Former Georgetown Tennis Coach Agrees to Plead Guilty in Admissions Scandal

U.S.|Former Georgetown Tennis Coach Agrees to Plead Guilty successful Admissions Scandal

A erstwhile Georgetown University men’s and women’s tennis manager accused of soliciting and accepting bribes to assistance students get into the assemblage was the latest idiosyncratic to hold to plead blameworthy Wednesday successful an admissions probe that has touched elite schools crossed the country, according to the U.S. attorney’s bureau for the District of Massachusetts.

The coach, Gordon Ernst, 54, of Chevy Chase, Md., and Falmouth, Mass., was scheduled to spell connected proceedings successful November alongside coaches astatine different universities.

The statement besides came arsenic the archetypal week of grounds unfolded successful the proceedings of 2 affluent fathers accused of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to get their children into the University of Southern California with trumped-up diversion credentials.

Mr. Ernst was accused of taking bribes to designate astatine slightest 12 students arsenic recruits to the Georgetown tennis team, including immoderate who did not play tennis competitively, betwixt 2012 and 2018. Federal prosecutors accidental helium was portion of an cognition orchestrated by William Singer, known arsenic Rick, who billed himself arsenic a “concierge” assemblage admissions advisor to the wealthy.

Mr. Ernst agreed to plead blameworthy to charges including conspiracy to perpetrate national programs bribery and filing a mendacious taxation return, according to tribunal documents. A plea proceeding has not yet been scheduled, national prosecutors said.

Mr. Ernst has agreed to a condemnation of astatine slightest 1 twelvemonth and up to 4 years successful prison, 2 years of supervised merchandise and the forfeiture of $3.4 cardinal successful proceeds derived from the scheme, according to the prosecution. Mr. Ernst’s lawyer, Tracy Miner, said Wednesday that the proceedings present taking spot successful Boston national tribunal did not person thing to bash with her client’s decision, but declined to remark beyond that.

In a statement, Georgetown University said it “was profoundly disappointed” to larn of Mr. Ernst’s actions “that represent an unprecedented breach of trust.”

It is an unfastened concealed that recruitment-worthy athletes person a higher than mean accidental of getting into galore elite universities, possibly adjacent much truthful than bequest admissions and the children of large donors. Mr. Singer told parents that helium had created a “side door” to admissions done diversion recruitment.

Mr. Ernst near Georgetown aft an interior probe successful 2017 recovered “irregularities” successful the diversion credentials of 2 students who were being recruited to play tennis; neither pupil was admitted, according to the university.

Mr. Ernst was arrested successful March 2019 with much than 4 twelve different coaches, parents, investigating halfway officials and the admitted mastermind of the admissions scheme, Mr. Singer, who began cooperating with the authorities successful 2018 and has pleaded blameworthy but has not yet been sentenced.

After the arrests, Georgetown said it planned to disregard 2 students connected to the scandal.

Since then, 57 radical person been charged successful the case, and astir 4 twelve person pleaded guilty, including 33 parents.

The 2 parents present connected trial, Gamal Abdelaziz, a erstwhile casino executive, and John Wilson, a erstwhile Gap executive, accidental they are guiltless and were duped by Mr. Singer into reasoning that they were making morganatic donations to the University of Southern California successful bid to creaseless the mode for their children to beryllium admitted arsenic recruited athletes.

Mr. Wilson’s lad was admitted arsenic a h2o polo subordinate and Mr. Abdelaziz’s girl was admitted arsenic a hoops player. Both of them played those sports, and Mr. Wilson’s lad was, according to the defense, a superior h2o polo player, but prosecutors person questioned their credentials to play astatine the collegiate level. Mr. Wilson is besides accused of paying $1.5 million, successful different strategy orchestrated by Mr. Singer, to get his daughters into Harvard and Stanford by falsely presenting them arsenic sailors.

Other parents successful the lawsuit are accused of agreeing to person their children diagnosed with learning disabilities truthful they could get 100 percent much clip to instrumentality the SAT oregon ACT trial and could instrumentality the trial astatine investigating centers that Mr. Singer controlled. Mr. Singer told parents that helium could warrant them immoderate SAT people they wanted, according to a signaling made portion Mr. Singer was cooperating with the government. He said their children would ne'er cognize astir the fraud and would conscionable deliberation that they’d had a fortunate day.

Sheelagh McNeill contributed research.