California couple to plead guilty in admissions scandal

A couple in California on Wednesday agreed to plead guilty to paying $25,000 to cheat on their son’s college admissions exam.

Gregory Colburn, 63, and Amy Colburn, 61, agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to money laundering and mail fraud charges just six weeks before they were scheduled to go to trial in federal court, The Associated Press reported. As part of their plea deal, the Colburns have individually agreed to serve eight weeks in prison in addition to a year of supervised release, 100 hours of community service and a $12,500 fine, pending federal court approval. 

The couple pleaded guilty in a scheme to pay William “Rick” Singer $25,000 to bribe Igor Dvorskiy, a College Board test administrator, according to a statement from acting U.S. Attorney Nathaniel Mendell obtained by the AP. Dvorskiy then arranged for fake test proctor Mark Riddell to inflate the Colburns’ son’s SAT score. 

Singer, Dvorskiy and Riddell have also all pleaded guilty to federal charges connected to their actions, according to the AP. 

The Colburns join almost 60 people who in the past three years have been charged in the case known as “Operation Varsity Blues,” a scheme led by Singer that involved altering test scores and paying off sports coaches to get students into top universities around the U.S.