FIFTY PEOPLE--
INCLUDING ACTRESSES
FELICITY HUFFMAN AND
LORI LOUGHLIN-- WERE
CHARGED TODAY IN A
SWEEPING COLLEGE
ADMISSIONS BRIBERY
SCANDAL.
(MM)
NINE ATHLETIC COACHES
WERE ALSO CHARGED--
INCLUDING THE WOMAN'S
TENNIS COACH--
AT U-R-I--
GORDIE ERNST.
HERE IS WHERE THINGS
STAND RIGHT NOW.
(HE)
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
OFFICIALS SAY THE SCAM
OFFERED STUDENTS
NEAR-PERFECT COLLEGE
ADMISSION TEST
SCORES--
OR A FAKE ATHLETIC
PROFILE --- TO SECURE
THEM SPOTS AT ELITE
COLLEGES LIKE
YALE...GEORGETOWN...AN
D STANFORD.
(MM)
THEY SAY THE ALLEGED
MASTERMIND OF THE
SCHEME--
WILLIAM RICK SINGER--
TOOK IN 25 MILLION
DOLLARS IN BRIBES.
(HE)
NO SCHOOLS OR
STUDENTS WERE
CHARGED.
AUTHORITIES SAY --- IN
MANY CASES -- THE
STUDENTS WERE NOT
AWARE OF THEIR
PARENTS ACTIONS.
(MM)
EYEWITNESS NEWS
REPORTER KIM KALUNIAN
IS LIVE WITH WHAT THE
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE
ISLAND IS SAYING ABOUT
THE CHARGES AGAINST
WOMEN'S TENNIS COACH.
KIM?
(KK)
MIKE, SHANNON - THE
ALLEGED CRIMES DID NOT
TAKE PLACE WHILE
TENNIS COACH GORDON
ERNST WAS WORKING
HERE AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF RHODE ISLAND BUT
RATHER DURING HIS TIME
AT GEORGETOWN, WHEN
PROSECUTORS SAY HE
ACCEPTED CLOSE TO $3
MILLION IN BRIBES.
THE CURRENT WOMEN'S
TENNIS COACH AT URI FACES A
FEDERAL CHARGE OF
CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT
RACKETEERING -
52 YEAR OLD GORDON ERNST
CHARGED ALONG WITH 50
PEOPLE AS PART OF A
NATIONWIDE CONSPIRACY
PROSECUTORS SAY INVOLVED
CHEATING ON COLLEGE
ENTRANCE EXAMS AND
SECURING ADMISSION TO ELITE
UNIVERSITIES BY BRIBING
COACHES.
In return for bribes these
coaches
agreed to pretend that certain
applicants were recruited
competitive athletes when inf
act the
applicants were not. As the
coaches
knew, the students athletic
credential had been fabricated.
PROSECUTORS ALLEGE ERNST
RECEIVED MORE THAN 2.7
MILLION DOLLARS IN BRIBES,
FALSELY LABELED AS
CONSULTING FEES DURING A
SIX YEAR SPAN AT
GEORGETOWN.
IN EXCHANGE FOR THAT
MONEY, THE INDICTMENT SAYS
ERNST DESIGNATED AT LEAST
12 STUDENTS AS RECRUITS
FOR THE GEORGETOWN TENNIS
TEAM, INCLUDING SOME WHO
DID NOT PLAY TENNIS
COMPETITIVELY.
Evidence we've obtained showed
that trusted coaches and
administrators manipulated the
systems their universities had
in
place to accommodate students
with
fake athletic credentials, some
of
whom did not even play the
sports
they were recruited to play
(KK)
AND TODAY URI SAYS
ERNST He has not been
involved in the recruitment of
any current players nor in the
signing of any new recruits
HERE AT THE SCHOOL -
WE'LL HAVE MUCH MORE
ON THIS INVESTIGATION
AND what Ernst has been
ordered to forfeit. COMING
UP NEW AT 6. REPORTING
IN SOUTH KINGSTOWN,
KIM KALUNIAN
EYEWITNESS NEWS.
