WASHINGTON — A former Georgetown University tennis coach is among the 50 people accused of taking or giving bribes to get students into colleges.
Prosecutors allege Coach Gordon Ernst took $2.7 million for what he called “consulting fees” but turned out to be payments to let non-tennis playing students attend school as team recruits.
In the 23-page indictment, prosecutors said Ernst took millions and designated at least a dozen Georgetown applications as recruits for the tennis team, despite none of them even playing competitively.
One wealthy family alone allegedly paid $400,000 for help to get their child into the elite university. Between the fall of 2015 and summer of 2016, Ernst is accused of collecting checks that total $700,000.
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Senior Elizabeth Copopianco said she was happy she got in – and glad she was not one of the students rejected to make room for another who didn’t deserve the spot.
“As a student go who got in for merit, hearing about that is absolutely upsetting,” she said.
Georgetown officials said Ernst has not coached its tennis team since December 2017, when an internal investigation allegedly found he had violated the university’s admissions rules.
"Georgetown University is deeply disappointed to learn that former Tennis Coach Gordon Ernst is alleged to have committed criminal acts against the University that constitute an unprecedented breach of trust,” university officials wrote in a statement. “Georgetown cooperated fully with the government’s investigation. We are reviewing the details of the indictment and will take appropriate action."
In another statement sent to the Georgetown community, university officials explained Ernst was placed on leave after the Office of Undergraduate Admissions identified irregularities in his recruitment practices.
"The investigation found that Mr. Ernst had violated University rules concerning admissions, and he separated from the University in 2018," according to the letter. "The University was not aware of any alleged criminal activity or acceptance of bribes by Mr. Ernst until it was later contacted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office ... Mr. Ernst’s alleged actions are shocking, highly antithetical to our values, and violate numerous University policies and ethical standards."
Federal authorities called the for-profit college preparation company, The Key Worldwide, the biggest college admissions scam ever prosecuted by the U.S. Justice Department, with the parents accused of paying an estimated $25 million in bribes.
At least nine athletic coaches and 33 parents, many of them prominent in law, finance or business, were among those charged. Hollywood stars Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were also charged.
The other coaches besides Ernst worked at such schools as Yale, Stanford, Wake Forest, the University of Texas, the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles. A former Yale soccer coach pleaded guilty and helped build the case against others.
Ernst most recently was listed as a coach for the University of Rhode Island. That school did not respond to WUSA9's request for comment Tuesday.
When asked what implications there might be for students admitted to Georgetown under false pretenses, university officials replied with the following statement:
In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Georgetown University refrains from commenting on individual students.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.