Ex-USC coach testifies in college admissions bribery scandal trial


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According to the Los Angeles Times, ex-USC women’s soccer assistant coach Laura Janke testified Monday in the nationwide college admissions scandal trial related to the Operation Varsity Blues case. She took the stand in Boston, where she provided additional testimony to the specifics of her involvement in the case of former casino executive Gamal Abdelaziz and former Staples and Gap Inc. executive John Wilson. 

Janke was a USC employee from 2007 to 2014. She falsified profiles for unqualified athletes to help them gain admissions into the University. These profiles included exaggerated accomplishments and Google images. The former assistant coach said she oftentimes didn’t even know if the students she made profiles for played a sport.

Janke’s testimony was directly related to her involvement in helping Abdelaziz’s daughter by creating a fake profile claiming she was a recruit for basketball. In reality, she hadn’t even made her school’s varsity team. Abdelaziz is charged with paying $300,000 for his daughter to gain admission to the school under this guise. 

 “I had to make it believable enough without raising any red flags,” Janke said.

Janke conspired with William “Rick” Singer, the man who supposedly coordinated the nationwide scandal. 

In May 2019, Janke pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit racketeering. In exchange, she agreed to testify in court in return for a lenient sentencing.