Ex-Georgetown coach gets 2 1/2 years in bribery scandal

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER
Associated Press

A former Georgetown University tennis coach has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for pocketing more than $3 million in bribes in exchange for helping wealthy parents cheat their kids’ way into the school. The sentence for Gordon Ernst is by far the toughest punishment handed down so far in the sprawling college admissions bribery scandal that shined a light on the lengths some rich parents will go to get their kids into the nation’s most selective schools. Ernst admitted to accepting nearly $3.5 million in bribes over a decade to designate the children of deep-pocketed parents as recruits even though they weren’t Georgetown-caliber players.