In 2021, Netflix released a documentary titled Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal that showcased the infamous Varsity Blues Scandal. The mastermind behind this scandal was the 62-year-old William “Rick” Singer. Reports suggest that Singer composed an intricate scheme to get lesser-qualified children of wealthy parents into the best American colleges. He used illegal means, such as bribery and inflating test scores, to execute his plan.
Aside from Singer, authorities charged 50 other people. Some of the high-profile names on this list include celebrities such as Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin. However, one individual who surfaced in this scandal was a Massachusetts father named John Wilson.
Authorities accused John Wilson of paying $1.2 million to get his three children into prestigious colleges. However, in recent news, the court cleared him of wrongdoing. In response, he is suing Netflix for their Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal documentary.
According to Fox News, Wilson’s lawyers stated that Netflix defamed him and his children. Furthermore, Wilson released a statement that read, “Netflix willingly chose to group my highly qualified children and me into a scandal involving celebrities who, unlike me, pleaded guilty and acknowledged their roles in shameful actions like Photoshopping images of fake athletes, cheating on tests and making bribe payments to coaches.”
He ended his statement by saying, “In the interest of justice and accountability, Netflix must pay for the deliberate and devastating harm that they’ve done to my family.”
Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal was directed by Chris Smith. According to IMDb, its synopsis reads, “Reenactments drive this documentary investigating the mastermind behind a scam to sneak the kids of rich and famous families into top US universities.”
Varsity Blue Scandal explained
According to ET Online, William “Rick” Singer used two firms to carry on his plan. One was Key Worldwide Foundation, while the other was The Edge College & Career Network. Wealthy parents sent their students to elite colleges using these two firms. They bribed exam administrators, coaches, and more to inflate test scores and create fake athletic credentials. Money laundering was also involved in this scheme. As per USA Today, there was cheating in exams such as the SATs and alleged photoshopping of children into athletic events.
In addition, Singer paid a former director of college entrance exams at IMG Academy, Mark Riddell, to take exams on behalf of his client’s kids. ET Online further reported that Singer received $25 million from his clients. Singer even alleged that he helped 750 families get their children into prestigious colleges.
The outlet reported that Primetime Emmy Award winner Felicity Huffman reportedly paid $15,000 to Key Worldwide Foundation to get her daughter Sophia Macy a good SAT score. She pleaded guilty to the charges against her. Moreover, she stated in court that she was “ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community… My desire to help my daughter is no excuse to break the law or engage in dishonesty.”
The court sentenced her to 14 days in prison and 250 hours of community service working one-on-one with children. She was also put under a year of supervised release and made to pay a fine of $30,000.
