Stanford University on Tuesday fired its sailing coach John Vandemoer in connection to a bombshell college-admissions bribery scandal.
Vandemoer, 41, was charged with accepting a total of $270,000 in contributions to the school’s sailing program for agreeing to recommend two prospective students for admission.
The school said on Tuesday that neither student came to Stanford but that ‘the alleged behavior runs completely counter to Stanford’s values.’
Stanford said it has no evidence that anyone else at the school is involved but will conduct an internal review.
Vandemoer pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering, which carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
He was released on his own recognizance pending his sentencing, which is scheduled for June 12.
According to his Facebook profile, Vandemoer is married to Olympic sailor Molly O’Bryan Vandemoer and the couple have a young son together.
Vandemoer and eight other current or former college coaches are among the 50 people indicted in the nationwide college admissions scheme, according to court documents unsealed Tuesday in Boston.
The alleged plot involved getting students admitted to some of the top schools in the country as recruited athletes – regardless of athletic ability – and helping those applicants cheat on their entrance exams, according to the documents.
The entire scheme was allegedly orchestrated by William Rick Singer, the founder of the college consulting business Edge College & Career Network, also known as The Key, in Newport Beach, California.
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SOURCE: Daily Mail, Snejana Farberov
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