Varsity Blues | Future Stars

On March 12, 2019, self-help author Jane Buckingham was escorted into a Los Angeles federal courthouse in yoga pants and a belly chain. Inside the holding cell, she found not hardened criminals but a cluster of frightened middle-aged women in casual clothes—including actress Felicity Huffman. Both had been arrested for conspiracy, mail fraud, and racketeering. As they pieced together their situation, one name emerged: Rick Singer. Huffman asked if Buckingham had used him. "He said it wasn't illegal, just strategic," Buckingham replied. "That's what he told me, too," said Huffman. They were about to discover they were part of a nationwide criminal conspiracy that would expose how the wealthy could bypass the rules of college admissions entirely.

From Basketball Coach to College Counselor

Rick Singer grew up in an affluent Chicago suburb, intensely driven from childhood. After a middling college career and a stint as an assistant basketball coach at Sacramento State, the university fired the entire coaching staff following a disastrous four-win season in 1992. Forced to rethink his future, Singer turned to college admissions counseling, launching a business called Future Stars.