Gordon Ernst, Federal Programs Bribery, Massachusetts 2023
Gordon Ernst, Former Georgetown University Tennis Coach, Charged in College Admissions Scandal
BOSTON – A federal grand jury in the District of Massachusetts returned a second superseding indictment today, bringing additional charges against Gordon Ernst, the former Georgetown University tennis coach.
The second superseding indictment charges Ernst with three counts of federal programs bribery and three counts of filing false tax returns. An arraignment date has not yet been scheduled.
The indictment alleges that in addition to accepting bribes from William “Rick” Singer, Ernst also solicited and received bribes from three other prospective Georgetown applicants. Ernst then failed to report a significant portion of those bribe payments on his federal income tax returns.
The charge of federal programs bribery provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of filing a false tax return provides for a sentence of up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $100,000.
Gordon Ernst, 50, of Rockville, Maryland, is currently free on bail. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Singer previously pleaded guilty and is cooperating with the government’s investigation. Of the 12 coaches, administrators and employees charged in the initial indictment in March 2019, eight have pleaded guilty or agreed to do so. Defendants Gordon Ernst, Donna Heinel, Jovan Vavic and William Ferguson have pleaded not guilty.
The case against Ernst is part of a larger investigation into college admissions bribery. The charges against Ernst are in addition to those brought in an earlier indictment.
Case information, including the status of each defendant, charging documents and plea agreements are available here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/investigations-college-admissions-and-testing-bribery-scheme.
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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