Varsity Blues | The Admissions Process | 4

Federal investigators uncover Rick Singer’s college admissions scheme, sparking national outrage. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Lindsay Graham?

  Audible subscribers can binge new seasons of American Scandal early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts. American Scandal uses dramatizations that are based on true events. Some elements, including dialogue, might be invented, but everything is based on historical research. It's July 7, 2018, in London, England. Fifty-eight-year-old Rick Singer grips the steering wheel of a rented sedan as he crawls through the streets, his teeth clenched hard.

• 0:41Lindsay Graham?

  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 ten 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. The phone mounted on the dashboard vibrates. Singer glances at the display. The calls from Rudy Meredith, the Yale woman soccer coach. Meredith plays an important role in Singer's existing business, a college counseling service with a difference.

• 1:23Lindsay Graham?

  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. Singer 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, it sounds like a relaxing trip.

• 2:08Lindsay Graham?

  I'm trapped in some one-way maze. I just ended up back where I started. Well, before you go around again, you have anybody for me? Uh, yeah, I might. I've got two possibles. They'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. Uh, 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 can 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.

• 2:52Lindsay Graham?

  Singer 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, because on the other side of the Atlantic, federal agents are already analyzing their recording of

• 3:32Lindsay Graham?

  Singer's phone call with Rudy Meredith, cataloging every word he said about his illegal college admissions scheme.

• 3:43Speaker 01

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• 5:25Lindsay Graham?

  Must be present in certain states. Visit prizepicks.com for restrictions and details. From Audible Originals, I'm Lindsay Graham. And this is American Scandal. Federal investigators stumbled across Rick Singer's criminal activities almost by accident. Their original target was a parent who bribed his daughter's way into Yale with the help

• 6:09Lindsay Graham?

  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. And by the fall of 2018, the investigators believed they had amassed enough evidence, the time had come to make an arrest. This is episode four, The Admissions Process.

• 6:50Lindsay Graham?

  It's September 21, 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. But what Meredith did not know was that federal agents were listening to the conversation,

• 7:33Lindsay Graham?

  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. As 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.

• 8:17Lindsay Graham?

  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. I got a room where we could talk. Singer hesitates, then 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 gonna bring someone new into this, I gotta... I know, Rick, I know, trust me, they're good.

• 9:01Lindsay Graham?

  All right, it's this way. Singer follows Meredith down a quiet, carpeted hallway. So what's this thing you need to tell me? We're almost there. You planning to make me guess? Meredith stops outside a room and pulls a key card from his pocket. Singer 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.

• 9:43Lindsay Graham?

  After federal agents confront Rick Singer in the Boston hotel room, they lay out the evidence against him. They spent months building their case, and faced with overwhelming proof of his wrongdoing, Singer reluctantly agrees to cooperate. His interview confirms when investigators already suspected Rudy 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.

• 10:28Lindsay Graham?

  Investigators instruct him to call families who are still active participants in the scheme. They'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. Others seem uneasy discussing the arrangements over the phone and don't incriminate themselves.

• 11:13Lindsay Graham?

  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. These actions of Singer's 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, Singer is more cooperative.

• 11:56Lindsay Graham?

  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. On the morning of March 12th, 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.

• 12:40Lindsay Graham?

  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. One 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.

• 13:25Lindsay Graham?

  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. But 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. And the agent in front of her pulls out a pair of handcuffs and fastens them around her wrists.

• 14:06Lindsay Graham?

  This early morning raid at Huffman's house is just part of a coordinated sweep. In 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 Giolone is alone in his home when agents bang on his door. His wife, actress Laurie 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. Then the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston announces a press conference.

• 14:51Lindsay Graham?

  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 arrangement 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.

• 15:36Lindsay Graham?

  Jack 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. Only later that evening, when they're finally released on bail, do they begin to understand the full scale of what's just happened.

• 16:20Lindsay Graham?

  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. A 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, Sofia stands, her eyes red from crying.

• 17:03Lindsay Graham?

  Huffman moves toward her, but Sofia 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. She was afraid that Sofia 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.

• 17:47Lindsay Graham?

  She knows what she did was wrong, and now she's going to pay the price.

• 17:55Lindsay Graham?

  On January 1st, 1892, a young Irish immigrant named Annie Moore became the first person processed at the new immigration station on Ellis Island. For the millions who followed her, this small island in New York Harbor would become the place where their American dream would either begin or end. Hi, I'm Lindsay 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, we trace the history of Ellis Island. For more than three decades, it served as the gateway through which millions of hopeful immigrants entered the United States. But as the nation struggled to decide who belonged, some would find the gate shut to them. Follow American History Tellers wherever you get your podcasts.

