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UCLA’s Jorge Salcedo has been connected to college admissions scandal

By Mike Regalado

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 02: A detailed view of the Hawk-Eye camera-based system ahead the international friendly match between England and Belgium at Wembley Stadium on June 2, 2012 in London, England. Goal line technology will be tested in today's game, but not enforced. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 02: A detailed view of the Hawk-Eye camera-based system ahead the international friendly match between England and Belgium at Wembley Stadium on June 2, 2012 in London, England. Goal line technology will be tested in today's game, but not enforced. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /
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UCLA men’s soccer coach Jorge Salcedo has been indicted by the Department of Justice in connection with a massive college admissions scandal.

Another major scandal regarding college admissions has rocked the nation on Tuesday morning as the FBI has indicted several people in connection to a fraud scheme which has been linked to UCLA men’s soccer coach Jorge Salcedo.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Edge College & Career Network (aka “The Key”), a Newport Beach admissions service, is at the root of all of this where “wealthy parent[s] paid to help their children cheat on college entrance exams and falsify athletic records of students to enable them to secure admission to elite schools.”

In the indictment, which was issued by the United State District Court of Massachusetts, Salcedo was charged with a racketeering conspiracy for allegedly taking $100,000 on two separate occasions. This was in exchange for helping two unnamed UCLA applicants become admitted to the university under the guise of “provisional student-athlete admission”.

Essentially, William Rick Singer, the founder of The Key, had directed money to Salcedo for helping to deceive the UCLA Student-Athlete Admissions Committee and approve these two applicants as soccer recruits from both the women’s and men’s team. The indictment had also stated that Salcedo forwarded transcripts and test scores to “a UCLA women’s soccer coach”, though no one on that staff has been named in this scandal.

UCLA and the UCLA Athletic Department had released a joint statement this morning in regards to the situation which includes Salcedo’s immediate fate.

"The U.S. Department of Justice announced this morning a criminal case naming UCLA men’s soccer head coach Jorge Salcedo as a defendant, and notified UCLA that it is a potential victim of a fraudulent scheme. Coach Salcedo has been placed on leave and will have no involvement with the soccer team while this matter is under review."

This scandal has affected several schools and athletic departments, including two other Pac-12 schools, Stanford and USC. At USC, the scandal goes beyond a few coaches and programs as the Senior Associate Athletic Director, Dr. Donna Heinel, has also been indicted. This scandal has also involved actresses, Lori Laughlin, and Felicity Huffman, though it has not been confirmed if they have been linked to Salcedo or UCLA.