College Admissions Scandal / Hangar 18

Hosted byRichard Syrett

College Admissions Scandal / Hangar 18

About the show

Guest host Richard Syrett welcomed John Wilson who recounted the harrowing experience of his arrest in the Varsity Blues case, describing it as deeply shocking and traumatic. Wilson was apprehended by FBI agents at the airport without prior knowledge of the charges, which were for "honest services fraud"—a term even the arresting agents could not define. He detailed his processing and detention in a federal prison, where he endured being shackled, stripped, and warned that fellow inmates might target him under false assumptions. At the time, he had no idea the arrest was connected to the college admissions scandal, and he initially believed it was a case of mistaken identity given his children's legitimate academic and athletic credentials.

The following day, Wilson learned from his legal counsel that he was allegedly involved in a broad scheme related to Rick Singer, a college admissions consultant. Despite this revelation, Wilson remained adamant that he had done nothing illegal. He emphasized that his son was a legitimate athlete with significant accolades and active participation on USC's team, and his daughters had achieved perfect ACT scores. Wilson explained that his interactions with Singer, which included tutoring and charity involvement, had been aboveboard and recommended by a long-trusted Goldman Sachs advisor. Singer initially provided legitimate services, and the family believed their donations—supported by tax receipts—were legal and intended to offer a traditional admissions boost, a practice he claimed was widely accepted at elite institutions.

Wilson further argued that he was unfairly targeted and used as a jurisdictional ploy to anchor the high-profile case in Boston, where he was the only Singer client residing. He asserted that prosecutors leveraged his presence in Massachusetts to draw other cases to Boston for career gain, and recounted a troubling exchange where a lead prosecutor pressured him to accept a plea deal in a courthouse hallway, allegedly without legal counsel present. Wilson concluded that the case against him was built on guilt by association rather than direct wrongdoing, pointing to the eventual overturning of his conviction and the implausibility of labeling school-directed donations—with receipts—as bribes. He believes the case became a political and media-driven prosecution that disregarded the actual evidence of his family's legitimate college admissions.

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During the latter half of the show, filmmaker and researcher Josh Reeves discussed his long-standing interest in Hangar 18 and how it led to his 68th documentary, This Is Hangar 18 (preview). His fascination began in the early 1990s after hearing Art Bell refer to it as the Rosetta Stone of ufology. Over the course of three decades, Reeves meticulously collected notes and testimonies about the site, which is said to house extraterrestrial debris, advanced technology, and even alien bodies. He explained that Hangar 18 is likely an above-ground facade with extensive underground facilities at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which he believes functions as an R&D hub for reverse-engineering alien technologies, in contrast to Area 51's testing role.

Reeves shared compelling claims linking the Roswell incident to Hangar 18, noting that wreckage and potential alien bodies first stopped at Carswell Air Force Base in Texas before arriving at Wright-Patt. This, he argued, explains Dallas's role in the birth of the silicon transistor. He discussed the alleged Blue Room where alien remains are stored, including a reported mantis-like being. Reeves cited whistleblowers like Col. Philip Corso, as well as folklore involving Jackie Gleason and Barry Goldwater, to underscore repeated accounts of alien tech and bodies stored at the base. Reeves emphasized the consistency of independent testimonies and mysterious deaths of insiders as indirect proof of a cover-up.

Reeves revealed his evolving belief that so-called extraterrestrials may be remnants of an ancient Earth-based civilization, not visitors from space. He described artifacts like the Naga crystal—allegedly linked to element 115—and advanced techs like fiber optics and the SR-71 as likely back-engineered from alien materials. Reeves concluded that Hangar 18 could be a mix of genuine secrecy and deliberate misdirection to mask black-budget military programs. Despite the mystery, he contended that society could handle full disclosure far better than governments believe, arguing that fear of losing power and control is the real reason behind the continued suppression of these revelations.

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