• 18:39Lindsay Graham?

  Audible subscribers can binge all episodes of American History Tellers early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts.

• 18:48Speaker 04

  Ghosts aren't real. At least, that's what journalist Tristan Redmond always believed. Sure, odd things happened in his childhood bedroom, but ultimately, he shrugged them off. Until he discovered that he wasn't alone, that everyone who lived there after him also had bizarre experiences they couldn't explain. And it gets even weirder. It just so happens that his wife's great-grandmother was murdered in the house next door. Is this ghost somehow connected to her murder? He decides to go where no son-in-law should, digging up a cold case and asking questions that nobody wants answered. Like, could his wife's great-grandfather have gotten away with the perfect crime?

• 19:27Speaker 04

  This is a podcast about family secrets, overwhelming coincidence, and the things that come back to haunt us. For the best bingeable series like Ghost Story, listen to the Audible True Crime Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can get all episodes early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts.

• 20:00Lindsay Graham?

  Throughout 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 Lori Loughlin makes her first court appearance in April, she arrives smiling and cheerfully introduces herself to court personnel. Loughlin and her husband, Massimo Giannulli, both maintain their innocence,

• 20:43Lindsay Graham?

  but to many observers, Loughlin'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. Universities, 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.

• 21:27Lindsay Graham?

  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. Reckoning 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,

• 22:11Lindsay Graham?

  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. And 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,

• 22:53Lindsay Graham?

  judges have more discretion to impose lighter sentences. And prosecutors begin to worry that many of the defendants may ultimately avoid prison time altogether. Those 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.

• 23:38Lindsay Graham?

  Reporters fill every bench in the courtroom, and legal observers line the walls. But the low murmur of whispered conversation dies away as Rosen rises from his chair, buttons his jacket, and approaches the lectern.

• 23:54Lindsay Graham?

  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. The defendant didn't walk into a Walmart one day, pick up a fake SAT score off the shelf, and head for the register. This required planning. It required coordination. And it required Ms. Huffman to make a conscious decision to break the law.

• 24:39Lindsay Graham?

  Rosen reaches for a document. Some have suggested that probation would be sufficient punishment. The government respectfully disagrees. Rosen turns a page. In 2006, Ms. Kelly Williams Bowler, a teacher's aide in Akron, Ohio, falsified her address so her daughter could attend a different public school. She was a poor, single mom who wanted just to give her child a better opportunity in life. And for that offense, she was sentenced to 10 days in jail. Rosen looks toward the judge. But she did not pay a bribe. She was not part of a larger conspiracy. She served time for what she did. And if incarceration was appropriate in that case, it is appropriate here. The courtroom falls silent.

• 25:23Lindsay Graham?

  Then the attorney representing Huffman rises. Your Honor, may I respond? The judge nods. The government says wealth should not shield Ms. Huffman from punishment. The defense agrees. Her money should not buy leniency, but neither should her wealth or celebrity expose her to a harsher sentence than another defendant would receive. The attorney picks up the prosecution's sentencing memorandum. There are 27 references to Ms. Huffman's wealth, celebrity, or status in this document. The implication is difficult to ignore. Because she is famous, the government believes she must be made an example of. Rosen interrupts. That is not the government's position. Then her fame should play no part in the sentence. Her fame is not the issue. Her conduct is.

• 26:07Lindsay Graham?

  She paid $15,000 to have her daughter's SAT manipulated. And she has admitted that. She pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. She accepted responsibility without blaming anyone else. And she has expressed genuine remorse. The attorney turns back to the judge. Your Honor, the question before this court is not whether Ms. Huffman is rich and famous. The question is what sentence is appropriate for her crime?

• 26:34Lindsay Graham?

  When the judge delivers her sentencing remarks, she acknowledges the factors working in Felicity Huffman's favor. Huffman pleaded guilty at an early stage and did not attempt to shift blame. She also abandoned plans to repeat the fraudulent scheme for her younger daughter. Even so, the judge emphasizes that Huffman used her wealth and influence to secure an additional advantage in a system already skewed her way. For that reason, the judge concludes that incarceration is necessary, and she sentences Huffman to 14 days behind bars. Two weeks is not a lengthy term, but the punishment's significance goes beyond that. Before the ruling, many observers had speculated that the wealthy and well-connected defendants would be treated leniently. By imposing prison time,

• 27:18Lindsay Graham?

