Peter Dameris, the former CEO of the tech services company ASGN Inc, was sentenced to one year of home confinement and ordered to pay a $95,000 fine for bribing his son’s way into Georgetown University as a tennis recruit. Dameris’ son, however, never played tennis competitively.
Dameris appeared before a Boston federal court judge through video call and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.
His sentence initially included a $95,000 fine and three years of supervised release. The prosecutors had suggested Dameris serve a sentence of 21 months of home confinement alongside the fine. However, Dameris’ lawyers requested that he only serve probation, arguing that he deserved consideration because he was caring for his son, who has leukemia.
US District Judge Richard Stearns stated that he took the medical considerations of the case into account when deciding the sentence, and the support from his friends and family members who sent letters requesting consideration to the court.
Admission via Sham Charity
In 2015, Dameris agreed to move $300,000 through a fake charity that was set up by Rick Singer, the scheme’s suspected ringleader. Singer directed around half of the money to Gordon Ernst, Georgetown’s former tennis coach, who then accepted Dameris’ son as a recruit.
Court filings show that Dameris apologized for skewing the admissions system, but stated that he thought the money would go to the university’s athletic programs. Prosecutors said that there was no evidence Dameris knew of any personal bribes given to Ernst.
Dameris expressed his regrets for being involved in the scheme and took full responsibility for his actions.
“I am enormously remorseful for the actions that have brought me before you today. My life’s sentence is, I am burdened with the memories of what I’ve done that have hurt my family and others,” he stated, speaking through tears.