codenamed Operation Varsity Blues. And for weeks, agents listened to Rick Singer's calls through a wiretap. What they heard exposed a scheme that operated on a far greater scale than any of them had suspected.

5:47And by the fall of 2018, the investigators believed they had amassed enough evidence that time had come to make an arrest. This is Episode 4, The Admissions Process.

6:02It's September 21st, 2018 at the Long Wharf Marriott in Boston, Massachusetts. Yale woman soccer coach Rudy Meredith stands just inside the hotel entrance, trying not to look nervous. Newly arrived guests wheel suitcases across the polished lobby floor. A businesswoman taps away at a laptop on a nearby table, but the man Meredith is waiting for still hasn't arrived. He checks his watch for the third time in under a minute. Ten months ago, Meredith met a wealthy stockbroker in this same hotel. In a room upstairs, he finalized a bribe in exchange for falsely flagging the man's daughter as a Yale soccer recruit.

6:40But what Meredith did not know was that federal agents were listening to the conversation, and before long, Meredith was under arrest. Now he's back where it all began, only this time he's not the target. The investigation has shifted its focus to the man at the center of the scheme. Meredith has arranged a meeting at the hotel with Rick Singer, telling him that there's some coaches at Harvard who want to discuss joining his network. In reality, it's all just a ploy to lure Singer to Boston. Finally, Meredith spots Singer pushing through the revolving door, wearing slacks and a polo shirt and holding a cup of coffee.

7:15As soon as he sees Meredith, he smiles. Hey, Rudy. Hey, man. The two men shake hands. Singer slaps him on the shoulder. You all right? You look tired. Well, you know, it's been a long week. Oh, God, tell me about it. I'm on three flights in just four days. Singer glances around the lobby. So are we meeting them in the bar? Because I could use a drink. Meredith runs a hand across his shaved head. Actually, I need to talk to you first. Huh? About what? No, not here. Singer studies him. What's going on? Nothing. I just don't want anyone listening in. Rudy, you're making me nervous. It'll take two minutes.

7:54I got a room where we can talk. Singer hesitates and gestures toward the elevators. All right. Well, lead the way. As the elevator doors close, Singer takes a sip of coffee. So these Harvard guys, how well do you know them? Oh, you can trust them. Because if I'm going to bring someone new into this, I gotta... I know, Rick. I know. Trust me. They're good. All right. It's this way. Singer follows Meredith down a quiet, carpeted hallway. So what's this thing you need to tell me? Well, we're almost there. You planning to make me guess? Meredith stops outside her room and pulls a keycard from his pocket.

8:28Singer doesn't move. Rudy. What? Look at me. What is going on? We just need to talk, okay? Who's we? Meredith swipes a card and opens the door. Four people are waiting inside. One reaches into his jacket and pulls out an FBI badge. Singer stares at it, then at Meredith. You set me up? Meredith looks down. I'm sorry, Rick. They know everything. After federal agents confront Rick Singer in the Boston hotel room, they lay out the evidence against him. They've spent months building their case, and faced with overwhelming proof of his wrongdoing, Singer reluctantly agrees to cooperate. His interview confirms what investigators already suspected.

9:11Rudy Meredith is not an isolated case. Over the years, Singer has cultivated relationships with coaches at elite universities all across the country. They're what he calls the side door into college. By flagging Singer's clients as athletic recruits, the coaches can almost guarantee admission to the school of their choice. But prosecutors don't just want a confession from Singer. They want to know about everyone else involved in the fraud as well. Like Meredith before him, Singer agrees to wear a wire. Investigators instruct him to call families who are still active participants in the scheme.

9:45They're after proof that Singer's clients understand their payments are not legitimate charitable donations. They are bribes. So during these conversations, Singer carefully steers the discussion and encourages parents to describe in their own words what they're paying for. Singer also contacts former clients. He tells them that his accounts are being audited and warns that IRS officials may contact them about their transactions with his company. But it's just another ruse to get the parents to admit on tape that they knew their payments were illegal. Not everyone takes the bait. Some parents never return Singer's calls.

10:20Others seem uneasy discussing the arrangements over the phone and don't incriminate themselves. But many speak openly about bribes and fake athletic credentials, completely unaware that their conversations are being recorded by the FBI. Still, despite agreeing to cooperate and make these calls, Singer proves a difficult witness. He frequently resists instructions to turn on his clients. He uses a burner phone to warn some parents that the authorities are on to him. And during one recorded meeting, he even announces that they're being taped, leaving the agents monitoring the conversation stunned.

10:53These actions of Singers threaten months of work, so he's summoned back to Boston. There, he's charged with obstruction of justice, and told in no uncertain terms to stop undermining the investigation. After this, Singers is more cooperative. In fact, his competitive instinct seems to kick in, and he starts helping the FBI with the same single-minded focus he used to bring to his business. So by early 2019, investigators decide they have what they need. That February, agents quietly arrest Stanford University sailing coach John Vandemore and standardized test-fixing specialist Mark Riddell. Then, a few weeks later, they move on to the parents.