  the judge has established an important benchmark. The parents involved in Singer's scheme are not going to get away with just fines and probation. Sure enough, by the end of October 2019, 10 parents have been imprisoned. Huffman's 14-day sentence is at the low end of the scale. Another parent receives five months, and from there, the sentences escalate. Until in early 2020, it's the turn of investment banker Douglas Hodge. He used Rick Singer's side door to have three of his children falsely designated as athletic recruits. In punishment, he's sentenced to nine months in prison, one of the harshest penalties imposed so far. And as the punishments grow more severe,

• 27:59Lindsay Graham?

  some parents who initially proclaimed their innocence start to reconsider. Among them are Lori Loughlin and Massimo Giannulli. After months of contesting the allegations against them, both now agree to plead guilty. In August 2020, a judge sentences Loughlin to two months in prison. Giannulli is deemed more culpable, and he gets five. Still, not all the parents caught up in Operation Varsity Blues are willing to throw in the towel. A handful believe they can beat the charges, decide to take their chances at trial. Gamal Abdulaziz is one of them. His trial begins in September 2021. And as the evidence is heard, he sits at the defense table writing notes on a yellow legal pad.

• 28:42Lindsay Graham?

  Sometimes he underlines a point made by his attorney. Sometimes he circles a phrase used by prosecutors, gives him something to focus on besides his gnawing anxiety. And despite being advised that his chances of victory are small, Abdulaziz has been determined to fight the charges against him. As far as he's concerned, he has no other choice. He makes his living in the Las Vegas gaming industry, and it's work that requires a clean reputation and approvals from numerous regulatory bodies. A felony conviction would threaten it all. But the prosecutors aren't concerned about that, and their evidence is relentless. One exhibit receives special attention: Abdulaziz's daughter's application to the University of Southern California. It portrayed the girl as a talented basketball recruit

• 29:27Lindsay Graham?

  with a host of athletic achievements and honors to her name. Prosecutors argue these accolades were all fabricated by Rick Singer and that Abdulaziz paid him $300,000 for his services. Soon after this evidence is presented, the court adjourns for the day. Chairs scrape against the floors as the jurors file out. Abdulaziz gathers his papers, slips the legal pad into a briefcase, and then follows his attorney out of the courtroom. And the moment Abdulaziz steps outside the building, a familiar ritual begins. Photographers surge forward. Camera shutters rattle in rapid bursts. Reporters call out questions as microphones are thrust into his face from every direction. Abdulaziz lowers his head and hurries down the courthouse steps.

• 30:12Lindsay Graham?

  Because despite all the evidence against him, the hostile headlines and the confidence of prosecutors, he still believes that he'll walk away as an innocent man.

• 30:25Speaker 05

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• 30:55Speaker 06

  Inside a dive bar kitchen in upstate New York, the owner cracks open a box and discovers her chicken order misdelivered. All she has to work with are wings. So with a little culinary genius and a dash of luck, the Buffalo Wing is born. Well, so the story goes, that game day staple has humble origins, but its popularity gave rise to two empires, Buffalo Wild Wings and Wingstop. Hey, I'm David Brown, the host of the podcast Business Wars. Every season, we bring you the true stories behind the companies that shape our world, their rivalries, their reinventions, and their spectacular rises and falls. Buffalo Wild Wings built a sports bar empire. Wingstop went the opposite direction, focusing on getting wings out the door. For years, Buffalo Wild Wings was the undisputed king.

• 31:37Speaker 06

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• 32:05Lindsay Graham?

  In October 2021, Gamal Abdulaziz's gamble fails. The court in Boston returns a guilty verdict. Jurors accept the prosecutor's argument that Abdulaziz paid $300,000 to secure his daughter's admission to the University of Southern California. Three months later, Abdulaziz returns to court to hear his sentence, a prison term of one year and one day, the most severe sentence handed down so far. But Abdulaziz does not give up. He launches an appeal, and his case soon receives an unexpected boost from another defendant in the Operation Varsity Blues case. Two months after Abdulaziz was sentenced, the University of Southern California water polo coach, Jovan Vavik, is convicted on multiple counts of fraud and bribery.

• 32:49Lindsay Graham?

  But his legal team appeals the verdict. These lawyers argue that prosecutors misrepresented certain payments Vavik received and raised questions about how the evidence was presented to the jury. In response, the Massachusetts District Court orders a retrial. This decision does not exonerate Vavik, but his convictions are erased, and prosecutors must decide whether to try him again. To Gamal Abdulaziz, this ruling seems to offer a lifeline. Months have passed since his sentencing, but he hasn't served a day in prison. Instead, his case remains tied up at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Abdulaziz is therefore in limbo. But closure finally arrives when the phone rings one morning at his Las Vegas home.

