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A former decorated University of Southern California water polo coach was found guilty Friday of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to recruit unqualified students so they could attend the elite institution and a test taker whose role was central to the college admissions scandal was sentenced to four months in prison.
The conviction of Jovan Vavic, 60, is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions against dozens of wealthy parents and school athletic administrators in a scandal that has since clouded the university admissions process. Vavic declined to comment as he and his family left a Boston federal court.
Prosecutors alleged he took more than $200,000 in bribes to fake athletic credentials and designate college applicants as water polo athletes to get them into the Los Angeles university.
COLLEGE ADMISSION SCANDAL: FIRST TRIAL IN ALLEGED BRIBERY SCHEME HEADS TO JURY
Jovan Vavic, a former University of Southern California water polo coach, arrives at federal court in Boston on March 25, 2019, to face charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal. Vavic was found guilty Friday of accepting bribes to in the sprawling colege admissions sacandal.
(AP)
Defense lawyers said Vavic never took a bribe and always acted in the best interest of the school and his teams. They said he was raising money for his winning program, a demand that came down from school athletic officials. The university fired him in 2019 after his arrest.
In a statement to Fox News, USC said: “We respect the judicial process and the jury’s decision.”
Prosecutors said Vavic also helped recruit others to the scheme, pointing to wiretap transcripts in which he called the arrangement a “win-win” situation and where he encouraged a fellow coach with doubts about the scheme to “just do it.”
“The defendant’s own words tell you what you need to know,” Assistant U.S Attorney Leslie Wright told the jury…
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