Georgetown University has announced its intention to expel two students whose admission was linked to the bribery scandal still unfolding in federal court, including one student who is suing the university claiming he knew nothing about his father's scheme to land him on the prestigious Washington D.C. campus.
Though the students' identities were not released, local affiliate FOX 5 has confirmed that the individual behind the lawsuit is junior Adam Semprevivo. In a guilty plea last week, father Stephen Semprevivo admitted to paying $400,000 to get his son into Georgetown as a tennis recruit, even though Adam didn’t play tennis. In the suit, Adam says a fake essay was written and signed on his behalf without his knowledge.
No university officials were made available for comment on this story Wednesday, but Georgetown has indicated that in 2017 it put former tennis coach Gordon Ernst on leave immediately after discovering “irregularities in the athletic credentials of two students who were being recruited to play tennis.” Neither one of those students was admitted to the university, according to the school.
After initiating an internal investigation, Ernst was asked to resign and the university established a new policy concerning the recruitment of student-athletes, according to Georgetown.
Twenty of those who were charged in the scandal have pleaded guilty. Ernst, who is accused of accepting $2.7 million in bribes to designate 12 applicants as recruits, has not pleaded guilty, according to FOX 5.
Meanwhile, Adam Semprevivo and the other student being expelled may lose the credits they’ve earned at Georgetown. A university spokesperson says there will be a permanent notation made on their transcripts and then it will be up to their next school to decide whether to accept the credits. The university says “each student case was addressed individually and each student was given multiple opportunities to respond and provide information to the University.”
