BOSTON — A test taker who federal prosecutors say played a “critical role” in the college admissions scandal is headed to prison.
Mark Riddell, 39, of Palmetto, FL, was sentenced to four months in prison and two years of supervised release. Prosecutors say Riddell cheated on the ACT and SAT exams and other tests by taking them in place of students or by correcting their answers after the fact.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Riddell registered and took exams using fake IDs with the student’s name and his picture. Other times, Riddell posed as a proctor and corrected students’ answers after they had taken the exam.
Prosecutors say Riddell conspired with William “Rick” Singer and test administrators Niki Williams and Igor Dvorskiy to cheat on the exams.
Singer would consult clients to seek extended time on the exams, including by having their children claim a learning disability, and change the testing location to either a public high school in Houston, TX or a private college preparatory school in West Hollywood, CA, according to the U.S. Attorney. Williams and Dvorsky were administrators at those locations, and admitted to accepting bribes of $5,000 to $10,000 per test to give Riddell access, prosecutors say.
Riddell was paid nearly $240,000 over the course of the scheme, which ran from 2011 to early 2019. In April 2019, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Riddell has also been ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and forfeit $239,449.
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