Big-time lawyer sentenced to 1 month in prison, $50k fine in college admissions scandal
The former co-chairman of a major law firm was sentenced to one month in prison and a $50,000 fine Thursday in the ongoing college admissions scandal, Law360 reports.
Gordon Caplan, 53, appeared in federal court in Boston, after he pled guilty to one count of fraud and conspiracy in May. The Greenwich, Connecticut, man previously ran Willkie Farr & Gallagher in New York City.
Caplan was accused of paying a college admissions consultant, William "Rick" Singer, $75,000 to rig his daughter’s ACT exam in 2018. Authorities say his daughter was unaware of the scheme.
Prosecutors had recommended eight months in prison and a $40,000 fine. Caplan’s lawyers said in a recent court filing that he "allowed himself to fall prey to his own ego and ambitions for his children."
Gordon Caplan arrives at federal court in Boston on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, to face charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Caplan will serve time at a federal prison in Otisville, New York, beginning on Nov. 6, according to Law360.
More than 50 people from around the country -- including actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin and wealthy executives -- have been arrested for trying to get their children into top universities through corrupt means, from fixing SAT test scores to falsifying college applications to bribing college athletic coaches.
Singer pled guilty in March to charges ranging from money laundering and obstruction to racketeering and conspiracy, and is currently cooperating with prosecutors. Federal investigators have dubbed the case: "Operation: Varsity Blues."
Huffman, who starred on the popular ABC television show "Desperate Housewives" for many years, was sentenced in September to 14 days in prison.
Caplan's lawyers contended he should get the same length of sentence that Huffman did.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.