FIRST AT SIX --- NEW
DETAILS ON THE U-R-I
WOMEN'S TENNIS COACH,
NOW CAUGHT UP IN A
MASSIVE COLLEGE
ADMISSIONS BRIBERY
SCANDAL.
(MM)
THE CHARGES WERE
FIRST BREAKING ON
EYEWITNESS NEWS AT
NOON ---
IN ALL, FEDERAL
PROSECUTORS SAY-----
THEY'VE CHARGED SOME
50 PEOPLE IN WHAT----
THEY'VE DUBBED
"OPERATION VARSITY
BLUES."
AMONG THEM ---
ACTRESSES FELICITY
HUFFMAN AND LORI
LOUGHLIN.
THE ALLEGED
MASTERMIND, WILLIAM
SINGER, PLEADED GUILTY
TO FRAUD CHARGES IN
FEDERAL COURT IN
BOSTON THIS AFTERNOON.
(HE)
THIS IS VIDEO JUST IN ---
OF U-R-I WOMEN'S TENNIS
COACH GORDON ERNST
LEAVING FEDERAL COURT
IN MARYLAND.
HE'S CHARGED THERE ---
IN CONNECTION WITH HIS
TIME AT GEORGETOWN
UNIVERSITY.
(MM)
EYEWITNESS NEWS
REPORTER KIM KALUNIAN
JOINS US LIVE FROM U-R-I
IN SOUTH KINGSTOWN.
MIKE, SHANNON - GORDON
ERNST IS A CRANSTON
NATIVE AND SON OF
LEGENDARY COACH DICK
ERNST - HE MADE A NAME
FOR HIMSELF IN
ATHLETICS, PLAYING FOR
THE NHL AND WORKING AS
A TENNIS COACH FOR THE
OBAMAS - TODAY, HE IS
UNDER FEDERAL
INDICTMENT.
THE CURRENT WOMEN'S
TENNIS COACH AT URI FACES A
FEDERAL CHARGE OF
CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT
RACKETEERING -
52 YEAR OLD GORDON ERNST
CHARGED ALONG WITH 50
PEOPLE AS PART OF A
NATIONWIDE CONSPIRACY
PROSECUTORS SAY INVOLVED
CHEATING ON COLLEGE
ENTRANCE EXAMS AND
SECURING ADMISSION TO ELITE
UNIVERSITIES BY BRIBING
COACHES, MASTERMINDED BY
A MAN NAME WILLIAM RICK
SINGER.
Andrew Lelling
U.S. Attorney, Massachusetts
The coaches worked with Singer,
meaning they accepted bribes.
Singer gave the coaches
sufficiently
impressive fake athletic
credentials,
the coaches used those athletic
profiles to convince everyone
else
internally that this was a good
recruit for the team, the person
was
admitted and the coach pocketed
the bribe.
PROSECUTORS ALLEGE ERNST
RECEIVED MORE THAN 2.7
MILLION DOLLARS IN BRIBES
DURING A SIX YEAR SPAN AT
GEORGETOWN, RECRUITING AT
LEAST 12 STUDENTS IN
EXCHANGE.
IF CONVICTED ERNST WILL BE
ORDERED TO FORFEIT THAT
MONEY, AS WELL AS A
MARYLAND COUNTRY CLUB
MEMBERSHIP, A VANGUARD
ACCOUNT AND A FALMOUTH
CONDO.
ERNST WAS HIRED BY URI IN
AUGUST 2018, A
SPOKESWOMAN FOR URI
SAYING TUESDAY
"As a result [OF THE INDICTMENT]
the University has placed Ernst
on
administrative leave while it
continues to review the matter."
Andrew Lelling
U.S. Attorney, Massachusetts
There can be no separate college
admission system and I will add
that
where will not be a separate
criminal
justice system either.
AND TODAY URI SAYS
ERNST He has not been
involved in the recruitment of
any current players nor in the
signing of any new recruits.
KK EWN.
(HE)