11:32On the morning of March 12, 2019, Felicity Huffman and her husband William H. Macy are asleep at their Los Angeles home when they're woken by a heavy pounding on the front door. Huffman throws back the covers and reaches for the robe hanging from the back of the bedroom door. She hurries down the stairs, wondering who could be at her door. She presses her eye to the peephole, and a crowd of figures stand on the doorstep with dark flak jackets covering their clothes. They identify themselves as the FBI. So with her hands trembling, Huffman unlocks the door. The moment it opens, the agents sweep past her into the house.

12:08One heads toward the staircase. Another disappears down a hallway. The quiet home is suddenly filled with noise, radios crackling, boots thudding against hardwood floors. At the top of the stairs, Huffman's husband Macy appears, blinking against the light. An agent takes him by the arm and guides him back toward the bedroom. Other agents head to the rooms occupied by the couple's sleeping daughters. Huffman instinctively steps forward to object, but an agent positions himself directly in front of her. He asks whether she is Felicity Huffman. For years, strangers have recognized her from television and stopped her in airports, restaurants, and grocery stores to ask the same question.

12:46But this time, it's different. Huffman simply nods. The agent's expression remains impassive as he tells her that she's under arrest for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and racketeering. The doors open upstairs, and Huffman's daughters emerge onto the landing. One wraps her arms around herself against the morning chill, and both look stunned. Determined not to make the scene any worse, Huffman straightens her shoulders and forces herself to remain calm. Then the agent in front of her pulls out a pair of handcuffs and fastens them around her wrists. This early morning raid at Huffman's house is just part of a coordinated sweep.

13:23In Beverly Hills, self-help author Jane Buckingham is confronted by agents in the kitchen of her mansion. The shock overwhelms her, and she sinks to the floor. And elsewhere in Los Angeles, fashion designer Massimo Gioloni is alone in his home when agents bang on his door. His wife, actress Lori Loughlin, is filming in Canada when she receives word that her husband has been arrested and that there's a warrant out for her, too. She's instructed to return to the United States immediately. By mid-morning, the presence of armed federal agents in wealthy neighborhoods has set newsrooms scrambling to find out what's going on.

13:59Then the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston announces a press conference. Prosecutors reveal charges tied to a criminal conspiracy involving college admissions. They disclose that many of those arrested are prominent figures from the world of business, entertainment, and higher education. Soon, the news is everywhere. At home in L.A., Jane Buckingham's son, Jack, follows a Twitter thread to a federal affidavit released by investigators. He opens the document and searches for his mother's name, and on page 15, he finds it. The evidence is laid out in clinical procedural language. He reads about the payments his mother made to have his ACT score improved, the arrangements for him to take the exam at a test center with a corrupt proctor, and how his last-minute illness forced Singer and his accomplices to hurriedly change their plans.

14:47Jack had no idea about any of it. Across the country, other sons and daughters make similar discoveries about their college application and how their parents allegedly cheated the system to secure their spots. Rick Singer and Stanford sailing coach John Vandemore both appear in court and enter guilty pleas. Several college coaches and administrators resign or are removed from their positions as institutions move quickly to contain the fallout. But those under arrest remain mostly unaware of the public outcry and media frenzy. They're isolated from the outside world, held in processing rooms and jail cells.

15:24Only later that evening, when they're finally released on bail, do they begin to understand the full scale of what's just happened. After Felicity Huffman posts bail, she's driven home by her husband. William H. Macy keeps both hands on the wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. Though he was never arrested, he spent much of the day at the courthouse, waiting for his wife to appear before a judge. And now, as they pull into their driveway, Huffman breathes a sigh of relief that there are no photographers or TV cameras waiting. The front door opens into a living room, and there the television is on.

15:58A CNN broadcast runs through the events of the day. Celebrity mugshots flash on screen, and Huffman's is among them. On the couch, her daughters sit side by side. As Huffman crosses the threshold, Sophia stands, her eyes red from crying. Huffman moves toward her, but Sophia steps back, asking why her mother didn't believe in her. Huffman stops. Her mouth opens to respond, then closes. For a moment, she can't find the words to answer. This question has haunted her all day. In the holding cell, in the courtroom, in the car as they drove away with dozens of cameras flashing. Huffman then stammers, this was all caused by fear.

16:38She was afraid that Sophia wouldn't thrive in a system that seemed to demand perfection. And instead of trusting her daughter to find her own path, Huffman made what she now knows was a foolish decision. In the background, the television coverage continues. But no one in the Huffman-Macy home is listening anymore. Instead, Felicity Huffman's mind is moving to what comes next. She knows what she did was wrong, and now she's going to pay the price.

