Yale cancels the student's admission to a so-called $ 25 million college ..

Yale University has canceled the admission of a student who, according to school officials, allegedly participated in an alleged college fraud in the country that trapped 50 people, including Hollywood actresses and directors, some of whom appeared in a Boston courtroom on Monday.

The ousted student, who has not been identified, is the second person in Ivy League College to be involved in the scandal from one ocean to the other, in which federal prosecutors have claimed that dozens of wealthy parents had lied and paid large bribes to get their children into elite schools.

Rudolph "Rudy" Meredith, former head coach of women's football at Yale, was arrested in a federal "Varsity Blues" investigation and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and fraud through honest services. Prosecutors told 51-year-old Meredith that William "Rick" Singer, designated by the authorities as the scam leader, had paid a $ 400,000 bribe to accept a student even. if the applicant did not play football.

Yale's parents would have paid Singer $ 1.2 million for their daughter to go to the prestigious Connecticut school, prosecutors said.

"Yale has canceled the admission of a student as a result of this case," Yale spokesman Thomas Conroy said in a statement to ABC News.

Meredith, who, according to prosecutors, had been working with Singer since April 2015, resigned as coach in November after 24 seasons. At the time, he said "it's time to explore new possibilities and start another chapter of my life".

The Wall Street Journal reported that Los Angeles-based financial executive Morrie Tobin sought clemency in a non-related securities fraud case by informing federal investigators that Meredith had solicited a bribe in exchange for putting Tobin's daughter in Yale. According to the newspaper, Tobin's council has led investigators to uncover the vast fraud scandal involving dozens of wealthy parents.

Conroy told the Yale Daily News, the college 's independent student newspaper, that school officials had launched an internal review with the help of an outside lawyer to determine whether to go to school. other students were involved in the scam.

The first group of accused accused of fraud appeared in federal court in Boston on Monday.

The 12 defendants all pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy. They have been ordered to return their passports.

The hearing was the first of a series of hearings scheduled in Boston federal court for those charged.

Parents charged with the investigation reportedly paid up to $ 6.5 million in bribes to bring their children to some of the best colleges in the country, including Stanford, Georgetown and the United States. University of Southern California, announced federal prosecutors.

Federal prosecutors allege that Singer has purchased many coaches, college entrance exam administrators, an exam supervisor and a college administrator to assist him in his long-standing project aimed at to benefit academically the children of wealthy families.

Singer pleaded guilty in Boston federal court on charges of racket conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, fraud plotting in the United States and obstruction of justice.

Among the 33 accused parents are Oscar-nominated actress Felicity Huffman and comedian Lori Loughlin, best known for her character, Aunt Becky, in ABC sitcom "Full House". Loughlin's husband, fashion designer, Mossimo Giannulli, has also been accused of scam.

Tens of thousands of dollars in bribes were allegedly paid to a fake charity created by Singer and named Key Worldwide Foundation. According to prosecutors, Mr. Singer would channel this money to those who worked with him, including coaches who graded the university candidates as high-level athletes recruited even though some of them n & # 39; They had never played sports, according to the prosecutors.

At least seven of the nine coaches involved in the scam appeared in court on Monday in Boston. Meredith should register his plea at a later date, while John Vandemoer, the former sailing coach of Stanford University, has already pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy.

On Monday, a Boston judge pleaded not guilty to USC's legendary water polo coach Jovan Vavic, who was fired by his school. Laura Janke, former coach of the USC for women; Gorden Ernst, former tennis coach at Georgetown University; former UCLA men's football head coach, Jorge Salcedo; William Ferguson, volleyball head coach at Wake Forest, who was put on administrative leave; and Ali Khosroshahin, former head coach of USC Women's Football.

Martin Fox, president of a tennis academy in the Houston area, also pleaded not guilty. Fox, who also directs student basketball players to the university, allegedly accepted at least $ 250,000 in bribes to help Singer in recruiting and fraud testing athletes, said the prosecutors.

Donna Heinel, former USC Deputy Sports Director, pleaded not guilty to racket conspiracy on Monday and her lawyer said she was "looking forward" to reviewing the government's evidence and fully restoring the reputation of Donna in the university sports community ".

"These charges are a real shock," said Heinel's lawyer, Nina Marino, in a statement. "Everyone who knows Donna Heinel knows that she is a woman of integrity and integrity, with a strong moral spirit."

The nationwide project was prosecuted in Boston in part because it was discovered by FBI agents working there in an unrelated case, officials said.

Some members of Singer's inner circle also appeared before a federal judge in Boston, including his bookkeeper Steven Masera. Mikaela Sanford, also a Singer employee, reportedly took online courses for some students and would be accused of "secretly" taking courses in the history of art and biology so that the daughter of Robert Zangrillo, founder and CEO of Dragon Global, a privately held Florida-based investment company, could enter USC, according to the federal indictment.

Igor Dvorskiy and Niki Williams, who both served as the college entrance test administrator, appeared in court on Monday and pleaded not guilty to the charges. They allowed Mark Riddell, a private school counselor in Florida, to take exams for students or correct them. sneaky, according to the indictment.

Riddell, 36, charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, has apologized for his involvement in the scam.

"I want to let everyone know that I am deeply sorry for the damage I have done and the grief that I have caused to them as a result of my useless actions. Shares have contributed to a loss of confidence in the college admissions process, "Riddell, who is scheduled to appear in Boston federal court in April, said in a statement earlier this month. "I take full responsibility for what I have done."

Loughlin and Giannulli were sentenced to a federal court in Boston in April. They would be accused of paying Singer a $ 500,000 bribe "in return for appointing their two daughters as recruits to the USC team, while They did not participate in the crew – thus facilitating their admission to the USC, "according to the newspaper. the indictment.

The two Loughlin girls, including Olivia Jade Giannuli, a popular vlogger on YouTube with over 2 million online subscribers, are among the many students under investigation at the USC and could face disciplinary action including the withdrawal and ban of the school, officials said.

Huffman's husband, actor William H. Macy, was not charged, but according to court documents, he and Huffman were reportedly caught in a recorded conversation with a witness corroborating the case. They would have discussed a $ 15,000 payment to make sure their youngest daughter would get a high score in college. entrance examination. Huffman was charged with the $ 15,000 that she allegedly disguised as a charitable donation so that her eldest daughter could participate in the fraud scam at the college entrance, says the act of # 39; accusation. But Huffman and Macy apparently decided not to set up a scheme for their youngest daughter.

Huffman is scheduled to appear in Boston federal court on Friday.

Singer, owner of a college advisory service called Edge College & Career Network, allegedly accepted bribes totaling $ 25 million from parents between 2011 and 2018 in order to guarantee the admission of their children to elite schools, according to the indictment.

"This case concerns the widening of the corruption of admissions to elite colleges resulting from the regular use of wealth, associated with fraud," said Andrew Lelling, the 39, Massachusetts District Attorney, at a press conference held on March 13th. college admissions system for the rich and, I'll add, there will also be no separate criminal justice system. "

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified Donna Heinel's lawyer.