The nationwide college admission scandal that shocked Missourians last month is still progressing. Of the dozens of people charged in the alleged scam, including wealthy parents, coaches and the so-called mastermind who reportedly thought up the entire plan, many are now opting to plead guilty in court to charges related to fraud and conspiracy.

One of these is the 36-year-old one-time director of a preparation academy based in Florida that instructed students on taking college entrance exams. He allegedly received money from the plan’s architect to take the ACT and SAT exams in lieu of students whose parents allegedly paid for the service. Once charged, he entered a plea deal agreeing to plead guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and fraud. 

Authorities regard the 36-year-old as the brains of the operation. For approximately eight years, he allegedly participated in the scheme by either correcting students’ answers on college entrance exams or just taking the exams in their stead after the architect of the plan reportedly bribed test administrators to allow the substitution. The 36-year-old allegedly possesses the requisite knowledge to not only provide students with a passing score but avoid raising suspicion of the test’s validity by not producing scores that represented an unrealistic improvement over practice test scores. 

The 36-year-old test taker received a sentencing date of July 18th and could serve 33 to 41 months. In addition, prosecutors reportedly want him to pay a fine amounting to the total he received for his allegedly fraudulent activities, which amounts to approximately $239,500. 

It may be expedient for people charged with white collar crimes to accept a plea deal of this nature. An experienced criminal defense attorney can explain the various options.