Guilty plea expected today from former Yale soccer coach Rudy Meredith, charged in admissions scanda

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Rudy Meredith is expected to plead guilty today to fraud and conspiracy charges in connection with an extensive college admissions scandal, after federal authorities say the former Yale University soccer coach took hefty bribes in exchange for recruiting non-athletes to his team.

Meredith, who coached the women’s soccer team from 1995 until his resignation in November, faces charges of wire fraud, honest services fraud and conspiracy for his role in the national scheme, which has led to the indictments of 50 people, court records show. Meredith allegedly took $860,000 to help rich parents gain admission for their children through cheating and fraud.

At least nine athletic coaches are among the 50 people indicted as part of the FBI operation, made public on March 12, but it was an investigation into Meredith that first broke the case open in spring 2018, after a parent divulged to law enforcement that Meredith had sought a six-figure bribe to get his daughter into Yale, court records show.

Meredith soon began cooperating with the FBI, leading agents to William Rick Singer, the college admissions consultant accused of organizing the years-long college admissions scheme at Yale and other top universities.

Singer has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges.

In one case, Meredith designated a student as a Yale soccer recruit, “despite the fact that, as he knew at the the time, (she) did not play competitive soccer.” He received a check for $400,000 in that scheme, records show.

That scheme began in 2017 when Singer sent the student’s application to Meredith, along with her art portfolio, and told Meredith he would change the materials from art to soccer. On Nov. 17, 2017, Singer sent Meredith a fake athletic profile for the student that made her a co-captain of an elite Southern California soccer club.

“Need a soccer pic probably Asian girl,” Singer wrote. “Jr National Development Team in China ... we saying she got hurt this spring so was not recruited til now.”

Singer allegedly had Laura Janke, a former assistant coach at University of Southern California, create fake the credentials. Janke, charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering, is one of 12 defendants who entered not guilty pleas on Monday.

In the summer of 2017, Meredith allegedly entered into an agreement with another parent, who said he would pay a sum in the mid-six figures for Meredith to designate his daughter a soccer recruit.

In spring 2018, the parent told federal law enforcement about his scheme with Meredith after he fell under FBI scrutiny for securities fraud.

Over the next few weeks, the parent worked with law enforcement to record telephone calls and an in-person meeting with the coach. On April 12, the parent met Meredith in a Boston-area hotel room and agreed to pay him $450,000, starting with a $2,000 cash payment.

The next week, agents wired $4,000 to Meredith’s bank account in Connecticut, as further payment for the scheme.

Lawyers for Meredith, who is 51 and lives in Madison, did not respond to a request for comment earlier this week.

Yale said Monday that it rescinded the admission of one student in connection with the scandal. Another student linked in court records to the scam was denied entry.

Yale has said it does think any other Yale staff were aware of the scandal. Still, the university said Tuesday it will conduct a review into whether anyone beyond Meredith was “involved in activities that have corrupted the athletic recruitment and admissions process.”