Federal authorities were combing through the finances and phone records of a Miami businessman suspected of Medicare fraud when they came across a curious name: Rick Singer.
Federal prosecutors accused top CEOs, two Hollywood actresses and a legendary fashion designer of taking part in an audacious scheme to get their children into elite universities through fraud, bribes and lies. Esformes has not been charged in the college admissions case. Convicted in April of paying and receiving kickbacks in connection with a federal healthcare program and other crimes, he faces decades in prison when a judge sentences him in September. His attorneys declined to comment.
Singer found an ideal client in Esformes, an enormously wealthy businessman with a flexible moral compass, who was willing to pay top dollar to boost his kids’ prospects at getting into elite colleges. The ex-coach, Laura Janke, has admitted to steering several children of Singer’s clients into USC, crafting fake athletic profiles that depicted them as promising recruits and at times using Photoshop software to superimpose their faces onto pictures of real athletes.The daughter, who could not be reached for comment, was enrolled at USC for a year before transferring to a fashion school in New York City, according to a source with knowledge of the case and her LinkedIn profile.
FBI agents seized three iPhones from Esformes’ luxury high-rise when they arrested him in July 2016. In a string of text messages obtained from one of the phones, Esformes sought Singer’s opinion of his son’s SAT score.The two men went back and forth, with Esformes asking what score “gets u in all?” Singer explained athletic recruits were held to a lower test-score standard than regular applicants.
Fox, a basketball coach in Texas and well-connected figure in national youth and college basketball circles, has been charged in the college admissions case for allegedly relaying bribes from Singer to two coaches and an exam proctor. Fox has pleaded not guilty and his attorney declined to comment.When it came time for his son to apply to college, Esformes appears to have taken a page from Singer’s playbook.
While he sat behind bars, Singer’s operation — both his above-board college counseling business and the criminal enterprise beneath — was booming. Many of the 33 parents charged in the admissions scandal hired Singer during the period following Esformes’ arrest.
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