A student who never played soccer was added to the UCLA’s roster after her parents bribed the school with $250,000 in Facebook stock.
Lauren Isackson was added to UCLA’s elite, all-star soccer team and given jersey number 41 despite never playing soccer previous to attending the school. Worse she never attended any games, even to stand on the sidelines, according to the Daily Mail.
Her team included a group of some of the best college players in the nation and even one player from the Canadian national team. UCLA’s team went on to finish second at the 2017 national championships, losing to Stanford that season.
Isackson ‘s college roster information listed her as the captain for the Woodside Soccer Club from 2012-16, but prosecutors say that the girl never played soccer before enrolling at UCLA.
Isackson ‘s no-show soccer deal was revealed as part of the investigation into college bribery launched last week by the Department of Justice.
According to indictments, Jackson’s parents transferred $600,000 in Facebook stock to the school in an effort to get Lauren, and her sister enrolled in UCLA with fake sports credentials.
Prosecutors say that 2,000 shared of Facebook were transferred to Rick Singer’s Key Worldwide Foundation for Singer’s help to get the girls placed at the college.
UCLA explained away Isackson ‘s inclusion on the roster as a common part of “preparing the team” for competition.
Tod Tamberg, a spokesman for UCLA, insisted that not all team members play on UCLA’s teams and that rosters can “include student-athletes with varying levels of athletic achievements,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
Tamberg added, “Some team members are on the roster for the purposes of preparing the team for competition and may not play in games.”
Lauren’s sister, Audrey Isackson, was listed as a recruit for UCLA’s rowing team but did not seem to have been an active member of the team.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.