During the fall of 2021, a Georgetown tennis coach named Gordon Ernst was found to have accepted large sums of money from students who wanted spots in the school. He was sentenced to 30 months of prison to pay for his actions.
The sentencing of Gordon Enrst from both Chevy Chase Maryland and Falmouth, Massachusetts, to imprisonment for 30 months was said to be the harshest sentence in the Varsity Blues Case so far. His sentence was focused on how he accepted bribes from multiple wealthy parents in exchange for admitting their children to prestigious colleges. Not only this, but the court document’s writings said he committed federal programs bribery (where you receive over 10,000 dollars in federal funds) and he also falsely filed his taxes.
Ernst was said to have been one of the most active participants in the scheme of breaking the rules in college admission systems. U.S attorney Rachael S. Rollins previously said, “[h]e put nearly $3.5 million in bribes directly into his pocket and sold close to two dozen slots at Georgetown to the highest bidder.”
Rollins also said, “Mr. Ernst was a key driver of this corruption of the college admissions process, and the court’s sentence speaks volumes about the gravity of his conduct.” Attorneys of Ernst had nothing to say in his defense.
Although he was sentenced, this wasn’t Ernst’s first time in jail. He was first imprisoned in March 2019, along with 48 more coaches, parents, and testing officials involved in the scandal. Ernst was revealed to have taken money from 12 students and admitted them to the school throughout 2012 and 2018. According to court documents, some of those students didn’t even play tennis competitively. In this time period of the scandal, there were over 50 people charged for taking part in the scheme.
Ernst was also said to have been working with one of the four defendants who haven’t been sentenced in court, William Singer (who goes by Rick). Rick was said to be the ringleader who offered other ways to cheat into top schools, using people like Ernst to obscure the requirements on applications. Luckily, Ernst is in jail, and Rick’s hearing will be held in September, hopefully getting rid of the duo’s scheme.
The sentencing of Gordon Enrst from both Chevy Chase Maryland and Falmouth, Massachusetts, to imprisonment for 30 months was said to be the harshest sentence in the Varsity Blues Case so far. His sentence was focused on how he accepted bribes from multiple wealthy parents in exchange for admitting their children to prestigious colleges. Not only this, but the court document’s writings said he committed federal programs bribery (where you receive over 10,000 dollars in federal funds) and he also falsely filed his taxes.
Ernst was said to have been one of the most active participants in the scheme of breaking the rules in college admission systems. U.S attorney Rachael S. Rollins previously said, “[h]e put nearly $3.5 million in bribes directly into his pocket and sold close to two dozen slots at Georgetown to the highest bidder.”
Rollins also said, “Mr. Ernst was a key driver of this corruption of the college admissions process, and the court’s sentence speaks volumes about the gravity of his conduct.” Attorneys of Ernst had nothing to say in his defense.
Although he was sentenced, this wasn’t Ernst’s first time in jail. He was first imprisoned in March 2019, along with 48 more coaches, parents, and testing officials involved in the scandal. Ernst was revealed to have taken money from 12 students and admitted them to the school throughout 2012 and 2018. According to court documents, some of those students didn’t even play tennis competitively. In this time period of the scandal, there were over 50 people charged for taking part in the scheme.
Ernst was also said to have been working with one of the four defendants who haven’t been sentenced in court, William Singer (who goes by Rick). Rick was said to be the ringleader who offered other ways to cheat into top schools, using people like Ernst to obscure the requirements on applications. Luckily, Ernst is in jail, and Rick’s hearing will be held in September, hopefully getting rid of the duo’s scheme.
