ANTICORRUPTION DEVELOPMENTS -

New Guilty Plea in College Admissions Scandal -

On April 21, 2020, Jorge Salcedo, a former tennis coach at a prominent California university, entered into a plea agreement related to his alleged role in the ongoing college admissions scandal known as Operation Varsity Blues. Salcedo admitted to falsely labeling two students as soccer recruits so they would gain admission to the school in exchange for $200,000. The corrupt payment was brokered by William “Rick” Singer, the discredited college admissions consultant and cooperating witness at the heart of the scandal. As part of his deal, Salcedo will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering and has also agreed to pay $200,000 in restitution and an unspecified fine. A date for his sentencing hearing has not yet been set.

As part of the widespread investigation previously covered by Red Notice, at least 32 people have pleaded guilty for their roles in the college admissions scandal out of the 53 defendants charged thus far.