The new Jim Carrey.
Posted on 03/15/2019 10:12:49 AM PDT by billorites
BOSTON—He was a test-taking whiz who could get any score on demand, federal prosecutors say, and the secret weapon in the college-admissions cheating scandal.
Mark Riddell, a 36-year-old Harvard University graduate, used his uncanny ability to boost scores fraudulently on college-entrance exams for teens of wealthy families participating in the scheme, according to federal filings.
“He did not have inside information about the correct answers,” the U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Andrew Lelling, said after announcing Tuesday’s federal charges. “He was just smart enough to get a near-perfect score.”
Prosecutors say Mr. Riddell, who lives outside Tampa, Fla., was central to the cheating scheme. He has agreed to plead guilty to mail fraud and a money-laundering-related charge, according to court documents, and is scheduled to appear in court in Boston in April.
After the charges, Mr. Riddell issued a statement apologizing for the damage and grief he caused. “I understand how my actions contributed to a loss of trust in the college admissions process,” he said.
Prosecutors said William Rick Singer’s testing scheme took place at least 30 times back as far as 2011. Of the 33 parents who were charged Tuesday, at least 16 are linked in court documents to Mr. Riddell, who was referred to as “Cooperating Witness 2.”
He has been helping with the investigation since February in hopes of leniency, federal filings say.
In one case, a test had to be scheduled at a later date because Mr. Riddell had a baby, according to the filings. Another time, Mr. Riddell used false identification to pose as a student. And after a Los Angeles teen had tonsillitis and couldn’t meet Mr. Riddell at the Houston test site—where the plan was for Mr. Riddell to fix the teen’s test answers afterward—Mr.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
F’n WSJ paywall. Why post this here?
How was Mr. Riddell able to sit next to a SAT/ACT test taker? The elite parents would bribe a doctor to say Jane or Johnny had a disability that prevented him or her from taking the test in the normal environment; sitting at a desk in a classroom with other students watched over by a proctor. They needed to take the test by themselves and needed extra time often divided up into days. The proctor was part of the scam allowing Riddell to sit with the kid and/or manipulate the test after it was completed.
I have that trait.
That’s part of the fun. I’m guessing this is just the tip of the Iceburg and they probably had crooked only test sessions. The proctor’s were paid off why not.
Before long will we be up to 2,000 or more.
This crap has been going on for a long time. It is only now that the general public is finding out.
I guess Elaine Benes wasn’t available.
Did you try the Outline link I posted above?
It’s a shame that a guy with his abilities could not find a better job than SAT ringer for spoiled little rich kiddies.
So, in The United States Of America, under President Donald Trump, federal law enforcement investigates and prosecutes rich white people.
Oh my.
He graduated Harvard in 2004 which would make him, like, 36 - 37 years old.
How much to you have to pay the proctors to let 'the old guy' take the test?
You just need to put a little more effort into it.
Yes, they are that.
The point is that our President does not see skin color or gender or sexual orientation or religion or political party when he goes after criminals.
How can investigative reporters get so much info so quickly, and yet no one could ascertain where Obama was born??
+1
This may be difficult to believe, but the SAT is just another test.
If you take the practice tests enough times you recognize the types of questions and they are all very similar.
If you have taken a SAT test as many times as this guy has, it is as easy as the ABC’s to a kindergartner.
I believe it. I mean, “Suits” was a documentary, it turns out.
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