Parent in College Admissions Case Pleads Guilty

BOSTON – A California man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston in connection with paying bribes to facilitate the admission of his children to the University of Southern California as purported athletic recruits.

Toby Macfarlane, 56, of Del Mar, Calif., a former senior executive at a title insurance company, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Nov. 13, 2019.

According to court documents, Macfarlane agreed to pay Rick Singer $450,000 to participate in the college recruitment scheme for his children. According to the terms of the plea agreement, the government will recommend a sentence of 15 months in prison, one year of supervised release, a fine of $95,000, restitution and forfeiture.

Case information, including the status of each defendant, charging documents and plea agreements are available here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/investigations-college-admissions-and-testing-bribery-scheme.

The charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric S. Rosen, Justin D. O’Connell, Leslie A. Wright, and Kristen A. Kearney of Lelling’s Securities and Financial Fraud Unit are prosecuting the cases.

The details contained in the court documents are allegations and the remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.