On Friday, July 1, 2022, Georgetown University head tennis coach Gordon Ernst was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison because of his college admissions cheating schemes revealed in the Boston federal court.
This sentencing for this 54-year-old coach may be the harshest one yet.
He was not the only one that has been charged for participating in the scheme. Many others, precisely 57, were part of this case. Their actions were caught by the federal authorities in an investigation.
The members included actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, who have pleaded guilty. The main leaders received millions before their sentences to prison, while others only received prison time, and little to no money from their contribution. These sentences range from one day for a former Stanford University sailing coach to more than a year for John Wilson, a former senior Staples executive.
This crime mainly involved the bribes of wealthy parents for their children to get into top colleges. From this, Ernst acknowledges that he took more than $3.4 million in worth of bribes. He has been alleged as to have accepted more bribes than any other coach, since his start at the Georgetown tennis program in 2008.
As another punishment for the scandals, the court ordered Ernst to return the $3.43 million worth of bribes that he has accepted.
However, this Georgetown tennis coach was not the leader of the pack. The scheme’s ringleader, named William “Rick” Singer, was sentenced by a U.S. District Judge as guilty for conspiracy and bribery, in exchange for more than 20 spots in the Georgetown tennis recruits. He is one of the four remaining Varsity Blues case members who have not been sentenced, and his hearing is scheduled sometime in September.
“Mr. Ernst was one of the most prolific participants in cheating the college admissions system,” the U.S. attorney Rachael S. Rollins stated. “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.”
Sources cited:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1656877096638x497425905382837840/Ex-Georgetown%20Tennis%20Coach%20Sentenced%20in%20Admissions%20Scandal%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
https://www.forbes.com/sites/madelinehalpert/2022/07/01/varsity-blues-scandal-ex-georgetown-tennis-coach-gets-25-years-longest-prison-sentence-so-far/?sh=8ef257e128fb
https://www.wsj.com/articles/former-georgetown-tennis-coach-sentenced-to-2-5-years-in-prison-11656690042
This sentencing for this 54-year-old coach may be the harshest one yet.
He was not the only one that has been charged for participating in the scheme. Many others, precisely 57, were part of this case. Their actions were caught by the federal authorities in an investigation.
The members included actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, who have pleaded guilty. The main leaders received millions before their sentences to prison, while others only received prison time, and little to no money from their contribution. These sentences range from one day for a former Stanford University sailing coach to more than a year for John Wilson, a former senior Staples executive.
This crime mainly involved the bribes of wealthy parents for their children to get into top colleges. From this, Ernst acknowledges that he took more than $3.4 million in worth of bribes. He has been alleged as to have accepted more bribes than any other coach, since his start at the Georgetown tennis program in 2008.
As another punishment for the scandals, the court ordered Ernst to return the $3.43 million worth of bribes that he has accepted.
However, this Georgetown tennis coach was not the leader of the pack. The scheme’s ringleader, named William “Rick” Singer, was sentenced by a U.S. District Judge as guilty for conspiracy and bribery, in exchange for more than 20 spots in the Georgetown tennis recruits. He is one of the four remaining Varsity Blues case members who have not been sentenced, and his hearing is scheduled sometime in September.
“Mr. Ernst was one of the most prolific participants in cheating the college admissions system,” the U.S. attorney Rachael S. Rollins stated. “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.”
Sources cited:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1656877096638x497425905382837840/Ex-Georgetown%20Tennis%20Coach%20Sentenced%20in%20Admissions%20Scandal%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
https://www.forbes.com/sites/madelinehalpert/2022/07/01/varsity-blues-scandal-ex-georgetown-tennis-coach-gets-25-years-longest-prison-sentence-so-far/?sh=8ef257e128fb
https://www.wsj.com/articles/former-georgetown-tennis-coach-sentenced-to-2-5-years-in-prison-11656690042
