Willkie Farr co-chair charged in college admissions conspiracy

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP co-chairman Gordon R. Caplan was among 50 defendants charged Tuesday in an alleged nationwide college admissions conspiracy scheme.

The Department of Justice accused Hollywood actresses, CEOs and college counselors of cheating on admissions tests and bribing college athletic coaches to secure admissions to elite universities, including Yale University, Stanford University, the University of Southern California and Georgetown University.

The case was the Justice Department's largest ever involving college admissions, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Andrew E. Lelling said Tuesday.

William Singer, who owns Newport Beach companies Edge College & Career Network LLC and Key Worldwide Foundation, was accused of arranging $25 million in bribes from 2011 to September 2018 as part of the scheme, according to a federal complaint filed in Massachusetts.

Singer -- a resident of Sacramento and Newport Beach -- pleaded guilty to multiple counts of racketeering, money laundering, conspiracy and obstruction of justice on Tuesday and was released on bail. United States v. Singer, 19-CR10078, (D. Mass., filed March 5, 2019).

Last year, Caplan allegedly made a $75,000 donation to Singer's company, the Department of Justice said. In exchange, Singer arranged for a member of his staff to proctor the ACT for Caplan's daughter and change her answers to improve her score, according to an FBI affidavit.

"I can make scores happen, and nobody on the planet can get scores to happen," Singer told Caplan in a phone call recorded by the FBI, according to the affidavit. "She won't even know that it happened."

Caplan is an experienced corporate and private equity attorney who sits on his firm's executive board. Willkie Farr did not respond to multiple requests for comment Tuesday.

Actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were also charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud along with 24 other California-based parents, including business executives and investors.

"These parents are a catalog of wealth and privilege," Lelling said in a Tuesday news conference.

In addition to facilitating cheating on admissions exams, Singer is accused of bribing athletic coaches and administrators to recruit students as athletes.

At times, he would falsify athletic credentials, stage photos of students engaging in athletic activity or find stock photos of athletes and use PhotoShop to insert the student's face, according to the FBI affidavit.

According to an unsealed federal complaint, Singer paid $350,000 to the private soccer club of two former USC soccer coaches, Ali Khoroshahin and Lauren Janke, and in return, the coaches recruited four of Singer's clients.

Singer also allegedly bribed USC water polo coach Jovan Vavic and senior associate athletic director Donna Heinel, who received more than $1.3 million.

All of these staff members were charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering. United States v. Ernst, 19-CR10081 (D. Mass., filed March 5, 2019).

USC said Tuesday that it had fired Heinel and Vavic. In a statement, USC said it is cooperating with the investigation and reviewing its admissions processes.

"We understand that the government believes that illegal activity was carried out by individuals who went to great lengths to conceal their actions from the university," according to the statement. "USC is in the process of identifying any funds received by the university in connection with this alleged scheme."

UCLA head men's soccer coach Jorge Salcedo and Stanford head sailing coach John Vandemoer were also charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering and were allegedly paid $100,000 and $770,000, respectively, according to the complaint. Vandemoer pleaded guilty to the charge on Tuesday.

UCLA said in a statement Salcedo has been placed on leave and the university is cooperating with the investigation.

"The conduct alleged in the filings revealed today is deeply disturbing and in contrast with the expectations we have of our coaches to lead their teams with honesty and integrity," according to the statement. "If the facts alleged are true, they represent a grave departure from the ethical standards we set for ourselves and the people who work here."

Stanford said Tuesday that Vandemoer had been fired, noting that neither of two students allegedly improperly recommended for admission came to Stanford.

"Based on the Department of Justice investigation to date, we have no evidence that the alleged conduct involves anyone else at Stanford or is associated with any other team. However, we will be undertaking an internal review to confirm that," Stanford said in a statement.