Former Willkie Farr co-chairman pleads guilty in college-admissions scam

Crain's New York Business reports:

Gordan Caplan, the suspended co-chairman of law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher, said Friday he would plead guilty to charges that he paid to have his daughter's ACT score inflated so she could get into a selective university.

"I apologize not only to my family, friends, colleagues and the legal bar but also to students everywhere who have been accepted to college through their own hard work," Caplan said in statement issued by his attorneys. "The remorse and shame that I feel is more than I can convey."

Caplan was one of dozens of wealthy people across the country charged last month by federal prosecutors with finding ways to get students admitted to college under false pretenses. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

Willkie Farr is one of the city's most prestigious law firms, with roots that go back to 1888. Alumni include Felix Frankfurter and Charles Evans Hughes, both justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, and Republican presidential candidate Wendell Willkie. Profits per equity partner were about $3 million last year, according to American Lawyer.

A big scalp in the federal investigation.