BigLaw partner gets one month federal time as latest parent sentenced in college admissions scandal

As reported in this CNN piece, a "former high-powered attorney at an international law firm was sentenced Thursday to one month in prison for paying $75,000 to falsely boost his daughter's ACT score as part of the college admissions scam." Here is more:

Gordon Caplan, 53, is the fourth parent to be sentenced to prison time in the scam that has led to charges against 35 parents.  Prosecutors had asked that Caplan be sentenced to eight months in prison.

The broad admissions scam consisted of a test-cheating scheme and an athlete recruitment scheme, and those who participated in the test-cheating scheme have gotten lower sentences. The actress Felicity Huffman, who paid $15,000 to participate in the test-cheating scheme, was sentenced to two weeks in prison.  Meanwhile, Stephen Semprevivo and Devin Sloane, who paid to get their children into prominent universities under the guise that they were recruited athletes, were each sentenced to four months in prison. Sixteen parents, including Caplan, have pleaded guilty to fraud conspiracy charges. 

Caplan pleaded guilty in May to fraud conspiracy and admitted to paying a fake charity run by scam mastermind Rick Singer to facilitate cheating on his daughter's ACT exam.  As part of the scheme, a paid proctor corrected answers after Caplan's daughter had completed the test.

Before his arrest, Caplan was a partner and co-chairman of the Willkie Farr & Gallagher law firm.  In 2018, The American Lawyer magazine named him one of its "Dealmakers of the Year" for guiding a series of transactions between Hudson's Bay Co., Rhône Capital and the workspace startup, WeWork. But Caplan left the law firm as a result of his involvement in the scam, the firm said in April. His license to practice law going forward is also at risk.

The Attorney Grievance Committee in New York began disciplinary proceedings against him in July, and Caplan has consented to the suspension of his law license pending those proceedings, according to a sentencing memorandum.  "To put the matter bluntly, Gordon's professional life has been destroyed," his attorney, Joshua Levy, wrote in the memorandum.

Prior related posts:

• Mapping out next possible celebrity sentencings in wake of indictment in college admissions scandal 
• Big batch of federal plea deals (with relatively low sentencing ranges) in college admissions scandal
• Summer sentencing (with notable particulars) for first college admission scandal parents to enter pleas in court
• Federal district judge rejects feds request for significant prison term in first sentencing of college bribery scandal
• Gearing up for the federal sentencing of Felicity Huffman and others involved in college bribery scandal 
• Feds recommending incarceration terms from 1 to 15 months for parents involved college bribery scandal 
• Noticing the interesting (but perhaps not too consequential) guidelines "loss" issue lurking in the college bribery cases
• Gearing up for the next round of sentencings in college admissions scandal
• Next parent sentenced in college admission scandal gets four months in federal prison
• Next parent up in college admission scandal sentencing also gets four months in federal prison