LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A Netflix documentary based on the college admissions bribery scandal that ensnared Hollywood actresses, financiers and university officials is scheduled to debut next month, the streaming and production company announced today.
Chris Smith, director of “Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened,'' is preparing “Operation Varsity Blues'' for a March 17 premiere.
The film is described as “an examination that goes beyond the celebrity-driven headlines and dives into the methods used by Rick Singer, the man at the center of the shocking 2019 college admissions scandal, to persuade his wealthy clients to cheat an educational system already designed to benefit the privileged,'' according to a press release from Netflix.
“Using an innovative combination of interviews and narrative recreations of the FBI's wiretapped conversations between Singer and his clients, `Operation Varsity Blues' offers a rare glimpse into the enigmatic figure behind a scheme that exposed the lengths wealthy families would go to for admission into elite colleges and angered a nation already grappling with the effects of widespread inequality,'' the release said.
The scandal involved more than 50 parents who allegedly paid about $25 million to bribe their children's way into prestigious universities, including USC and UCLA. The documentary will star actor Matthew Modine as William “Rick'' Singer, the Newport Beach consultant at the center of the scheme.
Singer pleaded guilty in March 2019 to charges of racketeering, money laundering, fraud and obstruction and is awaiting sentencing in Boston federal court.
Dozens of people, including actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, as well as CEOs, high-profile lawyers, and college coaches were charged as part of the scheme. Many defendants have pleaded guilty.
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