Former Wake Forest coach's U.S. college scandal charges could be dropped
in deal
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[October 13, 2021]
By Nate Raymond
BOSTON (Reuters) - A former women's
volleyball coach at Wake Forest University accused of participating in a
vast U.S. college admissions fraud and bribery scheme has struck a deal
with federal prosecutors that could result in the charges against him
being dropped.
Federal prosecutors in Boston in a deferred prosecution agreement
unsealed on Tuesday agreed to dismiss the case against William Ferguson
after two years if he pays a $50,000 fine and complies with other
conditions.
Ferguson, 51, also accepted responsibility for his role in the college
admissions scandal, acknowledging he agreed in 2017 to help the scheme's
mastermind secure the admission of a student as a volleyball recruit in
exchange for "purported donations."
The mastermind, college admissions consultant William "Rick" Singer,
paid $100,000 to three accounts, including $40,000 to the Winston-Salem,
North Carolina school's volleyball program and $50,000 to a private
volleyball camp Ferguson controlled.
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Ferguson's lawyer did not respond to requests for comment.
The agreement's unsealing came after a federal jury on Friday in the
first trial in the scandal found two wealthy fathers guilty of trying to
buy their children's way into elite universities as phony athletic
recruits.
Ferguson and the two fathers, former casino executive
Gamal Aziz and private equity firm founder John Wilson, are among 57
people who were charged over a scheme in which parents conspired to
fraudulently secure college placement for their children.
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![](../images/101321pics/news_J19.jpg)
William Ferguson, former women's volleyball coach at Wake Forest
University facing charges in a nationwide college admissions
cheating scheme, arrives at the federal courthouse in Boston,
Massachusetts, U.S., March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo
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They did so with the help of Singer, who pleaded guilty in 2019 to
facilitating college entrance exam cheating and using bribery to
secure the admission of students as fake athletes.
Forty-seven people have agreed to plead guilty, including "Full
House" actress Lori Loughlin and "Desperate Housewives" star
Felicity Huffman.
Ferguson until recently was scheduled to go on trial in November
alongside Donna Heinel, a former University of Southern California
senior associate athletic director, and former USC water polo coach
Jovan Vavic.
They have pleaded not guilty. A federal judge recently indicated
they would be tried separately.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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