Judge Indira Talwani Sentences USC Soccer Coach in College Admissions Case

India-West News Desk

BOSTON, MA – The former assistant coach of women’s soccer at the University of Southern California was sentenced on June 29 for her involvement in a bribery scheme to facilitate the admission of applicants to selective colleges and universities as purported athletic recruits.

Laura Janke, 39, of North Hollywood, CA, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to time served and one year of supervised release, with 50 hours of community service. Janke was also ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $129,213.

While an assistant coach of USC’s women’s soccer team, Janke conspired to admit students each year as soccer recruits in exchange for bribes. In reality, the students were not USC-caliber soccer players and they were not actually recruiting them to be members of the team and she helped submit falsified athletic “profiles

Talwani is the first person of Asian descent to serve as a judge in the First Circuit, which includes Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico and Rhode Island. Talwani is also only the second female judge of South Asian descent nationwide.