Former UCLA Soccer Coach Agrees to Plead Guilty in College Admissions Case

Jorge Salcedo admits to receiving $200,000 in bribes to facilitate the admission of two students to the University of California at Los Angeles

BOSTON – The former men’s soccer coach at the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA), has agreed to plead guilty in connection with his involvement in a scheme to use bribery and fraud to facilitate the admission of applicants to UCLA.

Jorge Salcedo, 47, of Los Angeles, Calif., will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering.  A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled.  According to the terms of the plea agreement, the government will recommend a sentence at the low end of the sentencing guidelines, one year of supervised release, a fine, forfeiture in the amount of $200,000 and restitution.

In 2016, Salcedo agreed with William “Rick” Singer, Ali Khosroshahin – a former head coach of women’s soccer at the University of Southern California – and others to facilitate the admission of the daughter of Davina and Bruce Isackson to UCLA as a purported women’s soccer recruit.  For his part in the deal, Salcedo received $100,000 of the $250,000 that the Isacksons paid Singer.

In 2018, Salcedo agreed with Singer and Khosroshahin to “recruit” the son of Xiaoning Sui, another client of Singer’s, to the UCLA men’s soccer team.  Sui’s son did not play soccer competitively.  In exchange for the recruitment, Salcedo accepted a $100,000 bribe from Singer.  Sui paid Singer $400,000.

Singer, Khosroshahin, Davina and Bruce Isackson, and Sui have all pleaded guilty for their roles in the offense. 

 Case information, including the status of each defendant, charging documents and plea agreements are available here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/investigations-college-admissions-and-testing-bribery-scheme.

The charge of racketeering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater and restitution. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric S. Rosen, Justin D. O’Connell, Leslie A. Wright and Kristen A. Kearney of Lelling’s Securities and Financial Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.