Former Georgetown tennis coach Gordon Ernst has been sentenced to more than 2 years in prison for taking bribes. He was part of a scheme where wealthy families used money to get admission to top colleges for their kids in a series of cases named Operation Varsity Blues.
Ernst pleaded guilty and was arrested in March 2019 with some other coaches for recruiting around 12 students for the tennis team.
“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.”
This is one of many examples of bribery being used by parents to gain admission into top-tier colleges.
In 2019, Lori Loughlin and 50 other parents bribed William Singer, a private college counselor, to get into colleges. Loughlin specifically tried to get her daughter into the University of California through their sports teams.
“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,” Ms. Rollins said in the
statement.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/02/us/gordon-ernst-georgetown-tennis-%0D%0Acoach-scandal.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/09/us/varsity-blues-scandal-verdict.html
Ernst pleaded guilty and was arrested in March 2019 with some other coaches for recruiting around 12 students for the tennis team.
“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.”
This is one of many examples of bribery being used by parents to gain admission into top-tier colleges.
In 2019, Lori Loughlin and 50 other parents bribed William Singer, a private college counselor, to get into colleges. Loughlin specifically tried to get her daughter into the University of California through their sports teams.
“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,” Ms. Rollins said in the
statement.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/02/us/gordon-ernst-georgetown-tennis-%0D%0Acoach-scandal.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/09/us/varsity-blues-scandal-verdict.html