• 33:32Lindsay Graham?

  Abdulaziz sees his attorney's name on the screen and quickly answers. For a second, there's only silence on the line, and then his attorney's voice suddenly cuts in with momentous news. Abdulaziz's appeal has succeeded. Abdulaziz stares blankly as the meaning of the word sinks in. His conviction has been overturned. As Abdulaziz processes the news, his attorney explains the reasoning behind the decision. The appellate judges found that the trial court had improperly instructed the jury, allowing them to treat a college spot as property obtained through fraud. They also ruled that evidence of other parents' conduct had been wrongly admitted and improperly used at trial.

• 34:13Lindsay Graham?

  Taken together, these errors were enough to invalidate Abdulaziz's conviction. It is a procedural win rather than total exoneration. The court has not declared Abdulaziz innocent or cleared his name. Instead, it's reached no conclusion about whether the underlying accusations are true. But the imminent threat of a year in prison has vanished, and that alone feels like a victory to Abdulaziz. Even better news is still to come. Less than two months later, prosecutors decide against retrying Abdulaziz and drop all charges against him. It's a rare reversal for the government in a scandal that's been defined by guilty pleas and convictions. Abdulaziz is now officially a free man, and the case that's hung over him for almost

• 34:57Lindsay Graham?

  half a decade is over. But yet, there's still one more conspirator left to deal with, the architect of the scheme itself. In January 2023, more than four years after Rick Singer's arrest, he appears in court for sentencing. The full scale of his operation has been laid out in detail in multiple hearings, trials, and court filings. It's estimated that Singer earned as much as $25 million through his admission scheme, fraudulently routing most of the payments through his charitable foundation. So at sentencing, prosecutors argue that Singer was the central figure in a national criminal network and request a sentence of six years in prison. In their view, his guilty plea and cooperation with the authorities do little to mitigate

• 35:41Lindsay Graham?

  the scale and duration of his deception. But Singer's defense team emphasizes that he was only an intermediary. It was the parents and the crooked coaches who were the most culpable parties. They suggest that a sentence of closer to six months would be fair. The judge ultimately lands somewhere in the middle. Singer is sentenced to three and a half years in federal prison. And when he enters those gates, it finally seems to close a book on a scandal that has both captivated and outraged America. But Singer doesn't serve his full sentence behind bars. After 16 months in a federal prison in Florida, he's transferred to a halfway house in Los Angeles to complete the remainder of his term. But regaining his freedom is only the first step in Singer's quest to rebuild his life.

• 36:25Lindsay Graham?

  He wants to get back into the world of college counseling, and for that to happen, he first needs to rehabilitate his reputation. In October 2024, Singer sits down for a television interview with ABC News reporter Kana Whitworth. Before the cameras roll, Singer tugs nervously at his tie. He's not used to wearing one, and it feels strangely uncomfortable around his neck. But he knows that viewers will likely make up their minds about him in only seconds, so he wants to make a good first impression. Then, at a signal from the producer, Whitworth begins, and she does not ease into it gently.

• 37:02Lindsay Graham?

  Mr. Singer, this may be the most notorious college admissions scandal in American history. Are you sorry? I take full responsibility for everything that I did. I was wrong, 100% wrong. Whitworth lets the answer hang for a moment. What exactly were you wrong about? I crossed lines. I made decisions I shouldn't have made. But I also think this story gets told without the full context. These families were trying to navigate a system they didn't understand, and you offered them an illegal way around it. And it didn't start that way. Well, how did it start? There was a young man who was super talented, worked his tail off, but every time he took a practice SAT or ACT, he struggled. That one score might have screwed him out of an opportunity to go to a decent school, and I didn't think that was fair.

• 37:47Lindsay Graham?

  So what did you do? I found a way to move his application to the top of the pile. I cheated. It was wrong, but I did it anyway. You arranged for test scores to be manipulated. You paid coaches to present applicants as athletes when they weren't. Those were bribes. I never bribed anyone. They were donations. That's not how a lot of people would describe it. Well, coaches needed money for their programs. I get calls saying, I need $250,000. I need half a million. They'd ask if I have a family interested in attending the school, and the family would make a payment. The coach would falsely designate their child as a recruit, and the child would be admitted. Precisely, yeah. I was just the facilitator, providing the coach with a choice. It was up to the coach. Do you ever think about the students who may have lost opportunities because of those

• 38:32Lindsay Graham?

  arrangements? No one lost out. So you still view this as a victimless crime? Yes, ma'am. Even now? Even now. Whitworth studies him. You began this interview by saying you took full responsibility, but you blamed the admission system, the parents, and the coaches. What responsibility are you actually accepting? Singer pauses. I accept responsibility for putting the whole thing together. I should never have done it. Yet you're planning to return to college counseling. After everything that's happened, do you really believe that parents will trust you? Well, I still understand the process better than most people, the same process you corrupted. I know how the system works. That knowledge can still help students. In fact, it already is. When I was in prison, the coolest thing happened.

