The Harvard-educated test proctor who was busted in the nationwide college admissions scandal on Friday pleaded guilty to helping actress Felicity Huffman and other rich parents cheat on their kids’ exams.
Mark Riddell, 36, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges in Boston federal court.
“I’m here to plead guilty to fraud for cheating on SAT and ACT,” said Riddell, who showed up at court dressed in a blue pinstripe suit and a black scarf, according to the Boston Globe.
He faces up to 20 years behind bars for each charge, but prosecutors said they will recommend at the “low end” of the federal sentencing guidelines, which call for 33 to 41 months in prison, according to the Globe.
Prosecutors say the Palmetto, Fla., resident took bribes from the scheme’s mastermind, William “Rick” Singer, to either doctor the answers to his client’s exams or actually sit the tests himself in place of the students, earning around $10,000 a pop.
In the case of Huffman and William H. Macy’s daughter, Sophia Grace, they say she sat the SAT exam herself, and then he altered it afterwards.
Riddell, a director of college entrance exam prep at IMG Academy and a former Harvard tennis player, didn’t have inside information about the answers — he was just a “really smart guy,” prosecutors said.
Huffman is one of 13 parents who have agreed to plead guilty in the scandal, saying Monday that she accepts “full responsibility” for her actions and their consequences.
Sixteen other moms and dads who haven’t taken pleas — including actress Lori Loughlin — were indicted Tuesday for their alleged participation in the scam.