Yale drops student whose parents allegedly paid $1.2M to get her admitted

Yale University has reportedly rescinded its admission of a student whose parents paid $1.2 million as part of their efforts to get her accepted. 

The decision marks the first time a school involved in the massive college admissions scandal has taken the step to drop a student.

Yale said that the student had been attending the university after receiving an admission partly based on a fraudulent athletic endorsement from women’s soccer coach Rudy Meredith, according to CNN. The news network noted that another student was denied admission despite receiving a fraudulent endorsement from Meredith. 

{mosads}A Yale spokesman did not reveal information regarding the admitted student, who is identified in court documents as “Yale Applicant 1.”

Meredith and the alleged mastermind of the admissions scheme, Rick Singer, are both cooperating with prosecutors. Singer has pleaded guilty to racketeering, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and obstruction of justice, CNN noted. 

Court documents show that Meredith has pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud and related charges. 

In the case involving Yale, Singer allegedly created a false athletic profile for the student. Meredith then falsely designated the individual as a soccer recruit to help her admission prospects. 

Singer was allegedly paid $1.2 million by the applicant’s parents in the spring and summer of 2018. Meredith received a $400,000 check from Singer after the applicant gained admission to Yale. The complaint does not name the parents. 

According to court documents reviewed by CNN, Meredith solicited another bribe from the father of an applicant in 2018 — but that meeting was an FBI setup. Meredith resigned from his position and began cooperating with the investigation last November. 

Federal prosecutors earlier this month indicted more than 50 people, including celebrities and coaches, in what it called the “largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice.”

Those charged are accused of spending or laundering millions of dollars to get high school students admitted into premier universities such as Stanford, Yale and Georgetown.