Courtesy of Sam Rubin
Former Yale women’s soccer coach Rudy Meredith has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges related to the largest college admissions scandal in recent history in U.S. District Court in Boston this Thursday. Details of Meredith’s plea deal with federal prosecutors emerged this past weekend.
Meredith — the women’s soccer program’s winningest coach — allegedly solicited a bribe for $400,000 to designate an applicant, denoted as “Yale Applicant 1” in unsealed court documents, as a women’s soccer recruit. The student was accepted and attended Yale until the University announced Sunday that her admission had been rescinded. Meredith also allegedly demanded a bribe of $450,000 in order to get another applicant into the University. According to court documents, he worked for the FBI as a cooperating witness starting in April 2018.
The unsealed plea agreement suggested that Swiss holdings may be involved in the former coach’s case.
“Upon request, Defendant must, consistent with Swiss law, furnish all documents, objects and other evidence in Defendant’s possession, custody or control that are relevant to the government’s inquiries,” the agreement said, but it did not elaborate.
The agreement also stated that the U.S. attorney would file a motion “to recommend that the Court impose a sentence below the advisory Guidelines sentencing range” provided that Meredith gives “substantial assistance in the investigation or prosecution of another person who has committed a criminal offense.”
Only the U.S. attorney can determine if Meredith has given substantial assistance, “based on the truthfulness and value of Defendant’s assistance, regardless of the outcome or result of any proceeding trial,” according to the unsealed deal.
Federal prosecutors have also agreed to recommend “incarceration at the low end of the Guidelines sentencing range” for the coach, the plea deal stated.
Meredith’s deal states that the government will attempt to have him forfeit funds amounting to more than $865,000.
The scam operation, led by the California-based William “Rick” Singer, allegedly helped more than 750 applicants get accepted to elite colleges across the country, including Yale. Unsealed Department of Justice documents also suggest that he received $25 million from parents as payment for his services. This includes $1.2 million from the family of Yale Applicant 1.
Meredith will appear in U.S. District Court Thursday.
Bill Gallagher | william.gallagher@yale.edu
Skakel McCooey | skakel.mccooey@yale.edu .