17:06In 1969, when police tried to shut down a gay bar in New York City's Greenwich Village, they expected little resistance. Instead, patrons rose up in a series of demonstrations that would ignite a movement. Hi, I'm Lindsey Graham, the host of the podcast American History Tellers. We take you to the events, times, and people that shaped America and Americans, our values, our struggles, and our dreams. In our latest series, the police raid on the Stonewall Inn marked a turning point in the fight for LGBTQ rights. But activists had already been hard at work pushing for gay rights for decades, and their battle is still being fought today.

17:44Follow American History Tellers wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all episodes of American History Tellers early and ad-free right now. Join Audible and the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts. On January 24th, 2023 in Duxbury, Massachusetts, Patrick Clancy called 911. He had found his wife, Lindsay, badly injured and his three children dead and dying. What followed would become one of the most searing and complicated cases in recent memory, raising hard questions about motherhood, mental illness, and how far our justice system will go to understand what really happened.

18:24I'm Candace DeLong, host of the podcast Killer Psyche. In our latest episode, we take you inside the case of Lindsay Clancy, the postpartum psychosis defense, the courtroom battle, and the trial that just ended in a stunning mistrial. Follow Killer Psyche wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Killer Psyche one week early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts.

19:07Throughout the spring of 2019, the parents caught up in Operation Varsity Blues begin making appearances in court. But as they cycle through arraignments, plea hearings, and status conferences, it quickly becomes clear that not all of them fully grasp the severity of their situation. During one hearing, a father asks for permission to leave the country on a family trip to Mexico. The judge notes that the family owns vacation homes in both Montana and California, and coolly suggests that they use one of those instead. The request is denied. When actress Florey Laughlin makes her first court appearance in April, she arrives smiling and cheerfully introduces herself to court personnel.

19:48Laughlin and her husband, Masimo Giannulli, both maintain their innocence, but to many observers, Laughlin's behavior seems more suited to a publicity event than a criminal proceeding. Still, many of the parents do understand the gravity of what they're facing, and rather than fight the charges, they enter guilty pleas instead. Among them are desperate housewife actress Felicity Huffman and self-help author Jane Buckingham. The evidence against them is overwhelming, and admitting guilt may offer the best chance of leniency at sentencing. But it's not just the parents who are now facing the consequences of Singer's fraud.

20:23Universities embroiled in the scandal review the admission files of students connected to the scheme. Some are allowed to remain enrolled. Jane Buckingham's son, Jack, keeps his spot at Southern Methodist University, but others are not so fortunate. Students connected to Rick Singer are expelled from the University of Southern California, Georgetown, Northwestern, and Yale. Public scrutiny is especially intense for Olivia Giannulli. She gained admission to USC as a fake rowing recruit. In the aftermath of her parents' arrests, she stopped posting as much on social media, but criticism floods her older posts.

21:00Reckoning with the scandal, she chooses to delay her return to USC after spring break, hoping the controversy might subside. But eventually, she withdraws from the school altogether. By then, many of the brands that partnered with her had already ended their endorsement deals. Still, despite the growing number of guilty pleas, an unexpected complication emerges when the court turns to sentencing. Unlike most fraud cases, Singer's college admissions scheme has no obvious financial victim. Universities still receive tuition payments from students who got in through the side door or with manipulated test scores.

21:36And there is also no way to calculate the losses suffered by applicants who may have been denied admission because spots were taken by undeserving students. The harm done was real, but identifying the victims and quantifying the damage they suffered is almost impossible. And this distinction matters. Sentencing guidelines in fraud cases place significant weight on financial losses. And without a clear dollar amount attached to the scheme, judges have more discretion to impose lighter sentences, and prosecutors begin to worry that many of the defendants may ultimately avoid prison time altogether.

22:11Those fears crystallize at the first sentencing hearing. Stanford sailing coach John Vandemore accepted money to designate non-athletes as walk-on recruits. But when the judge hands down Vandemore's punishment, he gets off light, just one day behind bars deemed already served, followed by six months of home confinement and a$10 ,000 fine. This leaves federal prosecutor Eric Rosen feeling uneasy when he intends the sentencing of the first parent implicated in Singer's scheme. Because the defendant is celebrity actress Felicity Huffman, the media is out in force in Boston. Reporters fill every bench in the courtroom, and legal observers line the walls.

22:54conversation dies away as Rosen rises from his chair and buttons his jacket and approaches the lectern. Your Honor, no one disputes that the college admissions process can be stressful. Millions of parents across America face that pressure every year, yet the overwhelming majority do not commit crimes. At the defense table, Felicity Huffman keeps her eyes fixed forward, her hands folded tightly in her lap. Rosen continues, they don't pay someone to manipulate an entrance exam. They don't falsify records, and they don't conspire to deceive admissions officers. This was not a momentary lapse in judgment.