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Former USC Soccer Coach Laura Janke Pleads Guilty In Admissions Bribery Scandal

BOSTON (CBSLA) – A former USC assistant soccer coach will likely spend at least two years in prison after she plead guilty Tuesday in Boston federal court to accepting bribes in exchange for creating fake athletic profiles for college applicants as part of the massive admissions bribery scandal.

Laura Janke, 36, of North Hollywood, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering. She had reached a plea deal last month that calls for her to cooperate with prosecutors and potentially testify against other defendants in the case in exchange for a lighter sentence.

Ex-USC Soccer Coach Laura Janke Pleads Guilty In Admissions Bribery Scandal
Former USC assistant women's soccer coach Laura Janke. (Credit: USC)

She faces a maximum of 20 years in prison when she is sentenced Oct. 17, but prosecutors are recommending she receive 27 to 33 months in prison, the Boston Herald reports.

Janke is accused of receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for creating several fake athletic profiles for college applicants at the direction of Newport Beach businessman Rick Singer, the mastermind behind the college admissions scandal.

One of those profiles was for Olivia Jade, the younger daughter of actress Lori Loughlin and fashion mogul Mossimo Giannulli, prosecutors claim.

Loughlin and Giannulli are accused of paying $500,000 in bribes to Singer so both their two daughters would be designated as recruits to the USC crew team, even though neither had ever rowed crew. According to a federal complaint, Janke created a profile that described Jade as a coxswain for the Los Angeles Marina Club team crew team.

Loughlin and Giannulli have plead not guilty to the charges. Both their daughters are still students at USC.

Janke departed USC in 2014 after coaching there for seven seasons. Along with Janke, former longtime head USC women's soccer coach Ali Khosroshahin has also been indicted in the case. He was fired by USC back in 2013.

RELATED: USC Fires Athletics Administrator, Water Polo Coach In Admissions Fraud Fallout

On March 12, the FBI charged 50 people — including 33 parents and nine coaches — in a massive bribery scheme in which wealthy families paid millions to Singer to help their children cheat on standardized tests and bribe test administrators and college coaches to help get their kids into top universities like UCLA, USC, Yale, Stanford and Georgetown.

One of those parents charged, actress Felicity Huffman, also plead guilty Monday in Boston federal court to paying a $15,000 bribe to help her daughter cheat on the SAT. She could serve anywhere from 4 to 10 months in prison when she is sentenced.

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