UBC alumnus, donor and former Thunderbirds football player David Sidoo is planning to plead guilty for his involvement in a college admissions scandal which first came to light last March.
Sidoo was implicated in the scandal for allegedly paying $200,000 USD to have an accomplice take the SAT in the place of his sons in 2011 and 2012.
Sidoo has been charged by US prosecutors with conspiracy to commit money laundering, mail and wire fraud. The details of the scheme are outlined in a US federal indictment, which also implicates several wealthy parents in what the US Department of Justice has called a “nationwide college admissions scam.”
After originally pleading not guilty on March 15, 2019, Sidoo is scheduled to appear in a Boston court on Friday to make a guilty plea. Sidoo’s lawyers were not available to comment by press time.
In addition to being an alumnus and benefactor to the university, Sidoo was also appointed by the province to the UBC Board of Governors in 2014. Sidoo served on the Board during former UBC president Arvind Gupta’s resignation from the university in 2015.
Sidoo, who was a former football player for the CFL and UBC Thunderbirds, was a prominent donor to UBC Athletics. In 2013 and 2014 he led a group of UBC alumni in raising money to “save” UBC football. He is also one of the founders and a donor for the 13th Man Foundation.
David Sidoo Field on the UBC campus is also named in his honour. But according to a report from CBC, UBC is in the process of considering whether to change the name.
In a written statement to CBC, Senior Director of Media Relations Kurt Heinrich said: “in the coming days we will be reviewing all the facts.”
“We believe it is crucial for the university to follow due process,” he said.
Share this article
