Ex-Northwestern Student's Parents Guilty In Admissions Conspiracy

EVANSTON, IL — The parents charged with conspiring to cheat their daughters into Northwestern University and Georgetown University as part of the college admissions scandal pleaded guilty Monday.

Elizabeth Henriquez, 56, and Manuel Henriquez, 55, of the affluent San Francisco Bay Area suburb of Atherton, California, entered a plea of guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering at a hearing in federal court in Boston.

Mr. Henriquez is the founder of the publicly traded Hercules Capital, a Palo Alto-based venture debt company that paid him more than $8 million two years ago. He resigned his position as head of the firm after he and his wife were charged with spending close to half a million dollars on bribes to secure their daughters' seats in the selective private universities. According to the FBI, the bill may have been higher if Mr. Henriquez had not bartered his clout at his alma mater, Northeastern University in Boston, to gain a discount from the central figure in the conspiracy.

Starting in 2015, the Henriquezes paid more than $400,000 to get their older daughter accepted into Georgetown as a tennis recruit by bribing a coach as part of a nationwide scheme orchestrated by Newport Beach, California, college admissions consultant William "Rick" Singer, the CEO of the Key Wordwide Foundation and owner of the Edge College & Career Network.

Singer, a 58-year-old Niles West High School graduate, received the bribes through donations to his sham charity. He already pleaded guilty and has been cooperating with investigators, according to court records. Former Georgetown tennis coach Gordon Ernst was indicted on conspiracy to commit racketeering but continues to fight the charges.

The elder Henriquez daughter — who has described herself as a "rapid learner" who loves to be "around others feeding off their energy to enhance my work" — was far from an outstanding tennis player, according to the FBI in the charging document.

"At her best, [Henriquez] appears to have ranked 207th in Northern California in the under-12 girls division, with an overall win/loss record of 2-8," it said.

The Henriquezes continued the scheme for their younger daughter in 2016 and 2017 to help her gain admission to Northwestern last year. She was aided by admitted co-conspirator Mark Riddell, who served as test proctor and who "gloated" with her mother and older sister about getting away with cheating, the charging documents said.

It wound up costing the Henriquezes about $50,000 to arrange to have the younger daughter flown to Houston to take a standardized test where she could be provided answers, although she scored only 30 of the maximum of 36. Then they paid at least another $25,000 to have their younger daughter flown to Los Angeles for an SAT exam, where she scored between 720 and 770, and another attempt at the ACT while being fed answers, which produced a score of 33, the FBI said in the charges.

The Henriquezes' younger daughter, who was listed as a freshman in the spring, is no longer enrolled at Northwestern, according to a university spokesperson. The circumstances of her departure or when she left the school aren't clear, and it has not been disclosed publicly whether the school took any disciplinary action.

According to the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Office, 19 of the 35 parents nationwide charged in the college admissions cheating conspiracy have pleaded guilty so far. Of those, 10 have been sentenced, with nine — including actress Felicity Huffman — getting prison time.

Each of the two felony counts the Henrequezes pleaded guilty to carry maximum sentences of 20 years in prison. But how much prison time they are given, if any, will depend on federal sentencing guidelines and the order of U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton. He scheduled Mrs. Henriquez's sentencing hearing for Feb. 7 and Mr. Henriquez's for March 5. They remained free on $500,000 bond after entering the plea.

Earlier:

• Money Laundering Charges Added In College Admissions Scandal
• College Cheating Scandal: Northwestern Student's Parents Charged
• Admissions Scandal Mastermind Graduated Niles West