L.A. father whose tip exposed Singer’s college admissions scandal gets one year in prison
By Matthew Ormseth Sta Writer
Aug. 12, 2020 1:07 PM PT
MorrieTobin,theLosAngelesfinancierwhotippedfederalauthoritiesinBostonto William“Rick”Singer’scollegeadmissionsscam,wassentencedWednesdaytoayear andadayinprisonforsellingstockatfraudulentlyinflatedpricestounwitting investors,robbingthemofmillions.
U.S.DistrictJudgeNathanielM.GortonacknowledgedTobin’s“extraordinary” cooperationinhelpingunravelbothhisownsecuritiesfraudand“theinfamouscollege admissionscase,”buthesaidhecouldnotallowafelonwhohasadmittedtryingto fleeceinvestorsof$15milliontoavoidprison.
“Yourmotivewaspureandsimplegreed,”Gortontoldhim.
HeorderedTobin,57,toreporttoprisonbySept.23.Beforehewassentenced,Tobin toldthejudgehewas“extremely,sincerelysorryandashamed”ofhiscrimesandsaidhe hadsincetried“todoeverythingpossibletomakeamends.”
InMarch2018,afterfederalagentssearchedhismansioninHancockPark,Tobinflew toBostontomeetwiththeprosecutorsandFBIagentswhohadunraveledhisstock scam.Duringa“multidayproffer,”aprosecutorsaidincourt,hetoldthemabout anotherfraudentirely:TobinwasbribingaYalesoccercoachtoendorsehisdaughter’s admissiontotheIvyLeagueschool.
ProsecutorsfromtheU.S.attorney’sofficeinBostonhavenotpubliclyidentifiedthe personwhotippedthemtothecollegeadmissionsfraud,referringtohimincourtonly as“IndividualA,”butlawenforcementofficialstoldTheTimeswhenthecasewas unsealedthat Tobinwasthecooperatorwhosettheinvestigationinmotion.
ThoughGortondiscussedTobin’scooperationonWednesdayofftherecordwithhis attorney,BrianT.Kelly,andEricRosen,anassistantU.S.attorney,Kellysaidinopen courtthathisclienthad“honestlytoldthegovernmentaboutthecorruptYalesoccer coach.”
TobinreturnedtoBostontomeetthesoccercoach,RudyMeredith,andinahotelroom wiredwithhiddenvideocameras,Meredithwasrecordedagreeingtoa$450,000bribe andtaking$2,000incash,RosensaidduringMeredith’spleahearing.
Duringtherendezvous,Meredithmentionedanameinvestigatorshadn’theardbefore, Rosensaid:RickSinger.
InvestigatorsobtainedMeredith’sbankrecords,whichshowedthatSinger,aNewport Beachcollegeadmissionsconsultantwitharosterofwealthyandfamousclients,had paidthecoach$860,000inthelastthreeyears.Confrontedbythisevidenceandthe recordingfromthehotelroomsting,Meredithagreedtocooperateandstartedcalling Singeronarecordedline.
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“Wehadlearnedthroughtherecordedtelephonecallsthatthisobviouslywasnot relatedtoasinglebribepaidtoasinglecoach,”Rosensaidincourt,“butrathera scheme,aschemetodefraudtheuniversitiesofthehonestservicesoftheiremployees.”
Thecaseexplodedintopublicview inMarch2019.Thirty-threeofSinger’sclientswere chargedwithfelonies,includingtheHollywoodcelebritiesLoriLoughlinandFelicity Huffman,whosearreststurbochargedthetabloidsformonths.Coachesatsomeofthe country’smostprestigiousschools—Stanford,Georgetown,USCandUCLA,among others—wereimplicatedinSinger’sscheme.
Askedhowtheinvestigationbegan,AndrewLelling,theU.S.attorneyinBoston,tolda roompackedwithreporters:“Ourfirstleadinthiscameduringinterviewswithatarget ofanentirelyseparateinvestigation,whogaveusatipthatthisactivitymightbegoing on.”
Twoweeksearlier,TobinhadpleadedguiltyinaBostoncourtroomtosecuritiesfraud. HelistenedasRosen,theprosecutor,explainedhowatradingplatformcontrolledby oneofTobin’sconspiratorssoldmillionsinfraudulentlyoverpricedstockstoinvestors.
“Doyoudisagreewithanythingthathesaysthegovernmentwouldbeabletoprove?” Gortonasked.
“No,yourhonor,”Tobinreplied.
AttorneysforthegovernmentandTobinrecommendedthathebesparedprisonand punishedwithprobation,a$4millionforfeitureandcommunityservice.Hislawyers, KellyandCharlesDell’Anno,madetheirargumentsinamemothatwasheavilyredacted toobscurehis“confidentialsubstantialassistanceeffortsrelatingtoothercriminal investigations,”amongothersensitivetopics.
Inthememo,theysaidTobingrewupplayinghockeyinMontreal,thenplayedforone yearattheNorthwoodSchoolinLakePlacid,N.Y.,wherehecaptainedtheteamasa“a highlyrespectedstudentleader.”
TobinplayedhockeyforYalebeforetransferringtotheUniversityofVermont.After graduation,hebrieflyplayedsemiprofessionalhockeyinEurope,hislawyerswrote. Virtuallyallotherbiographicaldetailsareredactedinthememo.
Hislawyersacknowledgedthestockfraudheengineeredwas“aseriouscrime.”Yetit washisfirstandonlyencounterwithlawenforcement,theywrote,and“sinceFebruary 2018,Mr.Tobinhasdonewhathecantoacceptresponsibilityandmoveforward.”
Lastmonth,Varietyreported,Tobinlistedhiseight-bedroom,10-bathroomHancock Parkmansionfor$13.5million.
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Matthew Ormseth
MatthewOrmsethisareporterfortheLosAngelesTimes.BeforejoiningTheTimes in2018,hecoveredcitynewsandstatepoliticsattheHartfordCourant.