Stanford looks to give away ‘tainted’ money
Stanford University, struggling to recover from an admissions scandal, told a federal judge Monday it is working with the state attorney general’s office to find a worthy cause for $770,000 donated by families of would-be recruits to the school’s sailing team, including $610,000 in bribes to the coach.
Stanford “views those funds as tainted “and “does not wish to benefit in any way” from the conduct of former coach John Vandemoer, the university’s general counsel, Debra Zumwalt, said in a “victim impact statement” to the judge in Boston who is handling Vandemoer’s criminal case.
Zumwalt said the school wants the funds to be used for the “public good.” Stanford is consulting with the charitable division of Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s office on how to redirect the funds, said Brad Hayward, a university spokesman.
Vandemoer pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to commit racketeering and was fired the same day. He admitted accepting bribes from the parents of three applicants for admission who wanted to join the sailing team and to falsify their credentials. It was part of the nationwide college bribery scandal known as Operation Varsity Blues, which has led to criminal charges against 50 people, including 33 parents of students seeking admission.
Vandemoer is expected to be sentenced this week. Prosecutors have recommended a 13-month prison term, well below federal sentencing guidelines, noting that the coach did not pocket any of the money but used it for his team. His lawyer has asked for probation without prison time, saying Vandemoer’s “intent, while misguided, was to help the sailing program he loved.”
Two of the three students he recruited wound up enrolling at other universities. The third was admitted to Stanford, but the school later revoked her admission.
The leader of the overall scheme, William “Rick” Singer, who established fake charities to receive the parents’ money, pleaded guilty to four felony charges in March and is cooperating with prosecutors.