Former Georgetown University head tennis coach, Gordon Ernst, was sentenced to over two years in prison on Friday after pleading guilty to accepting bribes to help certain students gain admission to the school.
Ernst’s sentence of 30 months is the harshest punishment so far in the federal investigation known as Varsity Blues. The operation focuses on investigating the payment of bribes from wealthy parents in order for admission to be given automatically without the need of application or a resume.
Ernst’s long sentence has to do with the high amount of bribes he accepted. Rachael S. Rollins, the U.S attorney that handled the case, stated “Mr. Ernst was one of the most prolific participants in cheating the college admissions system,” Rachael S. Rollins, the U.S. attorney, said in a statement. “He put nearly $3.5 million in bribes directly into his pocket and sold close to two dozen slots at Georgetown to the highest bidder.”
Ernst was arrested in March 2019. He pleaded guilty to the charges of him receiving bribes from 12 students and allowing them onto the Georgetown tennis team. Over 50 people were charged for participation in the scandal.
Ernst worked alongside William Singer, the leader of the entire scandal. Singer, a private college counselor, was known to give certain wealthy families a one-way ticket into top national colleges, using athletic recruiters like Ernst to facilitate the process.
Singer is now one of the only four defendants in the case that has not been sentenced to any punishment.
Ernst also did not report any of the bribes on his federal tax income, further increasing the severity of the crime. The scandal has made the public question the security of the application process.
Concerns over the corruption of college admission systems are becoming prevalent due to the scandal.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/09/us/varsity-blues-scandal-verdict.html
Ernst’s sentence of 30 months is the harshest punishment so far in the federal investigation known as Varsity Blues. The operation focuses on investigating the payment of bribes from wealthy parents in order for admission to be given automatically without the need of application or a resume.
Ernst’s long sentence has to do with the high amount of bribes he accepted. Rachael S. Rollins, the U.S attorney that handled the case, stated “Mr. Ernst was one of the most prolific participants in cheating the college admissions system,” Rachael S. Rollins, the U.S. attorney, said in a statement. “He put nearly $3.5 million in bribes directly into his pocket and sold close to two dozen slots at Georgetown to the highest bidder.”
Ernst was arrested in March 2019. He pleaded guilty to the charges of him receiving bribes from 12 students and allowing them onto the Georgetown tennis team. Over 50 people were charged for participation in the scandal.
Ernst worked alongside William Singer, the leader of the entire scandal. Singer, a private college counselor, was known to give certain wealthy families a one-way ticket into top national colleges, using athletic recruiters like Ernst to facilitate the process.
Singer is now one of the only four defendants in the case that has not been sentenced to any punishment.
Ernst also did not report any of the bribes on his federal tax income, further increasing the severity of the crime. The scandal has made the public question the security of the application process.
Concerns over the corruption of college admission systems are becoming prevalent due to the scandal.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/09/us/varsity-blues-scandal-verdict.html
