WeHo College Prep School Director Indicted in National College Admissions Scandal

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Igor Dvorskiy, director of the West Hollywood College Preparatory School (WHCPS), has been charged with accepting bribes of $10,000 per student to fake their SAT or ACT tests to help them gain admission to prestigious colleges and universities.

Dvorskiy is one of 50 defendants charged with participating in the scheme that allegedly was orchestrated by the Edge College & Career Network, a for-profit college counseling and test preparation business in Newport Beach founded by William Singer, and the Key Worldwide Foundation (KWF), which Singer established as a charitable institution. WHCPS is located in the complex of Temple Beth El at 1317 N. Crescent Heights Blvd. The scheme has gotten attention nationwide given the range of prominent schools involved and the fact that celebrities such as Lori Loughlin and her husband, the fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, and the actress Felicity Huffman are alleged to have been involved.

A copy of the indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts alleges that Singer, Dvorskiy and others arranged for a resident of Palmetto, Fla., named Mark Riddell to take SAT or ACT tests for students whose wealthy parents paid them.  Singer also is accused of designating some college applicants as athletes to make them eligible for certain admissions granted only to student athletes. And he is said to have funneled the payments to Dvorskiy and others through his foundation.

“Parents generally paid Singer between $15,000 and $75,000 per test,” according to the indictment, which says the payments were purported donations to the KWF. Singer also allegedly coached parents in claiming their children had learning disabilities, which meant the ACT Inc. and the College Board would grant them extended time to take the tests.

The fake applications were submitted to major colleges and universities such as USC, UCLA, USD, Stanford, Georgetown University, Yale University and Wake Forest University.  The indictment alleges that bribes were accepted by employees of those schools.  For example, the suit claims that Singer directed payments of $350,000 to a private soccer club controlled by Ali Khosroshahin, USC’s women’s soccer coach, and Laura Janke, USC’s assistant women’s soccer coach. They allegedly created fake athletic profiles for applicants seeking admission as athletes. All in all, the suit claims “parents paid Singer approximately $25 million over the period 2011 through February 2019 to bribe coaches and university administrators to designate their children as recruited athletes, or other favored admissions categories…” One parent is said to have paid $1.2 million to get Singer’s help in enrolling his child in college. 

A bio of Dvorskiy on the WeHo College Prep website describes him as playing “a vital part in the daily and overall functioning of WHCP.  Mr. Dvorskiy has been the Director of WHCP for seven years.  Prior to this position, he was a teacher for 10 years in several subject areas including: Physical Education, Math, Science, and Computers. Mr. Dvorskiy earned two bachelor’s Degrees in engineering and Education in the former Soviet Union.”

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The suit is seeking $198,000 from Dvorskiy. As of publication, WHCPS has not returned a call from WEHOville seeking comment about the indictment.

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Anonymous
Anonymous
5 years ago

I attended this school and had an awesome experience. I was there for three years and had no idea this was going on. Overall the staff and directors were always there for me.

Jake
Jake
5 years ago

Read page 36 of this link and you will see what Igor did:

https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/college-bribe-affidavit.pdf

Concerned citizen
Concerned citizen
5 years ago

Hopefully ICE will step in n deport once the legal truth comes out. The FBI will not accuse someone n make a false arrest if they dont have their information beyond a reasonable doubt. This is just the beginning and will expand even more. They need to put everyone who was involved in jail to prove a point. No one is above the law. Hopefully they can make a Hallmark movie on this. Why not they already have someone on board to portray herself.

lira
lira
5 years ago

I don’t believe Igor was thinking of bribes I know him from a different side. Very nice and decent man. Always. I hope it’s all going to be resolved in best way for Igor soon.

