Ex-coach pleads guilty to creating fake profiles in admissions scheme

May 14, 2019

Laura Janke, a former soccer coach at the University of Southern California, pleaded guilty Tuesday to creating fake athletic profiles for the children of wealthy parents in the college admissions scandal. She pleaded guilty in Boston federal court to conspiracy to commit racketeering.

The former assistant women’s soccer coach helped make bogus athletic profiles to get applicants admitted to universities as recruits for sports they didn’t play, according to authorities. Janke has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in the case and could be called to testify against others.

She is the fourth coach to plead guilty in the biggest college admissions scheme ever prosecuted in the U.S. She’ll be sentenced in October.

Actress Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty Monday to paying $15,000 to rig her daughter’s SAT score in the scheme. Prosecutors said she agreed to pay the money — disguised as a tax-deductible charitable contribution — to a foundation operated by admissions consultant William Singer, who in turn arranged for a proctor to correct her daughter’s SAT exam.

In an earlier court appearance, Huffman said she regretted her role in the scandal and admitted to wrongdoing.

“My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her,” she said in a statement she read in court. “This transgression toward her and the public I will carry for the rest of my life. My desire to help my daughter is no excuse to break the law or engage in dishonesty.”

Huffman, the 56-year-old “Desperate Housewives” star, is one of 33 parents, including prominent Hollywood figures and business people, facing charges for their alleged role in the scandal.