Who Is William Rick Singer?

William Rick Singer, 58, is the "CEO and Master Coach of the world's largest private Life Coaching and College Counseling Company, The Key that allegedly helped wealthy students score better on the ACTs or SATs by helping them cheat on the exams.

He's also accused of bribing college coaches and athletic officials to say a prospective student should be accepted because the student was a recruit for their sports team. But Singer and the coaches knew that the student was not a competitive player, and that his or her athletic profile was fake, an indictment said.

During his hearing at a Boston federal court on Tuesday, Singer pleaded guilty to four charges and admitted the allegations were true.

"All of these things, and many more things, I did," Singer said. "I created a side door that would guarantee families would get in."


Over the past 20 years, Singer and his team helped more than 90,000 adults and also guided high school and college students seeking undergraduate or graduate degrees, The Key said.


Singer also co-founded a profitable online high school, the website said.