Con Artists
Con Artists
5 years ago
Reply to  lira

Con-artists are very skilled as are “Life Coaches” that envelop others in their schemes. “Mr. Academic Life Coach” Rick Singer and his “side door” scheme to implement admission is a prime example. Shocked but not surprised that so many bought into his scheme. No one…absolutely no one checks resumes and or acts on the old adage “if is looks too good to be true….IT PROBABLY IS”. BUYER BEWARE OF BIRDS THAT FLY TOGETHER. You never find ethical types socializing with con-artists. But hey….many folks in our country fell for the” too good to be true” scenario. I’d be laughing if… Read more »

A parent
A parent
5 years ago

My children went there from nursery to 1st grade. One of my kids is there now. They are all happy, well fed and extraordinarily educated. Regardless of what the director did, my experience has been outstanding.

A Person
A Person
5 years ago
Reply to  A parent

Igor is a very kind, caring person. He has dedicated his life to the students at the school. Whatever has happened, nothing can change this. All the teachers have given years of their lives to the students, and we all love Igor. It is easy to judge someone for the negative when you don’t know a person. There is so much good at WHCP. The parents, teachers, and students know this.

Dr. Gulta
Dr. Gulta
5 years ago

Igor was always very nice. He bought me ice cream and seven gold rings. No way is he corrupt.

former student
former student
5 years ago

As a former student, I’m not surprised at all! They were extorting my parents to pay exaggerated tuition in a form of an anonymous donation to the school, so my grades would “stay in in good shape” even though I was always an “a” student to begin with.

Karen Eyres
Karen Eyres
5 years ago

This whole situation is deplorable. When rich parents use corrupt administrators to secure college admissions for their kids, they are taking away an academic opportunity from kids who have actually earned admissions to a competitive school. Who are they robbing from? The children of parents who are not rich, who DON’T bribe school administrators, and who play by the rules and expect their children to do the same (even when their exceptional grades, extracurriculars, etc. don’t get them into a”first choice” school like USC). Many exceptional students who come from backgrounds of poverty have avenues of entrance into these schools.… Read more »

A Person
A Person
5 years ago

Please don’t rush to judgment of Igor. I have known Igor for years. he is a good person. I can say that this is a very good school that treats its students VERY WELL. All the teachers care deeply about the students and their education. I can’t explain these allegations, but they DO NOT reflect upon the school, the teachers, and the quality of education offered there.

Oinkie
Oinkie
5 years ago
Reply to  A Person

‘Good’ men love money too. Live by the 10 commandments and this would not have happened.

Brdwman49
Brdwman49
5 years ago
Reply to  Oinkie

Your right.

Shameful
Shameful
5 years ago
Reply to  A Person

According to the evidence revealed thus far, Igor facilitated this scheme in person and then was compensated. Two opportunities to say no. It’s nice to be nice but its even nicer to be ethical. What he did carries a legal implication and will likely tarnish the lives of the students he facilitated. It’s the only internal compass anyone has and it’s a constant. Would you want this on your resume?

Michael G.
Michael G.
5 years ago

How wonderful!

West Hollywood has a new name that can be added to the laundry list of exalted male examples in our great “creative city!”

Igor Dvorskiy join Ed Buck and John Duran!

carleton croninc
5 years ago

It has taken too much time for this information to get out on the street. Who gets into Yale, Stanford? Why those who an bribe their way in. Just another note about how those who have much want more.

Former student
Former student
5 years ago

These people not only did this but constantly abused their students. I was there for pre-K and kindergarten and was treated poorly on multiple occasions. One time, they forced me to change my undergarments in front of the whole class (20+ kindergartners my age) because they thought I wet the cot I was napping in. I’ve seen their Russian teachers beat kids and threaten them with physical violence.

Stella
Stella
5 years ago
Reply to  Former student

Thank you for sharing your experience. I think it’s important for other families to know that there’s another side to the story. Although a lot of folks were quick to defend Igor & the school, as an outsider, I felt that were only speaking about their own self-interests. That’s their truth – but, if the director was running scams, I’m quite sure that behavior trickled down to the rest of the staff at the school. It’s all about a facade in this town. Parents love to find that perfect place for their kids to meet other families that live that… Read more »

Laura
Laura
5 years ago
Reply to  Former student

Hi There. I’m a reporter with the L.A. Times and I’d like to speak with you for a piece I’m writing at the school. Please contact me at [email protected]. I appreciate your help.