Ex-UT coach to plead guilty in admissions scam

1:03 pm | April 8, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:

4:53 PM ET

One coach and more than a dozen parents charged with participating in a high-profile college admissions scam have agreed to plead guilty to crimes of wire fraud and bribery, according to a news release by federal prosecutors in Boston.

Former Texas tennis coach Michael Center plans to become the second college coach to admit he accepted bribe money in a scheme with college counselor William “Rick” Singer to falsely identify college applicants as prospective athletes in order to help them get into college. Center, according to the U.S. attorney’s office, took $60,000 in cash from Singer and accepted another $40,000 donation to the Longhorns’ tennis program in exchange for falsely listing the child of one of Singer’s clients as a tennis recruit.

Center’s Boston-based attorney, John Cunha Jr., would not comment about Monday’s news release.

Center’s guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud could come with a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine of as much as $250,000. Texas fired Center last month soon after charges against him were announced.

He is one of several coaches from elite universities throughout the country accused of participating in the scams set into motion by Singer, a California-based college counselor. Singer agreed to cooperate with federal agents to implicate others involved in the scam after they confronted him in the summer of 2018. He has pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering, money laundering and fraud.

Singer helped wealthy parents get their children into competitive universities by facilitating cheating on standardized tests or by lying about students’ involvement in sports and convincing college coaches to take part in the lie. Yale soccer coach Rudy Meredith also pleaded guilty last week to participating in the scam.

Along with the coaches, 13 parents charged in the scheme have agreed to plead guilty to bribery and fraud charges. This group of parents, including actress Felicity Huffman, paid anywhere from $15,000 to $600,000 for Singer’s help in securing admission to schools such as USC, UCLA and Georgetown, among others.

Most of those parents appeared at initial court hearings last week in Boston and waived their rights to a preliminary hearing. Some said outside the courtroom that they intended to fight the charges.

More than four dozen people in total have been charged with crimes related to the scheme uncovered by FBI agents thanks to a tip from a Southern California financial trader who was in trouble with the law for a separate crime.

Plea hearings for those who plan to enter guilty pleas have not yet been scheduled, according to a release from the U.S. attorney’s office. The parents involved face up to 20 years in prison and fines that could total hundreds of thousands of dollars. A federal district court judge will decide their punishment.

ESPN’s John Barr contributed to this report.