Former men’s soccer coach Jorge Salcedo to plead guilty to racketeering charges
Former UCLA men’s soccer coach Jorge Salcedo will plead guilty to conspiring to commit racketeering, according to a plea agreement unsealed Tuesday. Salcedo resigned in March 2019 following the initial charges and a first-round exit in the 2018 NCAA tournament. (Liz Ketcham/Photo editor)
Jorge Salcedo, the former UCLA men’s soccer coach who resigned following his involvement in the 2019 college admission bribery scheme, will plead guilty to conspiring to commit racketeering, according to a plea agreement released Tuesday.
Prosecutors will recommend the lower end of penalties for racketeering, which can result in up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The plea deal, which Salcedo signed Sunday, will dismiss all other charges against Salcedo, including conspiring to commit bribery, mail fraud and wire fraud.
Salcedo will have to forfeit $200,000 as part of the plea, the amount of money he took from multiple families attempting to secure their children’s admission to UCLA. Both families accused of paying Salcedo and consultant Rick Singer for fabricating their children’s soccer profiles and arranging admission to the university have already pleaded guilty to separate criminal charges.
Xiaoning Sui, who paid Singer’s company $400,000 to recruit her son into UCLA’s men’s soccer program, pleaded guilty to federal program bribery in February. Bruce and Davina Isackson, who paid $250,000 for their daughter’s admission, pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering charges in May 2019 and are cooperating with prosecutors.
The former men’s soccer coach received $100,000 from each family’s payment, according to court documents.
Salcedo joins the dozens of parents, coaches and administrators who have already pleaded guilty or been sentenced for their involvement in the scandal since March 2019.
