Former Willkie co-chair gets 1-month prison sentence in college admissions scandal
Gordon Caplan. Photo from Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
Gordon Caplan, the former co-chair of Willkie Farr & Gallagher, was sentenced to one month in prison Thursday after he apologized in a Boston courtroom for participating in the college cheating scandal.
Caplan told the judge that he was “deeply ashamed” by his actions, USA Today reports.
“I failed. I failed my daughter. I failed my wife. I failed my parents. I failed my colleagues. And I failed the profession that I love,” he said.
The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Law, the New York Law Journal and the Hartford Courant also have coverage.
Caplan was accused of paying $75,000 to bribe an exam proctor to boost his daughter’s ACT score. He has previously said his daughter had no knowledge of his actions, and she has been devastated to learn what he did.
Caplan is the fourth parent sentenced to prison in the cheating scandal, according to the Hartford Courant. He will also have to pay a $50,000 fine and complete 250 hours of community service.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani said during the hearing that Caplan was one of the least culpable defendants, even though he actively took part in the cheating.
Talwani said Caplan didn’t involve his daughter in the scheme and didn’t submit falsified materials to colleges.
Caplan’s conversations about the scheme with college counselor William “Rick” Singer were captured on tape.
Prosecutors had sought eight months in prison, while Caplan’s lawyers sought no more than two weeks in prison—the same sentence given to actress Felicity Huffman.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Willkie Farr co-chair placed on leave after he’s charged in college cheating case”
ABAJournal.com: “Afternoon Briefs: Actress sentenced in college admissions scandal; judge sides with transgender Ohioans”
ABAJournal.com: “Rejected students sue for return of application fees at colleges embroiled in admissions scandal”
