1st defendant faces sentencing in college admissions scandal

BOSTON (AP) — Prosecutors are seeking more than a year in prison for a former Stanford sailing coach who admitted to participating in the sweeping college admissions bribery scheme.

John Vandemoer is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday in Boston federal court. He’s the first defendant to be sentenced in the case that has ensnared prominent parents and coaches at elite universities across the country.

Vandemoer pleaded guilty in March to taking money for the school’s sailing program in exchange for labeling prospective students as team recruits.

Vandemoer’s lawyers are seeking probation. They note that he accepted responsibility for his actions and didn’t pocket any of the money for himself.

Prosecutors say a “meaningful” prison sentence is “the only way to begin restoring confidence in a college admissions system that most people agree is needlessly unfair.”