By: Henry Wang

The U.S attorney’s office for the District of Massachusetts says on Friday that a previous head tennis coach at Georgetown University was punished with over 2 years in prison. They were sentenced after pleading guilty to acknowledging using bribes to help students get into prestigious universities.

This case falls under Operation Varsity Blues which is a federal investigation that deals with wealthy parents getting their children into prestigious colleges using bribes.

“Mr. Ernst was one of the most prolific participants in cheating the college admissions system,” U.S attorney Rachael S. Rollins said. “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.”

Based on court documents, federal bribery and filing a false tax return are the charges Mr. Ernst is facing. Last fall Mr. Ernst plead guilty to the charges.

“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 continued.

4 dozen coaches, parents, testing officials, and Mr. Ernst were all arrested in March of 2019. There were over 50 people who related to the incident and were also charged.

Also, a full reporting of all the bribe payments wasn’t made by Mr. Ernst’s tax returns according to the Department of Justice. Mr. Ernst’s case is one of the last ones in the Varsity Blues scandal, which has brought back concerns about the college admission system.

William Singer the leader of the bribing scheme, worked with Mr. Ernst. William Singer was a private college counselor who told rich families that he could open a “side door” to get their children into prestigious colleges by using athletic recruiters to obscure the applicant’s skills.

Mr. Singer is one of the last defendants for the Varsity Blues investigation that hasn’t been sentenced. His hearing will be scheduled for some time in September.

Source:

The New York Times