Gordon Ernst, age 54, a former Georgetown University tennis coach, pleaded guilty to
accepting bribes to help prospective students gain admission to the university last fall. Last
Friday, he was sentenced to two years in prison, according to the US attorney’s office for the
District of Massachusetts.
The sentence of 30 months was the harshest punishment issued so far in the federal
investigation commonly known as Operation Varsity Blues. This operation focuses on the
payment of bribes by wealthy parents in order to have their children admitted to better colleges.
A US attorney, Rachael SS. Rollins, said, “Mr. Ernst was one of the most prolific participants
in cheating the college admissions system. 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.”
Last fall, Mr. Ernst pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit federal programs
bribery and filing a false tax return, according to court documents.
Ms. 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.”
Mr. Ernst was arrested in March 2019, along with more than four dozen other coaches,
parents, and testing center officials. Mr. Ernst pleaded guilty to taking bribes to designate at
least 12 students as recruits for the Georgetown tennis team between 2012 and 2018. Some of those students did not play tennis competitively, according to court documents.
More than 50 people have been charged in connection with the Varsity Blues Scandal.
According to the Department of Justice, Mr. Ernst also failed to report the income from those
bribe payments on his federal income tax returns. His sentencing is one of the final additions to the scandal, which also led to more concerns about the college admissions system that often favors wealthier applicants.
Mr. Ernst supposedly worked alongside William Singer, who prosecutors said was the
ringleader of the college admissions scheme, and a private college counselor who offered
wealthy families another path into the nation’s top universities. He often used athletic recruiters like Mr. Ernst to obfuscate a college applicant’s qualifications. Mr. Singer began cooperating with authorities in 2018, and is one of four other defendants in the Varsity Blues Case who hasn’t been sentenced yet. His hearing has been scheduled for this September.
accepting bribes to help prospective students gain admission to the university last fall. Last
Friday, he was sentenced to two years in prison, according to the US attorney’s office for the
District of Massachusetts.
The sentence of 30 months was the harshest punishment issued so far in the federal
investigation commonly known as Operation Varsity Blues. This operation focuses on the
payment of bribes by wealthy parents in order to have their children admitted to better colleges.
A US attorney, Rachael SS. Rollins, said, “Mr. Ernst was one of the most prolific participants
in cheating the college admissions system. 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.”
Last fall, Mr. Ernst pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit federal programs
bribery and filing a false tax return, according to court documents.
Ms. 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.”
Mr. Ernst was arrested in March 2019, along with more than four dozen other coaches,
parents, and testing center officials. Mr. Ernst pleaded guilty to taking bribes to designate at
least 12 students as recruits for the Georgetown tennis team between 2012 and 2018. Some of those students did not play tennis competitively, according to court documents.
More than 50 people have been charged in connection with the Varsity Blues Scandal.
According to the Department of Justice, Mr. Ernst also failed to report the income from those
bribe payments on his federal income tax returns. His sentencing is one of the final additions to the scandal, which also led to more concerns about the college admissions system that often favors wealthier applicants.
Mr. Ernst supposedly worked alongside William Singer, who prosecutors said was the
ringleader of the college admissions scheme, and a private college counselor who offered
wealthy families another path into the nation’s top universities. He often used athletic recruiters like Mr. Ernst to obfuscate a college applicant’s qualifications. Mr. Singer began cooperating with authorities in 2018, and is one of four other defendants in the Varsity Blues Case who hasn’t been sentenced yet. His hearing has been scheduled for this September.