• 39:15Lindsay Graham?

  I had a young man send me an email saying, could you help me with my applications and tell me if I could get into these schools? And you agreed? I asked for his transcript and his credentials, and I gave him some advice. A few months later, he got into his first choice school. So now you're starting another company, helping students get into college just the same as before? Not just as before. What's different? This time, everything will be above board. And on the level? On the level.

• 39:44Lindsay Graham?

  When this interview comes to an end, Rick Singer unclips the microphone from his shirt and hands it to a technician. He pulls off his tie and gratefully unfastens the top button of his shirt. He's quietly satisfied with his performance. He has admitted wrongdoing, but he also explained the reasons for his actions. Even after all that he's been through, the arrest, the trial, prison, he's still convinced he knows the college counseling business better than anyone else. The admission process is the same game it was before, and Rick Singer is still playing to win.

• 40:18Lindsay Graham?

  In the immediate aftermath of Operation Varsity Blues, there was a reckoning, or at least the appearance of one. Coaches who had abused their positions resigned, were fired, or were quietly encouraged to take early retirement. Wealthy parents served time in prison and watched their carefully cultivated reputations collapse. Colleges announced reviews, promising tighter oversight and new safeguards to prevent the abuse uncovered by investigators. And for a time, it seemed as though the scandal might trigger meaningful reform in the admissions process. But once the headlines faded, the system itself remained largely intact. Wealth, status, and privilege continue to exert enormous influence over American college admissions.

• 40:59Lindsay Graham?

  Schools may champion fairness and diversity in public, but many still favor applicants from wealthy, well-connected backgrounds. And critics question how much these institutions truly want to change when they depend on affluent families and major donors for so much of their budgets. Rick Singer was not the first to exploit the admission process or the last. He was just an extreme manifestation of a systemic inequality that had existed for decades and still does.

• 41:30Lindsay Graham?

  From Audible Originals and Airship, this is episode four of Varsity Blues: Four American Scandal. In our next episode, journalist Paul Tough joins us to unpack what the Varsity Blues scandal revealed about the broken, big-money business of college admissions in America.

• 41:50Lindsay Graham?

  American Scandal is only possible because of listeners like you, so thank you. And don't miss an episode. Be sure to follow American Scandal on Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. And Audible subscribers can binge new seasons of American Scandal early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts. And to find out more about me, including my other podcasts, my live show, the history tours I'm arranging, and all sorts of other things, go to historyishuman.com. That's historyishuman.com. If you'd like to learn more about the college admissions scandal, we recommend Unacceptable: Privilege, Deceit, and the Making of the College Admission Scandal by Melissa Korn

• 42:32Lindsay Graham?

  and Jennifer Levens; Guilty Admissions: The Bribes, Favors, and Phones Behind the College Cheating Scandal by Nicole LaPorte; and the Netflix documentary, Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admission Scandal. This episode contains reenactments and dramatized details. And while in most cases, we can't know exactly what was said, all our dramatizations are based on historical research. American Scandal is hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham, for Airship. This episode is written and researched by Scott Reeves, senior producer Andy Beckerman, managing producer Emily Burke, fact checking by Alyssa Jung Perry, audio editing by Mohamed Shazi, original music by Thrum, sound design by Gabriel Ghul. Executive producer for Airship is William Simpson. Executive producer for Audible

• 43:16Lindsay Graham?

  is Jenny Lauer Beckman. Head of creative development at Audible, Kate Navin. Head of Audible Originals North America, Marshall Louis. Chief content officer, Rachel Giatza. Copyright 2026 by Audible Originals LLC. Sound recording copyright 2026 by Audible Originals LLC.

• 43:41Speaker 03

  There are books that change how you see the world, and there are books that change how you see yourself. In a new podcast series, A Great Book with Barack Obama, President Obama sits down with a series of surprising and sharp guests to explore six books that have shaped his life and perspective on the world. From Song of Solomon and the Fire Next Time, to All the Pretty Horses and Gilead, the president is joined by guests like Tom Hanks and Ta-Nehisi Coates to reflect on how these timeless stories shaped his thinking on everything from fatherhood to leadership, and discover together what they tell us about the world we live in and the world we want to create. Audible subscribers can listen

• 44:26Speaker 03

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