Gordon Ernst, a former tennis coach at Georgetown University, was sentenced to 30 months in Prison on Friday after pleading guilty to accepting bribes from students trying to gain admission to the university.
The coach sold at least 2 dozen admission slots for almost $3.5 million. He took bribes to take in students for the school’s tennis team between 2012 and 2018, regardless of their skill level or if they played competitively. Apart from the university scheme, Mr. Ernst also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal bribery and filing a false tax return. According to the Department of Justice, Mr. Ernst failed to report all the income he had received from bribes on his tax returns.
His sentence marks the most severe punishment issued so far in an investigation known as Operation Varsity Blues, which focuses on payment via bribes from wealthy families looking to cheat their children into elite schools. According to Rachael Rollins, a U.S. attorney, “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.”
The former coach, along with other coaches, parents, and testing center officials, was arrested in March 2019. In total, more than 50 people have been charged in connection with Operation Varsity Blues. “Mr. Ernst was one of the most prolific participants in cheating the college admissions system,” said Ms. Rollins. His final sentencing pushed government officials to rethink an education and college admissions system that favors wealthy families over the other.
Source:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1656877096638x497425905382837840/Ex-Georgetown%20Tennis%20Coach%20Sentenced%20in%20Admissions%20Scandal%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
The coach sold at least 2 dozen admission slots for almost $3.5 million. He took bribes to take in students for the school’s tennis team between 2012 and 2018, regardless of their skill level or if they played competitively. Apart from the university scheme, Mr. Ernst also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal bribery and filing a false tax return. According to the Department of Justice, Mr. Ernst failed to report all the income he had received from bribes on his tax returns.
His sentence marks the most severe punishment issued so far in an investigation known as Operation Varsity Blues, which focuses on payment via bribes from wealthy families looking to cheat their children into elite schools. According to Rachael Rollins, a U.S. attorney, “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.”
The former coach, along with other coaches, parents, and testing center officials, was arrested in March 2019. In total, more than 50 people have been charged in connection with Operation Varsity Blues. “Mr. Ernst was one of the most prolific participants in cheating the college admissions system,” said Ms. Rollins. His final sentencing pushed government officials to rethink an education and college admissions system that favors wealthy families over the other.
Source:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1656877096638x497425905382837840/Ex-Georgetown%20Tennis%20Coach%20Sentenced%20in%20Admissions%20Scandal%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
