Since news of the college admissions scam broke on March 12, 2019, the aftermath of the Rick Singer-led scam has continued to play out in the news as charges were filed and pleas were subsequently entered. Hallmark star Lori Loughlin, "Desperate Housewives" actress Felicity Huffman, and many others were among those caught up in the resulting chaos. Now, a new book, "Unacceptable: Privilege, Deceit & the Making of the College Admissions Scandal," takes a deeper dive into how the story evolved over the past year.

Throughout the pages of "Unacceptable," veteran Wall Street Journal reporters Melissa Korn and Jennifer Levitz examine the "explosive true crime story of fraud, corruption, greed, celebrity, and justice in the cheating scandal that shattered the myth of meritocracy" as they explore the chain of events that brought the admissions scam to its current state.

In an excerpt from the first chapter, called "Future Stars," Korn and Levitz paint a portrait of Singer that illustrates parts of his background overlooked throughout the numerous stories about the admissions scam.

READ: College Admissions Scandal Update: Lori Loughlin's 2020 Case Examined Before Official Prison Sentence

After discussing his "spirited personality that made him popular" throughout his youth, the book hints at aspects of his demeanor that perhaps foreshadowed what was to come.

"He was prone to gross exaggerations, if not outright lies. He didn't win the basketball game by two points, he won by fifty points. If he had a hit in baseball, he didn't just get a line drive, he hammered one out of the park. Animated and fun to be around, Singer got away with the obvious embellishments, which were then harmless. Everyone knew he was fabricating, but they didn't care because they loved him," one passage states.

The 384-page book also covers Singer's educational background, including his past as a private college counselor and his time at Brookhaven College, a community college in Dallas.

In order to tell the story, Korn and Levitz traced "the wiretapped calls, covert payments, and blatant deceit that brought the feds to Beverly Hills mansions and Upper East Side apartments." The new book also details the far-reaching admissions scheme that involved more than 50 conspirators, which ranged from CEOs to financiers, in order to give readers a more comprehensive look at what transpired.

"Unacceptable: Privilege, Deceit & the Making of the College Admissions Scandal​" is now available on Amazon and other booksellers.

USC Reacts To College Admissions Scandal
Here, a statue of the school mascot, the Trojan, stands on the campus of the University of Southern California on March 6, 2007, in Los Angeles. David McNew/Getty Images
RELATED STORIES