The former cochairman of a major New York law firm has been suspended from practicing law for two years after pleading guilty and spending time in prison over his role in the US college admissions scandal.

American actress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mosimo Gianori were sentenced to imprisonment for two months and five months respectively on August 21, 2020, for admissions fraud in a prestigious school. Photo: VCG

Gordon Caplan, who had been cochairman at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, sidestepped disbarment despite his efforts to avoid "getting caught," according to a Thursday decision by a New York appellate court imposing the suspension.

The suspension is retroactive to November 2019, when Caplan was initially suspended after pleading guilty. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Caplan is among 57 people charged by federal prosecutors in Boston over a scheme in which wealthy parents conspired with California consultant William "Rick" Singer to fraudulently secure their children's admission to colleges. Singer has admitted to facilitating cheating on college entrance exams and using bribery to falsely portray college applicants as athletic recruits. 

Thirty parents have pleaded guilty, including actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman.

Caplan, 54, pleaded guilty in 2019 to paying $75,000 to rig his daughter's ACT exam, by having an associate of Singer's pose as a proctor and correct the daughter's wrong answers. The five-judge appeals panel said it was clear Caplan's focus had been "not on the immorality and illegality of his actions but on not getting caught, and he continued with the scheme despite numerous opportunities to walk away."