A wealthy businessman accused of bribing his daughter at Georgetown University as a tennis player was acquitted on Thursday of all charges by a federal jury in Boston, the first verdict of innocence related to the government investigation Varsity Blues on Corrupt College Admissions
Businessman Amin Khoury has been charged with giving $ 180,000 in cash to Georgetown tennis coach Gordon Ernst for facilitating the recruitment of his daughter to the team and admission to college, though she was a player of the caliber of Georgetown. The cash went through an intermediary, delivered in a paper bag, according to prosecutors.
Following the verdict, one of Mr. Khoury, Roy Black, said the verdict showed that the jury agreed with the defense’s argument that college admission is not pure meritocracy and that Georgetown cultivated applicants from families who could allow generous donations. to the University.
“I tried to stress to the jury that the federal government did not participate in these private companies,” Mr. Black in an interview. “These schools are private companies that spend 24 hours a day raising funds, and there is no tax money involved, no government officials involved, no government policies. Therefore, No. 1, the federal government is not involved. should involve “.
Mr. Black said the defense had a document, which he referred to in his initial statement, but was unable to appear in court, which showed that Georgetown had investigated the financial background of parents who could become donors, including Mr. Khoury.
“Georgetown had a team of people who investigated what the father was doing, what his income was, how much his houses cost,” Mr. “They imagined they could get one to five million from him, so cynical is that.”
He added: “We have shown without a doubt that wealth is an important factor in being admitted to these elite universities: I’m not talking about government-funded universities, I’m talking about Ivy League and Georgetowns.”
Mr. Khoury is involved in financial investments. His father, Amin J. Khoury, was a founder of B / E Aerospace, a manufacturer of aircraft cabin interior products.
In a statement, Rachael S. Rollins, the U.S. attorney for the Massachusetts District, said the government was disappointed with the verdict, but was encouraged because “dozens of successful Varsity Blues trials” have resulted in huge changes. systemic in the university admissions process. ”and had shown how wealth and privileges could distort a system that is supposed to be based on merit.
Although prosecutors framed the Khoury case in a very similar way to the rest of the cases, it was different because it did not involve William Singer, a university admissions consultant, who pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting. dozens of parents enroll their children in elite schools. through bribery, false SAT scores and forged credentials.
Mr. Black said he believed that having Mr. Khoury, Katherine, at the stand “to tell the story that she was a tennis player, she wanted to play tennis,” she also helped. He has since graduated from Georgetown and received a master’s degree in business from Fordham, he said.
Mr. Ernst, the former tennis coach, pleaded guilty last fall to soliciting and accepting bribes to help students get into college.
Khoury’s verdict was extraordinary, as it came after a series of convictions by other parents caught in the university admissions scandal, and after two other parents who risked their lives. trial, John Wilson, a former Gap and Staples executive, and Gamal. Abdelaziz, a former casino executive, was convicted. Mr. Wilson and Mr. Abdelaziz, who made similar arguments, are attractive.
Susan C. Beachy contributed to the research.