no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

Obama family’s tennis instructor indicted as part of massive college admissions scandal
March 16, 2019 by Ben Marquis

Gordon Ernst, who was a personal tennis instructor for former first lady Michelle Obama, as well as daughters Malia and Sasha, was one of the dozens of individuals charged in the massive federal indictment that exposed the fraudulent college admissions scam as felony racketeering.

The indictment does not suggest that the Obamas were involved in the scheme in any way.
Obama family tennis instructor indicted

Ernst was the head coach for both the men’s and women’s tennis teams at Georgetown University at the time of the alleged crimes.

According to pages 13 and 14 of the federal indictment, Ernst allegedly received more than $2.7 million in bribes disguised as “consulting fees” between 2012 and 2018 from the ringleader of the scam, William Rick Singer.

Singer operated a fraudulent charity as cover for the scheme, in which he bribed athletic coaches and standardized test monitors on behalf of wealthy parents in order to gain their children admission to elite colleges and universities like Georgetown, Yale, and Stanford.

The bribes received by Ernst earned his cooperation in designating 12 individual applicants as athletic recruits to Georgetown, even though some of the applicants didn’t even play competitive tennis, much less deserved a limited spot on the university’s tennis teams.

The indictment noted that there was evidence of emails containing false information, invoices and even checks received by Ernst which implicated him in the fraudulent scam, including checks totaling $700,000 from the fake charity between Sept. 2015 and Aug. 2016.
Ernst placed on leave

Ernst served as the tennis coach at Georgetown from 2006 to 2017, and resigned from the university in Jan. 2018.

A spokesperson for the university claimed that Ernst had quietly resigned more than a year ago “following an internal investigation that found he had violated University rules concerning admissions.”

After he left Georgetown, Ernst became the women’s tennis coach at the University of Rhode Island. However, following the announcement of the indictments, Ernst was placed on administrative leave by that school.

Not fair

Dozens of wealthy parents are facing federal criminal charges in the mushrooming scandal, including actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin. And civil lawsuits are popping up from students and parents who say they were denied a fair chance to get in to the highly selective schools.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said the Trump administration is advocating for “equal opportunity for all students.” “We are still researching and looking into how the department might interface with this. Obviously this is a Department of Justice operation but we are looking very closely at it and we’ll see if any of the regulations we’re responsible for have been broken,” she said.

Kevyn

This is shocking! Someone who the Obamas took tennis lessons from is caught committing a serious crime. This should be investigated thouroughly. If this was someone with a role in his campaign or administration such as a campaign manager or advisor it would reek of corruption but it is just a tennis coach. I guess Obama did not hire only “the best people” as the crooked idiot braggart Pumpkinfuhrer does.

proud republican Loc: RED CALIFORNIA

Kevyn do you always have to be so nauseatingly obnoxious????.....

Rose42

He’s not doing the left any favors with his posts.

Iliamna1

"Someone who the Obamas took tennis lessons from is caught committing a serious crime."

Please, friends at OPP. Everyone with any power probably has an association with someone who is, shall we say, less than honest, whether knowingly or not. O.K. The Obamas knew Ernst. That does not mean they bribed him or are part of this scandal. And by the way, I despised Obama's policies and voted for Trump.
Guilt by association doesn't always pan out. As for the people who cheated/bribed their way through the admissions process, they should all be thrown out of whatever institute of higher learning they're in.

peter11937 Loc: NYS

Nor does it show Obama had no knowledge of the monkey business, only he can say.

Iliamna1

I did say "whether knowingly or not."

padremike Loc: Phenix City, Al

I didn't see him do it but I know Obama is guilty. (Note: this is me acting like a Progressive.)

badbob85037

Best people:
As Lynch heading up the IRS?
As Holder to Attorney General?
As pay to play Hillary as Secretary of State?
As draw the illegals to Arizona as flies to crap Napolitano for head of Noland Security?
Need I go on? Best people not but you would be hard pressed to find worst people.

Carol Kelly

Remember that when the House is trying to indict everyone Trump ever crossed paths with, please.

PeterS

So the indictment doesn't suggest the Obama's were involved then what is the point of the thread?

PeterS

And any and all of them better than anyone Trump put up at the same positions...

Iliamna1

That's an excellent question.

wolffy

If he was Trump s tennis instructor, you would be screaming to the sky to start yet another investigation!!

no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun